Physical assault or abuse can happen to almost any person, regardless of their gender or age. It is common for physical assault survivors to experience a deep sense of humiliation and shame in regards to the incident, which prevents them from accessing the help they need to move on. This situation needs to change and people have to be more proactive about seeking physical assault counseling from professionals like Robert Turner. Physical assault counseling is not about reliving the trauma of what happened. It is about reclaiming the sense of self in the aftermath of abuse.
Physical abuse and assault is never the fault of the victim. However, seeking help after the incident is vital to recovery. Proper therapy and counseling can be a huge step in the direction of healing and wellness. There are several factors that make physical assault counseling advantageous, here are some of them:
- Moving past the trauma: Physical assault is extremely traumatic. In fact, there is a high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among victims of physical violence. Almost half of the physical assault victims tend to report symptoms of PTSD, which include re-experiencing the traumatic event (flashbacks and nightmares, etc.), avoidance, overriding negative thoughts and beliefs, as well as getting startled easily. With proper therapy and counseling, PTSD can be managed or even be prevented from taking hold in the first place.
- Reclaiming physical health: For very obvious reasons, the physical health of a person can suffer subsequent to an assault. With the help of therapy, one can take steps towards separating physical assault from physical health.
- Improve the physical health: A lot of people who have experienced trauma in the form of physical violence end up developing physical health problems like gastrointestinal distress, arthritis, pelvic pain and intense premenstrual symptoms. By choosing to address physical violence through therapy, one can often improve their physical health.
- Better control the behavioral health: There are instances where people experiencing physical assault turned to outlets like drugs or alcohol to numb their anxiety and pain. With proper therapy, they would be able to avoid the pitfalls and risks of substance use.
- Take back the power: The final and most important advantage of physical assault counseling encompasses all the points mentioned above. The feeling of powerlessness felt by physical assault victims might wreck havoc on their life. Proper counseling and therapy can help in reclaiming this power. With therapy, professionals help the victims in understanding how to take back control so that they can lead a happy and productive life long into the future.
Physical assault victims can consult people like Robert Turner for help. He is a regular churchgoer and shares his faith by offering his expertise as a counselor to physical assault victims. These traumatic events can greatly change a person’s life, but Dr. Turner believes that with counseling and other forms of treatment, a person can get better and move forward with their life.