Rachel's Hope
After Abortion Healing and
Reconciliation for Catholic Women
(or Catholic friendly)
Defense Mechanisms, Risk
Factors and Interventions with the
Post-Abortive Client
Rosemary Benefield,
RN, MA, MPC
Rachel's Hope P.O. Box 17363
San Diego, CA 92177
email:
rachels_hope@juno.com
Particular attention is given to the role of nurses in the healing process of post-abortion trauma. Defense mechanisms and risk factors of post-abortive women are examined.
Post-abortive women typically use defense mechanisms to escape the threat of an ego dystonic crash. They may be consciously or subconsciously walking on this tightrope of defenses. Sooner or later a trigger may cause them to experience a flood of emotions that they usually do not understand. Situations like infertility problems, birth of a child, miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, being around children can be some of the triggers that bring women out of their denial, suppression, repression and rationalization. Undoing/compensatory pregnancy is another mechanism used by women to alter, in their mind, the outcome of the loss, guilt and shame associated with an abortion. In order to "right a wrong" that is unacceptable to a woman's psyche, she may think, do, or say the opposite of what she feels, this being reaction formation. These defense mechanisms are an attempt from post-abortive women to feel an ego-syntonic calm in their life, only to find that this can be the calm before the storm.
Some women are at a higher risk than others to experience post-abortion syndrome. In addition, within those who are at risk, varying degrees of trauma are felt depending upon the circumstances around the abortion. Several common factors have been identified to determine those women who are of highest risk. Women at high risk of experiencing post-abortion syndrome are those who: (a) feel pressured into having the abortion, or (b) feel uncertainty or ambivalence about their choice. To differentiate between the high and low risk patient, one needs to access the amount of pressure the woman felt to choose abortion. The low risk patient is one who chooses abortion with little or no pressure. In addition, such women have no moral qualms about abortion and have little or no interest in having children.
Nurses are called to touch patients in their emotional and spiritual areas of need. Guilt, shame and fear will often prevent the post-abortive women from seeking help from her family or medical personnel. She isolates herself and carries the "secret." By recognizing post-abortion symptoms, the nurse can be in the position to help the patient come out of her isolation. The nurse may respond with: (1) Empathetic listening, (2) Validation, (3) Prayer and (4) Referrals.
In
this article, I will describe the defense mechanisms of post-abortive women and
their breakdown. I will then discuss the groups of women for whom these defense
mechanisms are likely to fail. Finally I will propose an approach for nurses
who find themselves caring for post-abortive women who cannot cope with their
abortion.
DEFENSE MECHANISMS OF POST-ABORTIVE PATIENTS
Women who have had abortions usually need to use defense mechanisms in order to cope with the feelings associated with their abortions. These mechanisms may be conscious or subconscious. Drugs or alcohol may be used to reinforce or enable the continued use of defense mechanisms. Everyone uses defense mechanisms to cope during a crisis. The problems develop when they become entrenched, when they are used over a long period of time, and the crisis is never confronted and resolved.
Denial
Many women will deny that they have any feelings about their abortion; some may even deny that they have ever had abortions at all. The average denial period is five to ten years after the abortion.
It is very common that different events in one's life may be "triggers" that bring women out of denial. One of the biggest triggers occurs when women discover that they are having infertility problems. Statements often come up like, "I aborted the only child(ren) that I may ever be able to have." These women by far seem to suffer post-abortion syndrome more severely.
Other events bringing a woman out of denial can be pregnancy, giving birth to a child or having a miscarriage or a tubal pregnancy. Sometimes being around a child or children the same projected age as the aborted child can be a trigger. Seeing pictures of aborted babies can painfully draw women out of denial. One woman went into a rage when she saw a large picture of an aborted baby. This alarmed her husband (not the father of her aborted baby/fetus) so much so that he sought out help for her. Loss of significant others in one's life, such as a spouse, partner, child, parent, etc. can throw people into loneliness and isolation which may cause them to think of the "children that could have been." Becoming ill and having a lot of time on one's hands can cause the memories to surface. Facing their own vulnerability can draw post-aborted women to seek help.
Denial requires a great deal of emotional effort. Women using denial to cope over an extended period of time may find that they have little emotional energy left to deal with other issues in their life. If the denial breaks, women may feel overwhelmed and out of control. At this point, what may have been dysthymia (depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, lasting for at least 2 years) can turn into major depression with possible suicidal ideation or attempts.
Suppression
The post-abortive woman is consciously pushing down negative or painful feelings as they begin to surface. She thinks of her abortion often, but "walls off' her feelings. She tries to keep her feelings in a nice, neat, locked box in the back of her mind thinking that they are safe there. Flashbacks, anniversary reactions and dreams are common.
Anniversary date reactions take place on the dates when the abortion occurred or on the date the child would have been born. The woman is aware of these dates and fully cognizant of how she feels when these dates come around. Another woman may not relate these dates to the different times of the year when feeling depressed, anxious, etc. It is during these times that she may become agitated, "hard to live with," depressed. She may exhibit destructive behavior or become suicidal.
Repression
The post-abortive woman is subconsciously using repression to obtain relief from mental conflict and is unaware that she is "forgetting" unpleasant situations/memories as a way to avoid them. It is almost as though the abortion never happened - a mechanism of denial. There is an increase in tension and irresponsible behavior that others will notice. Those significant others will notice changes in her behavior and attitudes, and may not understand those changes. If the changes are brought up, the woman may become very angry and defensive, and insist that nothing is wrong, that nothing about her has changed.
Rationalization
The post-abortive woman is subconsciously using rationalization to make intolerable feelings, behavior and motives - tolerable. The woman uses logical reasons for her abortion. Statements are commonly "The timing wasn't right," "it was something I had to do," "I couldn't tell my parents," "it was just a piece of tissue" etc. She has many reasons for having had an abortion that appear logical according to her "level of reality." This defense mechanism of rationalization supports her denial system. However, when logic breaks down, feelings associated with the abortion often surface. She may stay in the state of rationalization the rest of her life because she has ambivalent feelings about her abortion. Depending upon her religious or moral background, she may be glad she didn't have to face having a baby at this time in her life, but feels guilt for not having her baby. For this woman, it is difficult to admit the effects that abortion has had on her life.
Undoing/Compensatory Pregnancy
Having another baby to replace the aborted baby is also called an atonement baby. Statistically, 30-40 percent of women who have abortions will try to get pregnant again within a year of their abortion. Generally, ten percent are successful. Many women "find themselves pregnant," and "don't understand how it happened." They know about birth control, they know what causes pregnancy, they don't do anything to prevent getting pregnant, and they "don't know why." They do not understand that they may be subconsciously trying to replace the baby that was aborted. Unless significant changes have taken place in their lives, such as getting married, finishing school, etc., they will probably choose abortion again, and again. In some cases they plan on having that atonement baby. One case was such that the woman stated, "The longing for my child was too great but I still couldn't meet the right guy. I gave up looking for him. If I couldn't have a husband I at least wanted to get back my child. I dated a younger man who was finishing college. We hardly knew each other. I was elated. Now I would have my child."
Many women who have abortions have an overwhelming need to become pregnant and sometimes that need is almost compulsive in nature. They may or may not act on that need, or they may act on that need later on in life, such as wanting to get pregnant when they are in their forties. They state that they don't feel satisfied, worthwhile or fulfilled unless they are pregnant. It is not uncommon for some women to have multiple births following an abortion. One such woman stated, "My sister said that I didn't seem happy unless I was pregnant. It took me awhile to realize that she was right." This same woman had eight living children. This was her way of "undoing" the abortion.
Women who have abortions often suffer the supermom- superbaby syndrome. They must be perfect mothers, and their children must be perfect as well. These mothers tend to make their children the center and focus of their lives, and may be overprotective, overindulgent and have difficulty disciplining their children. They may be enmeshed with the child, throwing all their energies into becoming a good or "better" parent. They may have to do everything within their power to be sure her children are "happy."
The other extreme occurs when women have difficulty bonding with their children. They may be afraid that their child will die as punishment for their abortion, so they do not allow themselves to become too close. They may also feel that they are unworthy of being mothers - that these children are "too good" for them. They turn off their mothering instincts so much that they are unable to feel caring or nurturing toward their children. Instead, they feel they are "babysitting."
They may also react in the reverse to child-rearing. Because of this inability/difficulty bonding, the fathers might pick up the slack and become the primary caregiver. This has serious repercussions not only for the women, but also for the childrens' proper growth and stability. Childrearing can be extremely stressful and difficult for post-abortive women, sometimes leading to child abuse. Dr. Philip Ney (1997) states, "Children who are not bonded to their mothers are at a higher risk of being battered."
Children born after a sibling's abortion often feels the need to measure up (this is also true for siblings of the aborted child who were alive when the abortion occurred). This often puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the surviving siblings. Dr. Ney also states,
"It appears that many survivors do not find great pleasure and peace in life. Somehow they feel guilty that they are alive when others, just as good as them, died because of circumstances over which none of them had any control. One of their greatest difficulties is survivor guilt.
Those
who are alive because they were wanted also seem to have an impending sense of
doom or existential anxiety. They fear that someday their lives will be snuffed
out by circumstances similar to those that killed their siblings -
inconvenience, imperfections, wrong sex, too many, etc. For children who are
alive when their parents aborted their little siblings, or chose them to live,
there is a deep distrust of all parental figures. They have an anxious
attachment that interferes with their ability to question their family and
explore the world. This interferes with their intellectual development. It
limits their freedom to know and express their thoughts or feelings."
…..Women may enter into the "post-abortion crisis" which can trigger suppressed emotional reactions to their abortions. This crisis may include the anniversary date of the abortions or the unachieved "due date." Reproductive experiences such as the birth of a child where they are now "face to face" with "what could have been" may act as a trigger to their emotional reactions to their abortions. Miscarriages, or unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, are also frequently associated with precipitating a delayed post-abortion crisis.
Even with an "atonement baby," post partum depression tends to be more severe for these women, as are complications and emotional stress during the pregnancy itself.
Some may enter into emotional crisis even decades later with the onset of menopause or after their youngest child leaves home.
Reaction Formation
Reaction Formation is doing the opposite of what one feels, but becoming aware that those feelings or thoughts are "wrong" and unacceptable to the psyche. They do, think or say the opposite so as to avoid the anxiety and distress of the original thoughts or feelings. Thus, becoming either pro-life or pro-choice is a means of dealing with intense internal conflicts. Those who become pro-abortion will help other women to have an abortion as a means of justifying their own decision. They may feel anger or resentment towards women who do not choose to abort. They are extremely defensive about their position on abortion.
Those who become pro-life want to "help just one person make the right choice." They often feel the need to "save one baby from abortion, "or prevent one woman from going through what I've gone through." They usually become involved in pro-life as a way to atone/undo for their own abortions. They can do more harm than good if they do not experience healing first. Some women will choose abortion anyway, this can elicit feelings of anger from the women who have tried to change their mind. It may also reinforce their feelings of failure and unworthiness because they "didn't say the right thing" or "do enough."
Inappropriate repetitive talking about her abortion is a woman's method of reaction formation. Years ago, I remember hearing the cashier at a supermarket check-out stand talking about her abortions to all the customers as she rang up their bills. She was laughing and appeared manic as she talked about her abortions, saying it was "something I had to do" and waited for the approval of her customers.
Not all women experience a crisis of spirit and mind in relation to their abortion. Some women carry much greater risk of falling apart. The following section of this article discusses the risk criteria for this group of women.
PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF POST-ABORTION RISKS
Since 1980, mental health providers have begun treating an increasing number of women who are suffering mental and emotional difficulties as a result of induced abortions. The best available evidence indicates that on an average there is a five to ten year period of denial during which women who are. traumatized by their abortions will repress their feelings. Therefore, as reported by former U.S. Surgeon General Koop, "existing research is inadequate to measure the magnitude of this problem."
But while the number of women who suffer post-abortion trauma is unknown, the characteristics of women most likely to suffer severe post-abortion problems have been identified. Dr. David Reardon (1996) from the Elliot Institute has reported that psychologists who work with these women have identified several common factors which can be used to identify women who are at the highest risk. In brief, they are women who: (a) feel pressured into having the abortion, or (b) feel uncertainty or ambivalence about their choice.
High Risk Abortion Patients
High-risk patients are generally "soft-core" aborters because they are looking for ways, or even excuses, to avoid their unwanted abortions. For these women, abortion is not a "right" by which they are able to reclaim control of their lives; instead it is an "evil necessity" to which they submit because they "have no choice." Rather than affirming their own values, these women feel forced to compromise them. Rather than feeling proud of themselves for standing up against difficult situations, they feel ashamed of themselves. They are internally divided by an emotional "war" within and against themselves. These two sides are irreconcilable and these women are very unlikely to pursue an illegal abortion unless coerced by others.
Prior to 1973, there were approximately 100,000 to 200,000 illegal abortions each year. Compared to the rate of 1.6 million abortions which are now occurring each year, the rate of abortion has increased 10-15 fold. This increase in the number of abortions performed has occurred primarily at the expense of high risk abortion patients, the "soft core" aborters.
Women Feeling Pressured into an Abortion
The first high risk category includes women who feel pressured to choose abortion in order to comply with the needs or wishes of others. This is especially true if the "wishes" of others are experienced as coercion, whether subtle or overt, such as threatening to withhold love or approval unless she "does the best thing."
Even lack of emotional support to keep a pregnancy may be experienced as a pressure "forcing" women to choose abortion. In addition, pressure from adverse circumstances, such as financial problems, being unmarried, social problems, or health problems may make women feel they are being "forced" to accept abortion as their "only choice."
A study (Reardon, 1996) of 252 aborted women who suffered psychological sequelae reported that 53% felt "forced" into the abortion by others, and 65 percent felt "forced" by their circumstances. Only 33 percent felt "free" to make their own decisions. Conversely, 83 percent stated they would have kept the pregnancy if they had been encouraged to do so by one or more other persons, and 84 percent would have kept the pregnancy under "better circumstances."
Researchers investigating post-abortion reactions report only one positive emotion: relief. This emotion is understandable, especially in light of the high degree of pressure aborting women feel to "get it over with." Temporary feelings of relief are frequently followed by a period psychiatrists identify as emotional "paralysis," or post-abortion "numbness." Like shell-shocked soldiers, these aborted women are unable to express or even feel their own emotions. Their focus is primarily on having survived the ordeal, and they may be, at least temporarily, out of touch with their feelings.
Women Feeling Uncertainty or Ambivalence about Abortion
The second criterion for identifying high risk patients is the existence of any reluctance to having abortions. The source of women's doubts may result from either conflicting moral views about abortion, or from a conflicting desire to keep the baby.
Various studies have found that 65 to 70 percent of women seeking abortions have a negative moral view of abortion. Only 6 to 20 percent of women receiving induced abortions report that they would have been willing to seek illegal abortions if abortion had not been legal (Reardon, 1996). The vast majority of aborted women, therefore, can be classified as "soft core" aborters for whom abortion was a marginal choice which they would not have pursued if it had been illegal.
The ambivalence, which the majority of women feel with regard to the morality of abortion, is compounded by the ambivalence, which many feel about keeping the baby. Researchers report that 30 to 60 percent of women seeking abortions express some desire to keep the child (Reardon, 1996). Of women who suffer post abortion trauma, 45 percent went to the clinic still hoping for a "miracle" option which would have allowed them to avoid the abortion and/or keep the baby.
It is estimated that up to 70 percent of all abortion patients fall into the category of high-risk patients because of the presence of coercive pressures and/or ambivalent feelings at the time of the abortions.
Other
research on women who are at risk involves cases where the women experienced
more than one abortion. Statistics from the Illinois Department of Public
Health in it's report, "Abortion Data Report to
the General Assembly" of
Women, who abort where there are indications of fetal anomalies or other medical problems prompting the abortion, fit the high risk criteria. Other women had an illegal abortion, second or third trimester abortions, or had existing children at the time of the abortion. Other women in this high risk category may have recently been in contact with prenatal development information, or have had a "spiritual experience." Past psycho logical trauma and prior emotional problems, coupled with their current stress, put the women at risk. Conversely, women with "healthy" emotional lives are less likely to employ the defense mechanisms (described above) after the abortion, thus putting themselves at risk.
The two criteria for high risk abortion patients are typical of women who abort for reasons of physical health, psychological health, fetal malformation, rape or incest. When viewed within the framework of high risk criteria, all the categories typically associated with "hard case" abortions are actually contraindications for abortion. While there are many reasons for this, a simplified explanation is that the harder the circumstances which pregnant women face, the more they feel "forced" into a decision which is not freely her own.
Low Risk Abortion Patients
In contrast to the high-risk abortion patients, the women who appear to be least at risk are those for whom abortion is a free choice which they make under little or no pressure. In addition, such women would have no moral qualms about abortion and would have little or no interest in having children. Because they truly desire abortion as "good," these women can be categorized as "hard core" aborters because they are more likely to pursue abortions even if they were illegal. They see an abortion as their "right" and express to others that they are proud of themselves for this decision.
A
nurse is a likely caretaker for a post-abortive woman to turn to in a time of
crisis. What can a nurse give and how does she help this woman in pain? In the
next section of this article, practical recommendations are offered.
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL CARE: THE NURSE'S ROLE
Since Florence Nightingale, nurses have held the public image as "angels of mercy." Nurses are looked upon as being caring and compassionate persons that patients can talk to freely about anything. Just as nurses are educated to meet the physical needs of patients, they are also called to touch patients in their emotional and spiritual areas of need.
For some nurses, the issue of abortion is a charged and controversial subject. Biases around abortion may get in the way of productive care that fails to address the goals and best interests of the patient. Counterproductive care is the result when we fail to separate ourselves from our firm biases, so that the best interest of the patient can be addressed. If nurses involved in the care of post-abortive women have themselves been involved in an abortive experience, it is imperative that they be aware of their own inner conflicts otherwise, their own unfinished business could complicate treatment. If this is not taken into account the nurses themselves will possibly react to the reactions of their patients. This is typically referred to as countertransference. When this happens, any mental health care is in jeopardy of doing more harm than good. On the other hand, if nurses who have had abortions are able to experience reconciliation and healing through their own individual or group counseling, they will be in a better emotional state to respond with compassion and empathy to their post-abortive patients.
Guilt, shame, and fear will often prevent post-abortive patients from asking for help and support from family, friends or medical personnel. They may be angry at doctors or nurses, even though those particular professionals may not have been involved in the abortion procedure. They may also be angry at the doctors or nurses who where involved in the abortions and may change doctors after their abortions.
Guilt is sometimes looked at as an emotion that we want to "stamp out." Religious and moral upbringing is often accused of "laying too much guilt on us." While there certainly is unhealthy or neurotic guilt, there is concurrently healthy (existential) guilt. An example of existential guilt sounds like this: "I have executed an act that violates my way of believing and living. I have gone against my inner-truth. I have done something wrong." This produces tension where the psyche or personality is not in harmony with itself or its environment. This is to be separated from neurotic or false guilt when a person is feeling guilty over something that is truly not of his/her doing. Existential or healthy guilt occurs when a person can accept the fact that he/she has gone against his/her moral conscience and needs to do something to make amends. The making amends needs to be in the form of reconciliation with God, the self and others. Fr. Michael Mannion (1992) states, 'I see guilt as healthy and productive when it leads the woman to come to grips with the reality of what she has done. It can be a part of the way back to wholeness and inner peace through a personal relationship with a loving and personal God, and a commitment to embark upon the journey of that relationship. Once this 'commitment to healing' process is set in motion, there is no value in guilt whatsoever. It would only obstruct rather than conduct the Lord's healing power and the woman's faith growth."
Women who are feeling shame are feeling "defective." The guilt that is experienced becomes a stagnant shame after it has flowed from one thing she did over all that she is. "It's not that I made a mistake, but that I am a mistake." The shame can be so deep that women find that they cannot tell others about their abortions. One woman stated that she attended a "Healing of Shame Workshop." Most everyone in the group shared about an action or event that lies at the root of their shame, but she was too ashamed to share about the root of her shame, the abortion. The post-abortive woman often feels fear that what she did "will be found out." She may be afraid to tell others about it because she is afraid of their reaction, afraid of condemnation or anger at her. So, she remains quiet and isolated.
When a nurse can recognize some of these symptoms and has built up a rapport with the patient, she may wish to address the issue. Because this is such a sensitive subject, instead of directly asking the patient if she has had an abortion, she may wish to ask, "Have you ever experienced a pregnancy loss?" There can certainly be a variety of responses from this question, but the door is open and she may share with the nurse her abortion experience right away, later or never.
Modes of Response
When a patient shares with the nurse about her abortions, she may do so reluctantly, not being sure what to expect from the nurse. The nurse can respond in many compassionate and caring ways.
Empathetic listening
This is the ability to listen intellectually, yet feel imaginatively the apprehension of her patient. It is to know her state of mind without actually experiencing the patient's feelings. We can all relate to times of sadness, loss or trauma. This relationship, on whatever level, to the woundedness in one's own life can be used to direct compassion towards the patient's plight. The nurse may wish to make statements such as: "That must have been a difficult decision for you," or "You have suffered a great deal of loss in your life," if these statements are appropriate. A part of the healing process is telling "their story to a safe individual who can be present to them.
Validation
This is the ability of the nurse to confirm to the woman that her feelings are common for an abortion experience. This is not the same as giving a message of condoning. The woman can safely pour out her pain pertaining to her loss, shame, guilt and fears and "know" that her feelings are being recognized and understood. Many state that they feel that their post-abortion reactions are "crazy," and that they are crazy.
Prayer
If a patient is open, prayer can be a powerful tool for healing. Prayer is intimate conversation between God and us and is a recognition of our human limitations and our need for God. In many ways it is a move out of the confusion of our situation toward a mature and steady hope. True prayer is a dialogue. It is openness to God's initiative and will as well as the statement of our requests, thoughts and feelings to God.
An
article appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune on
The mind could work "like a drug" especially among people who had strong faith in God or a higher power. Eighty percent of the patients, when given the choice of a word, sound or a prayer to repeat choose prayer. I discovered I was teaching prayer ... Among the words patients chose to repeat ... Benson found they chanted the "Hail Mary," a prayer to the Virgin Mary used in the Catholic Church, and "Sh'ma Yisrael." a key phrase from one of the most important prayers in the Jewish religion.
The nurse who is comfortable with prayer is thus able to bring comfort and healing to her patient through the use of prayer. The prayer may include what the patient has shared in the areas of her need for healing, such as her anger at God, others and herself. The Christian nurse can use scriptures that have the message that "God loves you no matter what you have done" (Psalms 89:33, Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 5:8).
A prayer written by Angelo J. Damiano, MSW, former coordinator of Region 24 of the Association of Christian Therapists, could be prayed with the patient:
I believe in you, my Lord, the creator of all things and the giver of all life. You are my sovereign Lord who is full of love and who gives life personally to every human being.
Lord, be present with me now as I walk back in time to my abortion when I was confused hurt and broken. Be close to me during that time, as you move through the dimension of time and space. Heal me of those past painful wounds to my body and my spirit.
Jesus, help me feel your presence as you help me experience memories of that time. Let me be aware of the sounds and smells of those persons who were with me; and of those who were not there for me. Let me recall those who influenced that decision. As I now stand in your presence, let me ask myself "Why did I truly decide to have an abortion?" Was it because of fear, selfishness, or lack of trust in God? Help me to accept the responsibility for that decision.
Jesus, you were always there with me, and now I want to share everything with you - my deep sense of loss, my shame and my guilt You are the one who loves me the most - the Lord who knows me intimately and understands me better than I understand myself.
Jesus, as those memories pass through my mind, I recall a deep sense of emptiness and separateness from you. Help me to be aware of my brokenness; of that part of me that can neither trust nor love and of my anger and resentments. Help me to be aware of that part of me that is unable to. Where I lack a forgiving spirit, grant me the desire to forgive. Lord, Jesus, come into those areas of my life and heal me.
Jesus, forgive me for the abortion(s) and for all of the circumstances surrounding it. Be my savior and healer right now. Cleanse me of all my sins and create in me a new heart.
As I receive your forgiveness in whatever way I an capable of understanding it, reveal to me those whom I need to forgive – the father of my baby, my parents, the doctor who performed the abortion and anyone toward whom I am resentful. Most of all, help me to forgive myself.
Let the light of your healing love fill me in body and spirit. Let radiant love flow from your heart to mine. And, may the love you have for me flow through to those whom I need to forgive. May they too know the power of your indwelling presence.
Jesus, l accept your forgiveness, your death on the cross, and your resurrection gives me new life. Now, Lord, l give you my baby(ies) to keep in your care for eternity, and I look forward to meeting them someday in heaven.
Teach me, my Lord, your plan for my life.
Referrals
Refer to a spiritual counselor or a post-abortion healing program. Except for the psychiatric nurse, a nurse has typically limited time to spend with her patients. To enable women to be able to adequately process their post-abortion sequelae, benefit would come from spiritual counseling on an individual basis or in a group workshop that addresses these issues. Some women are able to receive God's forgiveness through the brief counseling a nurse and/or a chaplain can offer. However, most women who suffer from post-abortion syndrome have a very difficult time forgiving themselves. Many deal with not only unforgiveness but also unresolved anger centered around the abortion experience. Those women need a more lengthy process of healing through an individual counselor who is specially educated in this area, or one of the many post-abortion healing group workshops that are available in most cities. If she is already in individual therapy, then a post-abortive workshop support group offers an added opportunity which she cannot receive in individual therapy alone, no matter how good that therapy might be. That is, to listen to the sharings of other women who have been affected by abortion and various exercises to help them work through their anger. Individual therapy and group work are compatible with one another and not counterproductive to the therapeutic process. The client can bring into therapy those issues that have surfaced in group for further in-depth processing. Referrals for programs listed in many cities can be made through the National office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, I-800-5WE-CARE.
CONCLUSION
At "Rachel's Hope Post Abortion Healing and Reconciliation workshops" which I have facilitated over the last four years, I have witnessed many defense mechanisms that were utilized to separate post-abortive women and men from the ongoing painful thoughts and feelings after an abortion(s). These individuals are at risk for an emotional disorder along with physical maladies and spiritual distress. Many programs on Post-Abortion healing are springing up all over the world. It is being recognized by both sides of the political arena around abortion that some patients may be predisposed to negative post-abortion reactions. Pro-choice therapist Candace Dc Puy (1997) states. "Psychological studies show that only 10 percent of the 1.6 million American women who undergo abortions every year experience severe emotional trauma following the procedure… Unfortunately, most studies dismiss the other 90 percent of women as if they had no reaction whatsoever. Because the majority of women move forward with their lives, any normal grief, confusion or ambivalence they might feel is dismissed." The pro-life side of the issue often quotes Dr. Julius Fogel, a psychiatrist and abortionist who states (quoted in Reardon, 1996a, p.2), "Every woman, whatever her age, background or sexuality, has a trauma at destroying a pregnancy… Assuming the lowest estimate of 10 percent of the population of over 20 million post-abortive American women, at least 2 million women suffer from a severe emotional trauma after an abortion and need help in working through their guilt, shame, tear, anger, grief and loss.
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publication of
Rosemary
Benefield is a Registered Nurse and received double
masters degrees in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling
and Pastoral Counseling. She graduated from
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