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HEALING QUESTIONS
These questions are based on the experiences of women who have had abortions. In reading through them, be aware of any emotional or physical response you may have and record them. Answering these questions honestly will put you in touch with areas of your life that may have been affected by your abortion(s).
Do you find yourself struggling to turn off the feelings connected to your abortion(s), perhaps telling yourself over and over to forget it?
When abortion is mentioned in public, do you find your body reacting physically, i.e. tightened stomach muscles, clenched jaw or holding your breath?
Do you find yourself avoiding books, magazines and television programs that deal with the subject of abortion? Do you change the subject in conversations that deal with the topic of abortion?
Are you affected by physical reminders of your abortion, i.e. babies, pregnant women, baby clothes? Are you uncomfortable around children?
Are there certain times of the year you find yourself depressed, sick or accident prone, such as the anniversary date of the abortion or the month of the would-be birth date?
Are you resentful and unforgiving toward anyone for their involvement in your abortion(s), i.e. parents, boyfriends, the abortionist, friends, husbands?
Do you find yourself rationalizing why you are better off without that child in your life today?
Are you in a situation where you could find yourself faced with another unwanted pregnancy?
Did your attitude towards relationships change? Do you find yourself avoiding relationships or becoming more dependent in them? Do you have difficulty with intimacy?
Did you begin to use drugs and/or alcohol or did you increase your intake following your abortion?
Have you experienced periods of prolonged depression? Do you have suicidal thoughts?
Have you experienced any peculiar reactions, i.e. hearing your baby cry or nightmares, flashbacks, or hallucinations relating to the abortion?
Have you felt a vague sort of emptiness leading to a deep sense of loss?
When choosing to share about your abortion(s), are you overcome with sorrow, anger or guilt?
Do you feel compelled to conceal your abortion(s) from certain people in your life?
Do you find yourself striving to make your career, education or relationship, reasons for which you aborted your baby, a success, to prove you made the right choice and the abortion was worth it?
If you have children now, do you smother them with your love or overprotect them? Are you unable to bond with the child/children you have now?
If you do not have children, do you fear that you will never be able to have them? Do you fear you may have suffered physical harm as a result of the abortion?
Did you stop growing emotionally after your abortion? Do you find yourself repeating harmful patterns?
Are you denying yourself anything to punish yourself? Do you struggle with eating disorders?
Do you tend to look at your life in terms of “before” and “after” the abortion(s)? Has your self esteem changed?
Have you found yourself preoccupied with the subject of death and dying? Preoccupied with your aborted child?
Did your relationship with or concept of God change after your abortion(s)?
Are the memories of your abortion(s) more painful than the actual experiences? |
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