Have you had an abortion and now regret it? You are not alone.
Post Abortion Stress is a woman's response to or difficulty in processing her emotions after the trauma of an induced abortion. It's her response to her inability to grieve her loss & come to peace with herself.
The following are indicators that you may be suffering Post Abortion Stress (PAS): guilt, anger, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, anniversary grief, flashbacks of the abortion, sexual dysfunction, relationship problems, eating disorders, alcohol/drug use, psychological reactions.
How do I know I need healing?
These questions are based on the experiences of women who have had abortions. In reading them, be honest with yourself and be aware of any emotional or physical responses you may have.
- Do you find yourself struggling to turn off the feelings connected to your abortion(s), perhaps telling yourself over and over to forget about it?
- When abortion is mentioned in public, do you find your body reacting physically (for example: tightened stomach muscles, clenched jaw, or holding your breath)?
- Are you affected by physical reminders of your abortion like babies, pregnant women, or 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)?
- Did you attitude towards relationships change? Do you find yourself avoiding relationships or becoming more dependent in them? Do you have difficulty in intimacy?
- Did you begin to use drugs 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 felt a vague sort of emptiness leading to a deep sense of loss?
- Have you experienced any peculiar reactoins (for example: hearing your baby cry, nightmares, flashbacks, hallucinations) relating to your abortion(s)?
- When choosing to share about your abortion(s), are you overcome with sorrow, anger, or guilt?
- Do you feel compelled to hide your abortion(s) from certain people in your life?
- 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?
- Are you denying yourself anything to punish yourself? Do you struggle with eating disorders?
- Did your relationship with or concept of God change after your abortion(s)? Did it bring you closer to God or turn you away from Him?
If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you may be suffering from Post Abortion Stress (PAS). Not everyone who has had an abortion experiences PAS. But for those who do, the emotional trauma can be debilitating.