Inscribed in the body for ever…

Anna Luise Kirkengen on the long-term effects of abuse "Inscribed in the body for ever"; independent of how vulnerable one is one is damaged she says.

Abuse has deep-going, profound effects or results on the personal health, deep-going in both the psychic and somatic health. Victims of abuse are at greater risk for gastric ulcer, heart-and coronary-diseases and psychical ailments. Despite problems with depression, problems in relations, self-destructive behavior and suicide-attempts.

Bodily/physical torments were much more prevalent among victims of abuse than among non-abused, says a family-therapist, and she meant that this is especially true for torments from the back, which are found to be twice as common among abused.

Examples of the titles of the chapters in Kirkengens new book:

“Physicians not asking”, The body in medicine”, “Experiences in the body”, Exhaustion and numbness”, “Violence hurts”, “Alienated body”, “Abused men”, The difference between body and soul”, “Veronika Vikander and the voices”, “Fredrik Ferger and the epilepsy”, “Judith Jansson and the mouth”, “Different results of abuse”, “Line Lund and pains in the back”, “Violated/abused and violated/abused again”, "The ACE-study", “Abuse in the role as helper/caretaker”, “’Sexual’ pain”, “Hypochondria – Dysmorphophobia (or Body dysmorphic disorder*, about it in Swedish **)”, “Alexitymia”, “Sexual infections”…

Swiftly translated in the morning before work…

Addition in the afternoon (with links added above):

* Distorted image of the body (severely distorted!?). Also see this from The Karolinska Institute (in Swedish) where the first example, on a person suffering from Body dysmorphic disorder, is Michael Jackson, (with all his plastic surgeries)!!!

**"'inbillad fulhet' Där man har en bild av sig själv som inte stämmer. Oftast ter [yttrar] sig detta i extrem utseendefixering och ibland till följd av det social fobi. Syndromet är lika vanligt bland män och kvinnor, och brukar uppkomma i de senare tonåren eller i åldern 20-25.

Vanligtvis föranleder syndromet att ritualer formas, till exempel [att man] utför olika skönhetsbehandlingar, tränar onormalt mycket, brukar anabola steroider, gör plastikoperationer etc. "

Kirkengen has found connections between Body Dysmorphic Disorder and abuse!?? (Child)abuse influences the later grown ups image of her/himself even on a bodily level and one of the results can be this disease (but all abused children don't suffer from it)!!?