There are approximately 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today (Bull, 2001). This figure continues to grow every day as the perpetrators of this crime continue on this destructive path. To better understand what sexual trauma can do to a child, the counseling website asked us to imagine "a 6-year-old child being abused by a family member, says Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe is been very gentle with the child until the other day. Then it crosses sexual boundaries or even becomes physically painful for the child. The child may have difficulty holding onto that experience and continuing to function as a small child, playing and enjoying life (www.allaboutcounseling.com). According to the website (www.allaboutcounseling.com) “Children often protect themselves by blocking/repressing or dissociating these types of memories. Because of this experience, a child may develop depression or other types of symptoms such as isolation or withdrawal. act out in anger.These symptoms can continue into adulthood.Unless the memory is addressed, the person may continue to act out, without knowing the cause. It has been stated “that having traumatic dissociation or childhood sexual amnesia is very common and real. The human mind responds to trauma in various ways. People who have studied trauma and traumatic events have long known that there are different types of amnesia that affect us. When something is emotionally overwhelming, some people block it out, separating the event from the rest of their memories” (www.allaboutcounseling.com). For example, people who have been in a car accident forget parts of what happened. The psychological conclusion says that the stress of the moment was so traumatic that the person c......middle of paper......but. Virginia Pilot, vol.1Ode.K. (2010). Sexual trauma: the secret war of female vets. Stella Tribuna, 11Rayeesa.A. (2011). Gulf News: The trauma of a sexual assault could scar young victims for life. General Interet Periodicals—United Arab Emirates.vol1.120-132Salter. A. (1995). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Transforming trauma: A guide to understanding and treating adult survivors .192-246. A thousand oaks. London. New DelhiSebold.A. (1989). SHE; About the Unspeakable Retrieved March 12, 2011, from: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0DA113DF935A15751C0A96F948260#h[]Wonderlich, S., Crosby. R., Mitchell. J. and Thompson. K., (2001). Sexual trauma and personality: Developmental vulnerabilities and addictive effects. Journal of Personality Disorders, Vol 6, 496-504 Retrieved from www.allaboutcounseling.com to get all the help you need