Feeling like an imposter and worried that my experiences are not "bad enough."
Hi all.
I have been working with a really wonderful therapist for the past year or so now. While I disclosed my history of CSA, which we discuss or refer to frequently, I never really described the specific memories. Although I have briefly referenced that this trauma has happened to me to a few friends or past partners, I have never really described the experiences with anyone, whether that be a therapist or trusted person in my life, because quite frankly, it is a terrible and shameful thing to have to admit.
During my last therapy session, my therapist pointed out that it is possible some of my obsessive thinking (which causes me significant, daily mental distress) is linked to the fact that I haven't really told anyone in full what has happened to me. She suggested that I write it down, and I could read it back to her next session as a means of release. I am pretty scared of doing this, but I do want to try. (She's not going to make or coerce me into doing this, for the record.)
My concern is that:
I am going to do this and my therapist is going to secretly think my trauma isn't that explicit or bad. Because it happened to me so young, my memories of it aren't necessarily most detailed, or they're very brief, almost out of context, and I remember nothing in between. I have 2-3 very clear memories, and the rest are just little fragments - some of those fragments I didn't even recall until adulthood.
I guess I'm just looking for some validation or people that can relate to this. Thanks for reading.
Posted Mar 19, 2026, 4:49 PM UTC