I think I need someone to talk to.
You had an abortion and as hard as you try you can’t seem to stop thinking about it. The procedure may have been as recent as a week ago or as long as 20 years ago, yet you still think about it.
These types of emotions are common for women who have experienced an abortion.
Whether you were informed or not, abortion is considered one of the only elective surgeries that have post-traumatic side effects. You can learn more about some of the effects on our blog. For some women, they experience relief to have the situation over and their life return to normal. But for a large percentage of others, weeks or years after the event, they continue to have feelings they don’t know what to do with and are often embarrassed or ashamed to talk with anyone.
- “I can’t seem to get over it”
- “I get depressed when I think about it”
- “I feel like I am hiding a big secret”
- “I don’t think I can ever forgive myself”
- “I get uncomfortable when anyone talks about abortion”
- “When I hear the word abortion I feel anxious, tense and it’s hard to breathe”
The Pregnancy Resource Center has talked with enough women who have similar feelings that we started a program to help women understand their post abortion ache.
The Hearts of Hope program was developed as a safe and confidential place for women to talk about and work through the emotions they are feeling.
They can talk to other women who have experienced abortion and share their feelings of confusion, hurt, loss and shame. All of our post abortion groups are specially designed to meet the needs of each individual client. Meetings can happen one-on-one or in a group setting. All participants sign a confidentiality agreement so anything that is shared is kept within the confidence of the group. The times and locations of meetings are disclosed only to the group members so they feel safe talking about such sensitive subjects. Even the name of the group was designed to ensure privacy. If anyone ever associates you with “Hearts of Hope” they will not immediately be aware of the nature of the group.
During Hearts of Hope classes women are encouraged to share about their abortion experiences, talk about how they felt then and how they are feeling now. Participants will be provided with a book that allows them to break down the walls they have built around the experience and walk through the emotions that have held them captive. The course is designed for those who like to read, write, dialogue or express themselves through drawing. The process allows you to think and feel and then find a way to freedom, forgiveness and healing.
Abortion is something our culture wants to keep hidden and because of the stigma, shame develops.
Women should not be bound to live their lives carrying shame. If you are carrying this burden there is hope for you to find joy. We understand, we’ve been there and we can help.
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If you are experiencing feelings after an abortion that you would like to talk to someone about you can email our confidential hotline or call and we will call or text you back.