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Subject:
From:
"Linda J. Smith" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 5 Apr 1998 12:57:27 -0400
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Another point of view on this topic...

Some experts say that leering at breasts is a form of sexual abuse. Sexual
abuse does not always or necessarily involve penetration - it can be any
unwanted invasion of privacy, including visual. Unwanted looking is just as
damaging to some girls and women as unwanted touching in terms of the
aftereffects. Some women who are in recovery from past traumas, including
sexual abuse, are very sensitive to the issue of unwanted looking. Many
women who were sexually abused as young girls do not remember the abuse
until later in life and some not at all. Some aspects of post-traumatic
stress disorder are paradoxical - the person who suffered the trauma
unconsciously seeks more of the same (it's called "re-enactment").

An excellent book on healing from the complex and widespread aftereffects of
sexual abuse is "Secret Survivors" by E. Sue Blume.  Another new and
excellent book on healing/recovery from traumatic events is "Waking the
Tiger" by Peter Levine.

The research on this subject is frightening and yet encouraging because the
issue is finally being taken seriously. I'm certain we'll read more on this
in the near future, especially if we do our jobs well in promoting and
supporting breastfeeding.

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre
Dayton, OH USA
http://www.bflrc.com

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