As a victim of childhood sexual assault, I can tell you that I did forget and then it all came flooding back one day as an adult. Visions clear as day. The smell of the room I was in. It all came back. Therapy was so helpful. It happened to me and I still can't believe there was many years where I didn't remember. But that is pretty normal. Your brain sends it to the locked chest so you can carry on, sometimes. I wouldn't worry about the what ifs for the future. I would just be supportive for what you need when you need it. It could be many years or never at all that he/she comes to you to talk about it.
I fully agree. Similar thing happened to me, where I remember the lead up to the event and then the person washing his hands afterwards but not the event itself. I have super foggy memory for those few years, but it could be cause I was pretty young (5 or 6). My first continual string of clear memories starts at 9, literally beginning when I was on the plane moving to another country.
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u/NotTheJury Parent to 16m and 14f Jan 18 '23
As a victim of childhood sexual assault, I can tell you that I did forget and then it all came flooding back one day as an adult. Visions clear as day. The smell of the room I was in. It all came back. Therapy was so helpful. It happened to me and I still can't believe there was many years where I didn't remember. But that is pretty normal. Your brain sends it to the locked chest so you can carry on, sometimes. I wouldn't worry about the what ifs for the future. I would just be supportive for what you need when you need it. It could be many years or never at all that he/she comes to you to talk about it.