Adam Fadel, a licensed clinical therapist who leads The Corner Encounter for Transformation, tells AFN he listens to post-abortion women who are suffering the same as other people who endured traumatic experiences in their life.
“It can be disruptive to the point,” he says, “where they're dealing with depression 20, 30, 40 years down the road.
Women often turn to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to deal with the pain and the grief, which means a client is now dealing with an addiction, too, by the time she seeks help.
On average, Fadel says, the typical client he sees has carried the burden for 15 years.
“Not only has she been carrying around the effects of this decision,” the therapist advises, “but she's also likely dealing with greater intensity around shame.”
That suppressed grief then affects other relationships, including a future marriage, and then intimacy with a spouse.
Fadel’s best advice: Seek professional counseling quickly when those struggles first appear.
