Rape

You may ask why I would choose this topic to discuss - well the reason is it is not talked about enough. It was brought into my world again this past week by a client of mine. In harrowing detail she described what had happened to her. There were parts of me that wanted to yell, cry and just hug her and tell her all would be ok, but that would have been a lie. Whether rape has happened in your own backyard, your neighborhood or as far away as Darfur - it effects us all. Rape is the ultimate violation of a persons boundaries. It is the total lack of respect and regard for another person. People can be raped physically or emotionally. When one does not respect another persons body or mind it is a form or rape. When have we done things we know were against another persons stated boundaries? We have to realize that some people do not know how to express their boundaries so it is our job to ask ourselves - would I want someone to say or do this to me? Rape is a very strong word but it is an intense violation of another person. I know this challenge will be hard for most of you but please just try it and if you need to share it with someone close to you do so. The challenge - have I ever violated the boundaries of another person - either physically or emotionally and how now knowing I did this what can I do to not repeat the behavior in the future?