Men Speak : Group Therapy for Sexually Victimized Men

Men sexually traumatized as boys or adults usually feel isolated and lonely. Nevertheless, they may be fearful of relationships, having felt betrayed when trust was broken during abuse and assault, often by a trusted other. Individual treatment can help heal these wounds. But this process may be accelerated in group therapy with other men having sexual abuse histories. The common feelings of isolation, shame, and de-masculinization may be repaired from having the lived experience of being with other men dealing with similar feelings. In this paper, members of a long-term therapy group for sexually abused men share their experience of how the group experience repaired their sense of self, agency, and masculinity. Key themes include: recognizing the experience as abusive; realizing they were not at fault; being in the company of other men and making connections with them; taking risks; feeling a sense of community and family; feeling changed; and transference to one another and the group leader.