Mark’s life was shattered when he was only 6 years old. Mark was once a happy and adventurous child, but overnight he became clingy and fearful. He started having night terrors about a monster named Uncle Bill. He was afraid Uncle Bill would hurt him, but he was too afraid to talk about it. Mark began throwing tantrums and crying hysterically when his mother left the room. He feared going into the bathroom so much that he wet himself to avoid it.
Fortunately, things began to change for the better. Mark was placed in LSF’s specialized sexual abuse treatment program, where he eventually felt safe enough to tell his story of abuse. After a few months in treatment, Mark began sleeping without nightmares, and he was able to go to the bathroom on his own. As he healed from his physical and psychological trauma, Mark learned that he no longer needed to be afraid. He learned he could always tell an adult if someone tried to hurt him again. More importantly, he began acting like the amazing, cheerful little boy he’d always been.
