RICKIE HALEY

Using positive affirmations to help victims of crime

Cases of crime keep appearing daily. Every single time we turn on the news, we are likely to hear about new stories of violence, abuse or theft criminalities. With the increase of challenges such as inflation, the hard economic times are predicted to continue for a while longer. This implies that we can expect more cases of violence and crime in our societies.

Many times, however, it’s the people who are directly affected by a crime who end up feeling the effects of it long after the crime is over. Positive affirmations play a big role to people who have been victimized due to others' actions of crime. It motivates them to remain positive regardless of the difficulties they may have to face after the crimes have been committed. It is important to analyze some of the main emotional effects of crime-related activities and see how positive affirmations can be used to counter them.

Trauma

Depending on the crime and how an individual was forcefully made part of it, trauma develops. Traumas are feelings of fear and insecurity that are created after cases involving legal misconduct. Such feelings linger on long after a criminal offence has been conducted. Living with trauma can paralyze someone’s life. It makes you scared to try new things or go to places that may have any direct relationship to the place where the crime happened.
When people see shootouts and dead people, it is easy to live with those images. Positive affirmations are therefore required to ensure a person that they are safe. You can use affirmations such as; ‘Nothing like that will ever happen to you again.'

Scars

People may be left with many scars and wounds after witnessing a crime. These may be physical and mental. Mental scars are the kind of perceptions people form after wards. Studies show that crime makes people view the world as insecure and are always ready to defend themselves. Positive affirmations can counter these negative thoughts.
Physical scars are also a common result that may arise from criminal activities. Scars that are visible can make one insecure about their appearance. When this happens, positive affirmations help to provide support. A good affirmation may be; ‘You are looking better every day.’

Pain

One of the most unfortunate effects of crime is pain. It can render one hospitalized for a long period of time. In other cases, the pain may lead to permanent physical conditions that a person must contend with for the rest of their lives. In rape for example, there are always cases where women may get pregnant or even contract deadly diseases and STIs. In this position, only positive affirmations can help to make a victim go on living with an optimistic attitude. A good example is; ‘You are strong enough to get through this.’

Revenge

Payback is common for crime victims. Sometimes, the law will be unable to catch up with the offenders. In other cases, the victims may feel like there were forms of injustice or that the law is taking too long to punish offenders. When this happens, it is important to use positive words that will allow the victims to get rid of their desire to retaliate and punish the criminals themselves. If they do, they too may risk losing their reputation as law-abiding citizens.


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