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Our adopted daughter was molested when she about 7 or 8 was removed from the home at that time for different reasons, charges were never filed. Now, she's about to turn 14. She wrote in a school assignment that she was raped by this person when she was 12, then got pregnant by this person and regrets that he is her babies daddy. This never happened. She has been with us since she was 11 and with another foster family since she was 9. Why do you suppose she make something like that up? The school is deeply concerned to say the least. I have tried to talk to her about but she won't talk. Her therapy has been on going since she entered foster care but whenever it is brought up, she says she already talked through it with her old therapist and is over it. I just need some insight into why she would write those things. I find it very disturbing that she would take a bad memory and make it grossly worse, exaggerate it like that.
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She knows she made the whole thing up. I just don't understand why. She doesn't either. She just started a new therapist so we're going to see how that goes. She admitted she made it up when I asked her about it, the school contacted me because they thought it was real. And I had to talk to her about it and get back to them after I saw what she had wrote. She just wouldn't say anything else other than she made it up because "she couldn't think of anything else to write down". That's what she said.
It sounds to me like she is re-processing it as an teen. My understanding is that we often need to re-process things throughout life stages........She is 14 now - more sexually aware - more discussion in school, with friends, in news, her own feelings
I would think some therapy - maybe a new therapist for a short period may help her rework her feelings about what happened to her
Another thought is that maybe this is a way of trying to get comfort/help. It seems like some kids learn, from seeing what happened when they told or someone found out about the abuse, that talking about abuse is a good way to get people to sympathize and help you out. So if they don't know any other way to ask for help, they might decide to talk about abuse - either real past abuse, or made-up abuse.
I do have one question though. Was this assignment intended to be nonfiction? Maybe she just misunderstood the requirements and wrote a fiction story instead.
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I recommend EMDR. If you can find a therapist in your area who is trained. This therapy is evidence based PTSD treatment. It helps reprocess the memories and deactivate the emotional charge associated with the memories. Talk therapy is a waste of time in my humble opinion. EMDR is also superior to exposure therapy, which can actually re-traumatize some people. She likely is sick of talking about it.
I am just beginning the foster-adopt process, however; I have experience with sexually abused children and adult survivors.
Google EMDR and PTSD and you will get some great info!