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Boundaries can be physical, psychological, or spiritual. "A physical boundary defines your personal space and allows you to control how you are touched and how close people cometo you," writes Dr. Charlotte Kasl in Many Roads, One Journey:Moving Beyond the 12 Steps.
"A psychological boundary is defining your right not to be analyzed, shamed, manipulated, lied to, or brainwashed," she explains. "It is your right to say no and have that respected without having to give explanations or defend yourself. A psychological boundary is also crossed when people say one thing and do another."
"A spiritual boundary violation is when one person objectifies another in any way [as a sex object, for example] and blocks them from their fullest potential... It is about seeing the body but not the soul. Spiritual boundary violations are perhaps the most insidious and cruel because they harm at such a deep level."
When a child is sexually abused, her physical, psychological, and spiritual boundaries are all violated.
