A woman’s awareness of the connection between the symptoms of post-abortion syndrome and the abortion itself may not occur for years. When the symptoms do occur, they can take a variety of forms. They can include: • Guilt feelings – "she has killed her own child." "She is a bad person." "She deserves whatever unhappiness she has." The feelings don’t go away. They are relentless. • Dreams, nightmares about the baby. • Flashbacks – awake or asleep – re-experiencing the abortion. Often tripped off by hearing a noise like the suction machine. • Remorse and regret. • Low self-esteem – "She is an inherently wicked person." "She deserves these problems." "She knows she will fail so why try." • Anniversary reactions on the date when the baby was killed or when she would have been born. On those days she is "impossible to live with." • Fear of becoming pregnant again, or just the opposite, an overwhelming need to have a replacement baby. • A loss of tenderness and empathy towards others, particularly to infants, pregnant women, or mothers. This psychological numbness is pervasive. She avoids little children, misses the baby shower and the christening, and cannot cuddle the infant. By keeping her distance, she is not vulnerable. • Sexual coldness. She displays hostility to men in general, but particularly to her husband who agreed to the abortion. Sexual dysfunction is common. • Resort to alcohol and drugs to dull the pain. This transient relief usually ends up making her more miserable and creates new problems. • Promiscuity. In an attempt to fill the emptiness in her life, she sometimes seeks solace in other arms, but, like drugs, this solves nothing and only adds to her psychological downward spiral. • Depression can become severe, with persistent sadness and moodiness. It can cause sleep disorders, loss of appetite (or binge eating). She can have crying spells, withdraw from others, and show all of the symptoms of clinical depression. If severe and prolonged, it can lead to thoughts of, and occasionally to, actual suicide attempts. • Withdrawing from church attendance and from praying. "I know God will never forgive me, and I cannot pray anymore." Treatment of Post-Abortion Syndrome includes exploring the following: • The journey to healing: helping her to appreciate the steps she will be taking in the healing process. • Family relationships: her mother, father, siblings and their influence on her. • Personal identity, including sexual identity. • Romantic relationships – discovering her relational pattern. • Retracing the events that led to her pregnancy and the decision to abort. • The grieving process – dealing with the anger and guilt. • Forgiveness – identifying those who need forgiveness and facilitating the process (inner-child work). • Accepting God’s forgiveness – the sacrament of reconciliation (for Catholics). • A memorial service – the Rachel Ministry. • Private ritual – remembering with a purpose (the use of candles, prayer) • A Mass of Resurrection – the truth about your child’s place with God (the Shrine of the Holy Innocents). • Developing a spiritual relationship with the aborted child. • A public memorial – i.e St. Francis and the Tree of Life. • The ongoing healing process.