Why am I so afraid of being touched by men? please read

Question

About a year ago, I had a recurring dream (for about 2 weeks) that I was pushed to the floor and raped. Ever since I have been terrified of men. Whenever I go out and I see a guy, I wonder if he's looking at me, or if he is going to hurt me. If I feel like a man is too close to me, I'll start hyperventilating. I scream if someone sneaks up behind me, and before I go to sleep I have to check the whole house and leave my door open so I can see my dad on the couch and know he'll protect me if something goes wrong. I usually stay up all night, afraid someone is in the house. It's become full blown paranoia. I have to look behind me every few seconds to make sure I'm not being followed and I can't leave te house by myself anymore. I start crying if a man accidentally bumps into me. And I can't stand to be hugged by even my closest guy friends.

I'm not sure why I have this fear. As far as I know, I've never been sexually abused. For a while, there was a guy who would follow me home from school and ask me questions about myself. He knows where I live, so I don't even go out in my yard any more. Although I doubt anything so significant could have such a big impact.

I still have dreams about being raped nearly once a week. Someone please give me some advice. I'm only 13 and this is ruining my life!

Answer 1

You may not want to be touched by a man because you are way too young yet. Even though I had crushes and all that at age 13, really being with a man would have been more than I could handle. I think your dream has stirred up some fears in you. How about if you talk to your parents and have them take you to a doctor so you can get some relief? Best wishes to you....I know you will feel better soon.  

Answer 2

Talk to your parents and go to professional.  

Answer 3

A lot of reasons may be the cause but it's best to speak to a professional or a counselor.

Answer 4

I really think you should see a psychologist/psychiatrist so that they can help you work through this problem. As females we do have to be very aware of surroundings and alert to people around us, but you have gone far beyond that in your paranoia. Because you haven't been able to figure out the source of this extreme fear I really hope you'll talk to someone. You of course should be careful and as safe as possible, but at 13 you should also be having fun and feel like you can do everyday normal things with friends.  Good luck!