The 12 Steps of SIA 

(For an in-depth exploration of the 12 Steps contact SIA for the booklet entitled "The 12 Steps and The 12 Traditions - click on "Literature" tab) 

  1.   We admitted we were powerless over the abuse, the effects of the abuse, and that our lives had become unmanageable.

  2.   Came to believe that a loving higher power, greater than ourselves, could restore hope, healing and sanity.

  3.   Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a loving higher power, as we understood that to be.

  4   Made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves, the abuse, and its effects on our lives. We had no more secrets.

  5.   Admitted to a loving higher power, to ourselves, and to another human being our strengths and weaknesses.

  6.   Were entirely ready to have a loving higher power help us remove all the debilitating consequences of the abuse and became willing to treat ourselves with respect, compassion and acceptance.

  7.   Humbly and honestly asked a loving higher power to remove the unhealthy and self-defeating consequences stemming from the abuse.

  8.   Made a list of all the people we may have harmed (of our own free will), including ourselves and our inner child(ren), and became willing to make amends to them all.

  9.   Made direct amends to such people where ever possible, except when to do so would result in physical, mental, emotional or spiritual harm to ourselves or others.

10.   Continued to take responsibility for our own recovery and when we found ourselves behaving in patterns still dictated by the abuse, promptly admitted it. When we succeed, we promptly enjoy it.

11.   Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with ourselves and a loving higher power as we understood that to be, asking only for knowledge of it's will for us and the power and courage to carry that out.

12.   Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other survivors and practice these principles in all our endeavors.

Another version of the 12 Steps which some groups prefer to use

1.     We admitted we were powerless over the incest experience and that our lives had become unmanageable.

2.   Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3.   Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a god as we understood god

4.   Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5.   Admitted to god, to ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6.   Were entirely ready to have god remove these defects.

7.   Humbly asked god to remove our shortcomings.

8.   Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9.    Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10.  Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11.   Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with god as we understood god, praying only for knowledge of god's will for us and the power to carry that out.

12.   Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.