HEALING SEXUAL TRAUMA
8-Week Weekly Program for Women Ready to integrate Pleasure & Sex-Positivity
Can I heal after sexual trauma?
Will I ever truly enjoy sex?
Absolutely.
Although the effects of sexual trauma can be lasting for some women, it is important to remember that many women heal from the effects of an unwanted sexual encounter. Women are incredibly resilient, and many recover from the trauma with no long-term or ongoing difficulties.
After experiencing sexual trauma, the journey back to enjoying your body and sex can be complicated and lengthy.
After a sexual assault, not only does one store the bad memories in the brain, our body also keeps the “memory” of the touch and actions, impacting a person’s ability to be intimate. Therefore, sexual intimacy can be stopped by both the body and the mind resulting in a loss or avoidance of being intimate or being close with someone no matter how much love and safety may be present in a relationship. In fact, most women report an increase of avoidance and feeling triggered in a loving relationship.
When the brain memories are triggered, a mental loop can occur where someone may experience flashbacks. Whereas when the body memory is triggered it can feel like you are re-experiencing the physical side of a traumatic event — the feelings and sensations that may have been felt during the original trauma. This makes it challenging to feel fully present or even enjoy sex.
Sexual trauma profoundly steals. Most sexual trauma survivors report spending their adult lives constantly pursuing what was taken. The most significant loss is innocence, playfulness, and curiosity. A disconnect from themselves and intimacy is a common occurrence after sexual trauma. Sexual abuse and other unwanted sexual experiences imprint the ways someone interacts with her body.
Desire, fantasies, intimacy, and pleasure are topics that can be confusing. And because many well-meaning therapists are not well-versed in speaking about these topics from a sex-positive framework, this leads to many sexual trauma survivors losing hope they will ever be able to fully heal and experience their genuine erotic self
Pleasure is your birthright. No one can take that from you. Ultimately, you get to define who is your sexual self.
This group is unlike other sexual assault survivors groups.
Many groups focus on decreasing symptoms of PTSD or other trauma-related issues. The goal of this group is not only to help you reduce the symptoms but to move beyond them by exploring pleasure and embodiment practices. This is much more than talk therapy!
This group intends to help you heal by becoming more in touch with your body, more knowledgeable and assertive about your sexual wants and needs, and more comfortable with your sexuality, sex life, intimacy, and pleasure.
What is healing sexual trauma through sex-positivity?
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VALIDATION in having a safe and confidential space in which you can share all of your thoughts and emotions related to the abuse
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ACCEPTANCE of your body’s arousal mechanism. Even if your body showed some sexual arousal during the assaults, you are not providing consent.
- MINDFULNESS is a powerful tool based on bringing attention to a focus point in the present moment and doing so while being compassionate to yourself.
- RELEASING beliefs and misunderstandings of what it means to be a sexual woman.
- REMEMBERING you and the nuances of your body.
- EMBODIED EXPERIENCE learning new ways to feel more comfortable in your own skin.
- PLEASURE-FOCUSED relearning & enlivening the senses of the body
Channing (Tony) Dane
Group Facilitator
Society teaches us that vulnerability and seeking our authentic self is worthy of shame while we celebrate it from others. Together we will build resiliency against shame by practicing vulnerability in telling your stories and learning to honor the perfections of your imperfections. Learn more about Tony.