For the survivors of sexual abuse, assault, or other sexual trauma, making the decision to begin therapy can be tough. The thought of “reliving” the event is overwhelming. It’s natural to want to shut away these difficult experiences. This is a form of self-protection that we respect, and in some cases, it’s necessary to allow people to reach a point where deeper healing is possible. When you are ready to begin this deeper healing following sexual trauma, working with a therapist ensures there’s someone at your side who can help you manage the difficult emotions and thoughts that arise. This blog can help you to better understand the benefits of working with a therapist following sexual trauma as well as what you can expect from the process. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at LMV Counseling.
Advantages of Seeking Therapy Following Sexual Trauma
As therapists, we work with sexual trauma survivors regularly, and we understand how difficult it is to begin this journey. Many people avoid the healing process for years because the memories and emotions connected to the traumatic event(s) are too painful or triggering to access. This is natural, but when you are ready to undertake the healing process, know that there are numerous benefits to therapy for trauma recovery, including:
- Blocking memories or avoiding healing after trauma can lead to negative long-term effects. This does not mean you need to relieve or rehash the experience or try to access repressed memories as part of therapy. Instead, healing after sexual trauma is about developing the skill to truly move forward and address the ways that past trauma is still impacting you.
- Therapy can help overcome negative self-talk, guilt, and shame that often occurs following sexual trauma. For many people, learning to develop or renew feelings of self-love, self-respect, and self-compassion can be the most challenging aspect of fully healing after trauma. Traumatic experiences can rob us of our sense of intrinsic worth and value. Therapy can help restore it.
- Therapy helps with self-awareness. Maybe you know when you feel “triggered,” but you’re having a tough time understanding why. You could also feel emotionally less stable or less controlled, but you can’t recognize where these emotions arise from or why you’re feeling them. Therapy can help you identify and define your emotions as well as understand their causes or triggers.
- Therapy allows you to recognize your defense mechanisms and determine whether they are still valuable. Following trauma, our minds and bodies go to work trying to keep us safe and allow us to heal. Over time, some of the defense mechanisms developed immediately after trauma may not be beneficial. Instead, they can hold us back. Learning to recognize and adjust these defense strategies is an important part of healing.
- Survivors of sexual trauma experience numerous strong emotions that are overwhelming at time. Many people find themselves experiencing mood swings, poorly managed anger, and other issues related to these intense feelings and thoughts. Therapy sessions offer survivors a safe space to release these emotions as well as providing the knowledge to manage strong emotions outside of sessions.
What Can I Expect form Therapy Following Sexual Trauma?
It’s very important to our therapists that clients understand therapy is a process that allows you to move at your own pace, and you should always feel safe throughout your sessions. Talking about what happened can be painful, and you should let your therapist know if you need a break or feel overwhelmed. We like to talk about the therapy process to heal from sexual trauma as wading into a pool. If you’re only ready to put one toe in, that’s fine. We’re here to support you from the moment you’re first testing the waters through wading into the shallow end until you’re ready to swim all the way out into the deep end. As you move through the counseling process, your therapist will be there to support you and check in the whole way. Feeling overwhelmed, upset, or challenged can happen, but we will help you to manage the strong emotional responses and achieve a sense of calm again. If you ever need to stop or take a break, do it! You are in charge.
Interested in Learning More?
If you’re interested in getting started working with one of the skilled therapists at LMV Counseling, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The process of healing following sexual trauma can be difficult, but it is ultimately rewarding and empowering for those who choose to seek therapy. When you’re ready, simply take a few moments to complete our scheduling request form. A therapist will be in touch soon to finalize the details of your first session.
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