How Trauma Can Affect Your Sex Life

Sexual trauma is one of the most harrowing experiences someone can go through and unfortunately, it’s far too common. Sexual trauma can be caused by any kind of non-consensual sexual experience including rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and childhood molestation. On average, there are 450,000+ survivors of sexual violence every year in the United States, a number which is likely underreported. Survivors of sexual trauma frequently experience post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and are more likely to have difficulty coping.

Experiencing sexual trauma has the potential to upend someone’s entire life, not least of all their sex life. Trauma responses can range from sex repulsion, avoidance, disconnection, dissociation, to hyper-sexuality. In therapy, survivors can work toward understanding and respecting their own boundaries and moving at a pace that feels comfortable. There’s no obligation to return to consensual sex but for those who want that, healing is possible, even if it is sometimes challenging. Common obstacles to resuming consensual intimacy may include negative body image, flashbacks, and PTSD. Working with a trauma informed therapist can help you learn strategies for managing trauma symptoms.

Acute Trauma + Complex Trauma

Trauma can affect people differently and the symptoms may be unique to each individual. Trauma can occur in a singular event (sometimes called acute) or in a sequence, which is called complex trauma. Acute trauma may include experiencing a life-threatening event, assault, war, or natural disaster. Complex trauma tends to emerge from lengthier events such as an abusive relationship, death of a loved one or infidelity.

Trauma therapy can help you identify the signals and manage the symptoms of trauma. Some signals a person may experience after a traumatic event include:

• Loss of Appetite

• Difficulty sleeping, nightmares or night terrors

• Hopelessness, shame, depressed mood, guilt

• Flashbacks

• Derealization or dissociation from your body or reality

• Hyper-vigilance around things, people or places that remind you of the event

• Increased startle response

Trauma therapy can help you understand what you are experiencing and learn strategies to feel more confident in your own life.

How Trauma Therapy Works

Trauma therapy can be helpful in treating the psychological symptoms of trauma. The therapy process typically involves identification of trauma triggers, increasing awareness of the nervous system’s response to trauma, developing coping mechanisms for self-soothing, re-associating intimacy/touch with positive connotations, developing a plan for returning to partnered intimacy (if that’s a goal), communication skills and more.

A traumatic event can overwhelm the nervous system and leave a person in a consistent state of fight, flight, freeze or fawn. Trauma counseling and trauma informed therapy can help you manage traumatic stress so you can feel more empowered to live your life and develop a sense of safety in the world.

Sex Therapy for Sexual Trauma in Chicago: Healing and Empowerment

If you are a survivor of sexual trauma in the Chicago area, finding an experienced sex therapist is an important step toward healing. Sex therapy in Chicago provides a supportive environment where individuals and couples can address the emotional and psychological impact of trauma on their sexual well-being. Whether you're experiencing flashbacks, emotional avoidance, or difficulty re-engaging in intimate relationships, therapy can guide you through the recovery process.

At Embrace Sexual Wellness, our certified sex therapists offer compassionate, trauma-informed care that supports survivors in rediscovering healthy sexual intimacy at their own pace. Chicago-based clients benefit from our therapists' deep understanding of the local community's needs, ensuring that treatment is tailored to your unique experiences.

Couples Counseling for Trauma Survivors in Chicago

Sexual trauma often affects relationships, creating challenges in intimacy and connection. If you and your partner are facing intimacy issues due to trauma, couples counseling in Chicago can help rebuild trust, communication, and sexual connection. Working with a couples therapist, you and your partner can address emotional barriers, such as guilt, shame, and trust issues, and work towards creating a healthy, consensual sexual relationship.

At Embrace Sexual Wellness, our couples therapy services are designed to help partners navigate the complexities of trauma and its impact on intimacy. Through open communication, emotional healing, and rebuilding intimacy, we empower Chicago-area couples to overcome these obstacles together.

Serving Chicago's Sexual Trauma Survivors

Embrace Sexual Wellness is proud to serve the diverse community of Chicago with specialized sexual trauma therapy. Our experienced therapists are dedicated to offering tailored care to help you heal from trauma and rebuild your sexual health and emotional well-being. Whether you're seeking individual sex therapy or couples counseling, our trauma-informed approach ensures that your healing process is handled with care and respect.

How do I begin therapy for trauma?

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