Signs of sexual assault trauma4/10/2024 ![]() If you’re a partner to someone who is struggling with the consequences of prior sexual assault or abuse, you may feel powerless. But it gets easier.” Dating a survivor of sexual abuse: What to know “So, when something traumatic happens again, there may be an uptick in trauma reactions, but you’re more ready. But how you process the trauma can be helped by learning coping skills and understanding your story,” she says. ![]() “I always tell my patients that there is no definitive cure for it. ![]() Knowledge about the aftermath of trauma and effective interventions for trauma have grown exponentially, she says, and there’s a lot of help available.īut it’s good to recognize that even if you feel like you’ve dealt with your trauma and have moved on, it may crop up with certain life stressors. You can reach a place of belonging, self-love, self-compassion and growth.” But with the help of treatment, your relationship with your life story evolves and changes. “Having lived with abuse for a prolonged period of time, it may seem like your lived trauma experience is woven into your emotional DNA. “I don’t think this is helpful and, in fact, can be countertherapeutic,” Dr. Sometimes victims of sexual trauma or abuse are told to “let go” of their past or “get over it.” “The aim is ultimately that they better understand their reactions to trauma and their own life story.” Plenty of healing for sexual trauma and abuse “The therapist has to be very skilled to know when a patient is ready, because this is a very intense treatment,” Dr. It also can help them develop coping skills and significantly reduce trauma symptoms. In the case of abuse, this helps them make sense of how the abuse has affected their lives. In many trauma therapies, a person recounts and reconstructs the negative events in their lives. It was initially studied in borderline personality disorder and those with repeated thoughts about suicide but has had more recent mental health applications as well. It also helps people learn to engage in healthier relationships and practice mindfulness. DBT works on emotional regulation and helps people learn to tolerate distress while practicing acceptance. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)ĭialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy. Medications - such as antidepressants to help anxiety or depression, or mood stabilizers for those who have trouble regulating their emotions - can help lay the groundwork for therapy or work alongside therapy, Dr. Medicationsĭiving into your past can be exhausting, difficult and depressing. This is a trauma reaction,’ can be very powerful,” she says. “Just the awareness of, ‘Okay, I’m not crazy. Psychoeducation can provide validation and normalization of trauma responses, she says. ![]() Kapoor considers one of the biggest parts of her job to be explaining how trauma works and how it can affect people. You can internalize it like, ‘What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking this way? When will I get over it?’ “īut these people aren’t going crazy - and there are reasons for their feelings. “And there can be a lot of shame inherent in this. “Often, people reach out saying, ‘I feel depressed, sometimes I feel really angry and sometimes I am completely numb. It can help people make sense of their histories and current symptoms. Talk therapy can be incredibly helpful for those who have experienced sexual trauma, Dr. “You can live a very successful life,” she says. But Shweta Kapoor, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist with expertise in complex trauma, has walked alongside many people as they deal with sexual trauma. For some, it complicates their lives even decades later as they struggle with their emotions, relationships and mental health. Sexual abuse is distressingly common, and it can leave emotional scars that feel like they’ll never heal.
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