Sexual Trauma and PTSD

By Corinne Farago

Sexual Trauma and PTSD keep painful memories from our past alive and present in our day to day lives. Hypnotherapy uses the power of your own mind to unlock the hold these memories have on you, by helping your brain process them in a gentle and effective way.

If you suffer from trauma, you’re well aware that some memories trigger feelings of present-time fear, keeping you anxious, and on high alert, even though consciously you know you’re no longer in danger.

If some of those memories have created Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that means your brain is ‘matching’ those past memories to present day experiences, or what is referred to as ‘pattern matching’ in Hypnotherapy.

Faulty pattern matching can be triggered through any of our senses, for instance:

• The sound of a car backfiring being matched with a gun or an explosion.
• The sound of a dental drill gets matched to a past appointment and tooth pain
• The smell of a particular cologne gets matched with someone who hurt you,
• The feeling of a hand on your shoulder gets matched with an experience of unwanted touch
• The tender seductive words of your lover gets matched with the manipulation of a past abuser
• The emotion of watching your lover go to work gets matched with the last time you saw your father walk out the door

Once the brain has pattern matched to a stimulus, the emotional response is triggered before conscious thought or awareness comes into play. It’s important to understand this, as cognitive or conscious reasoning can often leave us with insights, but little change in our experience.

Our brain is wired to protect us from danger, but, if a past experience is not stored in the brain as being ‘in the past’, then our brains will continue to put us into high alert and all the emotions of fight, flight, or freeze get triggered, leaving us feeling confused, helpless, and even sometimes at fault.

When past trauma keeps you from giving and receiving love, and support negative beliefs about yourself and others, hypnotherapy can gently help your brain place painful memories in the past where they belong, and it can do this without requiring you to relive the painful details that can sometimes retraumatize the client.

Visual Kinesthetic Dissociation is a process that enables the brain to process past experience(s) from a safe distance with full control in moving in, through, and out of the negative experience from a place of peaceful relaxation.

This experience communicates to the brain that the traumatic event is indeed a past event, and no longer requires present-time fear responses. The memory(s) takes its rightful place in the part of the brain that stores memories from the past, and you can move on with your life, no longer being hijacked by traumatic past events.

Trauma sufferers in intimate relationships can experience symptoms like heightened sensitivity, disconnection from their bodies, and intrusive memories that alter their experience of intimacy. Their partners may find it difficult to understand these changes and support their loved one through them.

A conflicting dynamic emerges – the survivor’s desire for closeness battles with their instinct to protect themselves from potential harm. This can create confusion for partners, who may struggle to understand how to approach intimacy and provide comfort.

Shame is another factor that complicates matters. Survivors often carry feelings of shame related to the trauma, which can undermine their self-esteem and their sense of being desirable. This can lead to a diminished sense of sexual desire.

Loss of desire is common among survivors, and it’s not just about physical attraction. It’s tied to emotional and psychological factors too. Desire thrives on feelings of safety, vulnerability, and arousal. Trauma can keep us on high danger alert, making it difficult for survivors to truly let go, and engage in intimate moments.

If this sounds like you or your partner, reach out for professional help. We know more now than we ever have, to help heal your heart and mind of past trauma.

As an online Relationship and Intimacy Coach I work with couples who want to heal their personal wounds, so they can deepen their intimacy.

If you want to find out more, set up a 15 min. Discovery Call today and get all your questions answered.