Trauma Therapy 

What Is Trauma-Informed Psychosexual Therapy?

Trauma-informed psychosexual therapy is a specialist approach that supports people in healing from the emotional, psychological, & physical effects of sexual trauma. It blends trauma-informed care with psychosexual insight, using integrative techniques to address how trauma impacts the sexual self.

Sexual trauma can occur in many different forms, sexual violence, sexual assault, rape, sexual abuse, child abuse, & sexual harassment. That said, not all sexual trauma is a result of a non-consensual encounter. Sometimes sexual trauma happens when there are religious prohibitions that result in sexual guilt & shame or when early consensual sexual experiences are unexpectedly painful due to a lack of knowledge or sex education.

For some a sexual trauma is a result of a single event for others sexual trauma is the result of multiple events. In either case, sexual trauma can lead to feelings of shame, guilt, & confusion. These responses are not your fault. They're often your body’s way of trying to stay safe.

Trauma Can Affect Your Sexual Self

A traumatic event can get ‘stuck’ in the nervous system, remaining unintegrated and present as opposed to filled away as a past memory; as though we are re-experiencing it in the now. This recurrent re-experiencing can make separating our sense of self from the traumatic event almost impossible, because it’s constantly being relived.

Being constantly alert to the possibility of reliving the sexual trauma can lead to avoidance behaviour, which can lead to significant impairment to the sexual self. Impairment such as:

• • Disconnection from the Body - Trauma often leads to dissociation; a sense of being "out of" or disconnected from the body.

  • Altered Sense of Desire - Some survivors experience low or no libido. Others may have heightened sexual behaviour as a coping mechanism. Desire can become confusing, unpredictable, or even frightening.

  • Trust & Safety Issues - Sexual intimacy requires vulnerability, which can feel unsafe after trauma. Survivors may struggle with trusting partners, setting boundaries, or recognizing their own comfort levels.

  • Shame and Self-Image - Many survivors internalize shame, guilt, or a sense of being "broken" or "dirty." Trauma can distort how you view yourself sexually; either feeling unworthy of pleasure or ashamed of your desires.

  • Flashbacks & Triggers - Certain sensations, positions, or phrases can trigger traumatic memories during intimacy. These reactions are often involuntary, and survivors may feel out of control or retraumatized.

It’s important to understand that being ‘stuck’ in the trauma doesn’t mean there is some failing in you, you are having a normal response to an abnormal event. You might benefit from trauma-informed psychosexual therapy if you:

• Want to build a healthier, more compassionate relationship with your sexual self

• Experienced sexual violence or coercion

• Experience pain, numbness, or dissociation during sex

• Experience Flashbacks and/ or Nightmares

• Avoid or fear intimacy, touch, or sex

• Feel shame, fear, or confusion around your sexual self

• Are in a relationship impacted by sexual trauma history

How Does This Therapy Work?

Three phase Approach to Working With Psychosexual Trauma

1. Safety & Stabilisation = resources to reduce triggering

2. Disclosure & Working Through the Memories = lowering the volume

3. Integration, Meaning & Growth  = moving  forwards

This approach facilitates the separation of the sense of self from the event that happened to you.

Trauma-informed psychosexual therapy uses an integrative approach, drawing from:

• Psychoeducation about Trauma understand how trauma shapes your experience & how it can heal.

• Psychosexual Education & Exploration gently reframe beliefs around sex, pleasure, & consent.

• Mindfulness & Grounding stay connected to the present & build a sense of safety.

• Emotional Freedom Technique cognitive reframing with acupressure to address emotional discomfort.

• Internal Family Systems accessing the Self & healing the wounded an protective parts  

• Window of Tolerance help to remain in the optimal zone of emotional regulation

• Attachment & Relational Therapy rebuild trust, security, & safe connection.

• Somatic & Body-Based Work regulate nervous system responses & release trauma in the body.

• Imagery Re-scripting & Reprocessing Therapy is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) that focuses on processing traumatic memories through imagery