When we don’t fully process our trauma, it can begin to imprint in our bodies and nervous systems. While this is not our fault, we can learn how to create safety to allow sexual trauma to release and create more room in our lives for the things we love.
I invite you to join me in this blog post as I explore eleven common signs of stored sexual trauma and how you can begin to find gentle release.
Honoring Our Intelligent Body
I’d like to take a moment to honor the fact that our bodies protected us from trauma the best way it knew how, and now it’s letting us know it’s time for release through our symptoms. It’s pretty miraculous our bodies are capable of this.
I invite you to honor how intelligent your body is and always has been. It’s been your protector, and while your symptoms may frustrate you, they’re your body’s subtle way of saying something is ready for release.
How Our Bodies Store Sexual Trauma
When we face a traumatic experience, our body prepares for fight-or-flight mode. This is our sympathetic nervous system in action, and its job is to keep us safe and survive.
After traumatic experiences, our bodies want to return to homeostasis (our body’s neutral state.) When we don’t fully process and release our stress, it can start to live within us so we can process it at a later time. It’s not our fault this happens, since there are many reasons we don’t fully process our experiences.
We may not feel like we’re in a safe enough environment, which leads our bodies keeping us alert. We may also not have time to focus on healing which is also entirely okay. We don’t need to push ourselves into doing anything we’re not ready for.
When trauma lives in our bodies for long periods of time, stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that are constantly on overdrive can begin to affect us, leading to symptoms that can even seem unrelated to our traumas. I welcome you to explore the list below for common symptoms of trauma still living within our bodies after sexual trauma.
11 Signs of Stored Sexual Trauma
Physical signs sexual trauma has manifested in your body:
- Digestive issues
- Bloating
- Shoulder and Neck Pain
- Low back pain
- Pelvic Floor Disorders
- Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS)
- Weight gain (especially in your belly)
- Constant fatigue
- Headaches
- Chronic Pain
- Insomnia
Many survivors have experienced one or many of these symptoms. There are also emotional symptoms that can arise like perfectionism, self criticism, feelings of isolation, depression and anxiety.
Honoring Symptoms
Symptoms like these can be the result of your body working over time to make sure you stay safe, even if it causes more stress. We may feel like we’re going crazy or that there is something deeply wrong with us and that’s why we experience our symptoms, but our bodies have learned through evolution how to survive. All our bodies have ever wanted to do was keep us safe. With time and supportive practices, we can communicate this safety through nervous system regulation and by giving ourselves patience and compassion.
We can support ourselves and manage symptoms through a variety of healing modalities and avenues, and I welcome you to explore healing with abundance. You can include as many or as few avenues that speak to you, and what works for one person may not for another. This shows how unique we all are, and that listening to your intuition (even if it’s subtle) is how we can begin to restore trust within ourselves. My Survivor Support Page includes multiple healing avenues to explore including crisis lines and mental health support.
Explore Sexual Trauma Release with Free Trauma Informed Yoga
If you’re curious about exploring release through a somatic and holistic lens, I have a free, private trauma-informed yoga library that I cater specifically to sexual trauma survivors. Classes tend to your nervous system, support your mind-body connection, and release held tension. If you’d like to explore gentle release with trauma-informed and somatic guidance, I welcome you to learn more below.
