April Is Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Let’s Talk About It

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and honestly…this is one of those topics that people know about, but don’t always talk about. Sexual assault is often pushed into the background because it’s uncomfortable, heavy, and hard to face. But for many individuals, it’s not something in the background it’s something that shows up in their daily lives, their relationships, their thoughts, and even their bodies.

Sexual trauma doesn’t always look the way people expect it to. It’s not always obvious, and it’s definitely not something that people just “get over.” The impact can show up as anxiety, depression, difficulty trusting others, feeling disconnected from your own body, or constantly being on edge. Sometimes people don’t even realize that what they’re experiencing is connected to past trauma they just know something doesn’t feel right.

Survivors are speaking up more, but there’s still a lot of fear, fear of not being believed, fear of being judged, or even fear of facing what happened. Because of that, many people carry their experiences quietly for years.

And here’s the thing, your brain and body are doing exactly what they were designed to do: protect you. That hyper-awareness, the overthinking, the emotional shutdown, the difficulty relaxing…those aren’t signs that something is “wrong” with you. They’re signs that your system adapted to something overwhelming. The problem is those survival responses don’t always turn off when the danger is gone.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is about bringing these experiences into the light. It’s about understanding that healing doesn’t look one specific way. For some people, it means talking about it. For others, it means slowly rebuilding a sense of safety. For many, it means learning how to feel in control of their life again.

As a psychologist, one of the most important things I can offer is a space where people don’t have to filter themselves. A space where they’re believed, where nothing they say is “too much,” and where healing can happen at their pace, not anyone else’s.

It’s also worth saying, this work can be heavy, not just for survivors, but for those supporting them. If you’re a clinician, a partner, a friend, or a family member, taking care of yourself matters too. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and showing up consistently requires care on your end as well.

Sexual trauma is more common than people think, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood experiences. And while it can deeply impact someone’s life, it does not define them. Healing is possible. It might take time, it might feel messy, and it might not be linear, but it is possible.

If this month does anything, let it be this: start the conversation, reduce the stigma, and remind people they don’t have to carry this alone.

Resources for Support

• National Sexual Assault Hotline (U.S.): 800-656-HOPE (available 24/7)

• Online chat support through national sexual assault services

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

• National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

• 1 in 6 (support for male survivors)

• Local crisis centers and mental health providers

Can you cure PTSD?

This is a question I hear from patients on a near constant basis and one I ponder on a regular basis both personally and professionally. What does it mean to cure PTSD? Does it mean you can sleep again? Does it mean you don’t remember what happened to you? Does it mean you can smile again? The notion of a “cure” for any mental health condition is still an extremely controversial topic in the field. While there are some mental health conditions we know are not “curable” by the textbook definition of a cure such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, or Autism, that does not mean your life is over. Think about it this way. Is there a cure for Diabetes? Is there a cure for cancer? Is there a cure for a broken leg? The standard answer is “ yes,” but when you think about these conditions, the “cure” is more about treatment not necessarily just getting rid of the disorder. With cancer, you can go into remission, but that doesn’t mean it’s cured because it can come back. With diabetes, you can manage it with insulin and still live a full life. PTSD is the same way. When I think about “curing” PTSD, I think about it just like “curing” cancer; an individual goes through treatment, their symptoms subside, and they are able to function again. Does that mean it will always be like that? No, of course not, there are no guarantees with any treatment medical or psychological. But you can have your life back in a way that you likely didn’t think possible.

Now, I recognize how Pollyanna that perspective may sound to many, but from experience with my patients and copious amounts of research done my individuals far smarter than I am, it is something I wholeheartedly believe to be true. I have seen people with PTSD symptoms for decades go through treatment and come out the other side happier, healthier, calmer, more rested, and able to live again. Their trauma wasn’t gone though, trauma never goes away, it’s the symptoms that we are trying to treat. PTSD is made up of 4 symptom clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance, negative mood and thought changes, and hyperarousal. I spent a whole lot of time getting to know these symptoms in textbook form before I got to see them in the real world and let me tell you, the textbook has nothing on the real world manifestation of this life-destroying disorder. PTSD eats away at someone, it infects their entire existence, it makes them want to die, but for most, they keep on fighting. Suicidal thoughts with PTSD are so very common as is drinking, other substance abuse, sexual difficulties, medical problems, and a whole host of other life changers, but just as Princess Leia says in Rogue One, “hope” is the answer. Hope means there is at least the smallest glimmer that things will change. Never underestimate the motivating power of hope even if it’s just to prove someone wrong. PTSD can be cured, symptoms can go down, your life can be yours again. No, your trauma will never go away, but that does not mean you cannot get better.

Treatment for PTSD sucks. I’ll be the first one in the office telling you that from meeting #1. Having to uncover your deepest, darkest, more horrid experience to a near complete stranger is an experience that inherently makes your body tense and pucker with anticipation, but that’s honestly my job. It is the job of a trauma psychologist to be your go to person, the person who sits with you while you tell every gory, bloody, scary, horrifying, disgusting detail of this horrible time in your life, and who will never recoil from a single word. Treatment means uncovering the wound, cleaning out the infection, and stitching you up. It also means going through the rehabilitation and tending to the scar. See, trauma is a scar while PTSD is the hemorrhaging bullet wound. Like any wound, you have to stop the bleeding before you put it in a cast. Your life will never be the same after a trauma, that’s the very nature of trauma, but it does not mean your life ends after the trauma. Hope exists, treatment exists, you can exist again. To learn more about PTSD, treatment, or recovery from trauma, feel free to email or call my office. There is life after trauma, there is you after trauma.

Exposure Therapy 101

Anxiety is defined as “a state of intense apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation, often to a degree that normal physical and psychological functioning is disrupted” (American Heritage Medical, 2007, p. 38). While I’m a big fan of this technical definition, I think it’s safe to say to anyone who has ever experienced anxiety is that it just SUCKS! The way your body reacts to anxiety makes you legitimately feel like you’re dying. I remember my first panic attack so clearly that if I needed to create it for any reason that would definitely not be a problem (it involved a snake and, at that time, my anxiety towards those little beasts was near paralyzing). I didn’t know what I know now about treatment for anxiety, particularly about exposure-based treatments to resolve any anxiety or trauma disorder. Each year, Anxiety Disorders impact approximately 18% of 40 million adults in the United States (NIMH, 2013).

So, what is exposure therapy? Considered the gold standard treatment for anxiety disorders, exposure-based treatments focus on change by exposing an individual to their feared objects, activities, or situations in a safe environment to help reduce fear and decrease avoidance (APA Division 12, 2013). Below are so basic examples of what type of techniques are used in exposure-based treatment.

While exposure therapy seems scary at first glance, what we know about it is truly astonishing. Numerous research studies have revealed that positive treatment outcomes for Anxiety Disorders are maintained longer for individuals who have participated in Cognitive-Behavior Therapy and Behavior Therapy (exposure therapy; National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). But the real question people typically have is not “what is it?” but rather “how does it work?” Well, here’s how:

Over time, anxiety goes down the more frequently someone practices/engages in the activity that makes them anxious. Here are some examples of how you and your therapist can take this theory and put it into action:

While exposure therapy isn’t magic, sometimes it can feel like that. It can treat a variety of Anxiety and Trauma Disorders such as Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Specific Phobias, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I have seen individuals who have chronic anxiety (we’re talking 40+ years) go through exposure therapy and report no longer having anxiety, at all! I admit my bias when it comes to exposure therapy, but it truly is one of my favorite things to do in treatment because IT WORKS. Some examples of specific exposure treatments include:

If you experience anxiety, things can get better. It won’t always be pleasant and, at times, it downright hurts, but you can overcome your anxiety, you can take back your power, you can live a life without anxiety! To learn more about anxiety, trauma disorders, and treatment feel free to email me at jnspsychology@gmail.com or give me a call at 702-587-1573 to schedule an appointment.