• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FHE Health | Inpatient Rehab & Mental Health Facility in Florida Homepage

Drug, Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment

ContactCareers

Call for Immediate Help (833) 596-3502

MENUMENU
  • About
        • About FHE Rehab
          • About FHE Health
          • Our Staff
          • Locations We Serve
          • Testimonials
        • Our Campus
          • Gallery
          • Our Videos
          • The Health and Wellness Center at FHE Health
        • Our Locations
          • Alcohol Rehab
          • Detox Center
          • Drug Rehab
          • Mental Health Center
          • Outpatient Rehab
        • Careers at FHE Health
          • Employment Opportunities
        • Our Expertise
          • Accreditations
          • Educational Opportunities
          • Community Impact Award
          • First Responder Families Podcast
          • First Responder Paws
          • Education Scholarship
  • Addiction
        • Treatment Programs
          • Treatment Program Overview
          • Alcohol Addiction
          • Drug Addiction Treatment
          • Behavioral Addiction
        • Levels of Care
          • Continuum of Care
          • Addiction Detox
          • Inpatient Addiction Treatment
          • Outpatient Addiction Treatment
        • What We Treat
          • Alcoholism
          • Amphetamines
          • Benzodiazepines
          • Cocaine
          • Heroin
          • Opioids
          • Sedative
  • Mental Health
        • Mental Health Rehab
          • Mental Health Rehab
          • Onsite Psychiatric Care
          • Dual Diagnosis
        • Levels of Care
          • Residential Mental Health Care
          • Outpatient Mental Health Care
        • What We Treat
          • ADD & ADHD
          • Anxiety Disorders
          • Bipolar Disorder
          • Depression
          • Eating Disorders
          • Personality Disorders
          • PTSD
          • Schizophrenia
          • Substance Use Disorder
          • Trauma
  • Programs
        • FHE Programs
          • Specialty Program Overview
          • Restore (Mental Health)
          • Empower! (Women's Program)
          • Shatterproof FHE Health(First Responders)
          • Compass Program
        • Support Programs
          • Alumni
          • Family Support
        • Therapies
          • Acupuncture
          • Breathwork Therapy
          • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
          • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
          • EMDR Therapy
          • Expressive Arts Therapy
          • Individual Therapy
          • Group Therapy
          • Gambling Therapy
          • Massage
        • Medical Care
          • Medical Integration
          • Ketamine Infusion
          • IV Vitamin
          • Fitness & Nutrition
          • Medication-Assisted Treatment
          • Medication Management
        • NeuroRehab Services
          • Neuro Rehabilitation
          • Neurofeedback Training
          • Neurostimulation Therapy
          • EEG Brain Mapping
          • Insomnia Treatment for PTSD
  • Resources
        • FHE Guides
          • Understanding Drug Abuse
          • Signs of Addiction
          • The Disease of Addiction
          • Confronting Addiction
          • Staging an Intervention
          • Rehab Success Rate – Does It Really Work?
          • Withdrawal Timelines
          • Life After Rehab
          • LGBTQ+ Community Resources
          • Veteran Resources
          • FHE Podcasts
          • Remote Resources Toolkit
        • Learning Center
          • Help for You
          • Help For Loved Ones
          • Help For Alcoholism
          • Help With Substance Abuse
          • Behavioral & Mental Health
          • Life in Recovery
          • Rehab Explained
          • Addiction Statistics
          • Our Research Articles
          • View All Articles
        • The Experience Blog
          • Addiction News
          • Alumni
          • Community Events
          • Expert Opinions
          • FHE Commentary
          • FHE News
          • Treatment Legislation
          • View All Articles
  • Admissions
        • Insurance
          • Blue Cross Insurance
          • Beacon Health / Value Options Insurance
          • Cigna Insurance
          • Humana Insurance
          • TRICARE Insurance
        • Admissions
          • Steps to Addiction Help
          • Will Insurance Cover Behavioral Treatment?
          • Self-Pay Rehab
        • FAQ
          • Keeping Your Job in Rehab
          • Example Day in Rehab
        • Contact Admissions
          • Contact Us
          • Secure Payment Form
  • Contact
  •  
Home > Learning > Behavioral & Mental Health > Healing from the Trauma of Sexual Assault

May 30, 2025 By Kristina Robb-Dover

Healing from the Trauma of Sexual Assault

Dealing with trauma from sexual assault

Every 68 seconds, someone in this country is sexually assaulted, according to the Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey; and nine out of 10 survivors of sexual assault are women, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network has said. The mental health consequences of this type of trauma, as the most intimate violation of a person’s physical and emotional boundaries, are often profound and far-reaching.

In the below interview with trauma therapist Dr. Sachi Ananda, we explored avenues for healing from sexual assault. As Director of Shatterproof FHE Health, our specialized program for first responders, Dr. Ananda has worked with many people who have made great strides in recovering from trauma, sexual assault included, thanks to evidence-based therapies, self-care strategies, and coping tools.

Education about trauma and how it affects the brain is another aspect of this recovery process. That is where we began our conversation….

How Trauma Affects the Brain and Body

Q: Can you help readers understand how trauma affects the brain and body?

A: How trauma affects the brain and body is a complex question and can be difficult to understand. One of the important aspects of this understanding is to grasp that when a person is exposed to a perceived or real life-threatening event(s) or is a witness to life-threatening event(s), the trauma overwhelms the brain’s normal functioning and puts itself into self-preservation/protective mode.

This mode includes physiological, emotional, and behavioral responses. Typical automatic responses fall in the categories of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. If the event(s) do(es) not get processed in healthy ways, the trauma reaction can become a habitual pattern of functioning that negatively affects the achieving of life goals, having healthy mental well-being, and healthy relationships.

What Therapies Are Most Effective for Sexual Assault

Q: What kinds of therapy are most effective for recovery from sexual assault?

A: With those who experience sexual assault (a.k.a. survivors), trauma therapies are important: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and DBT-PTSD (Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) are just some of the gold standards for treating this.

How to Manage Symptoms of PTSD After Sexual Assault

Q: What are some techniques for grounding oneself during flashbacks or panic attacks? What are some ways to learn how to feel safe in one’s own body again?

EMDR has many techniques for grounding such as:

  • Calm Safe Place – The client is asked to imagine or call to mind a calm, safe place and the sensations and emotions that it elicits, while the therapist uses EMDR techniques to reinforce these feelings of peace and serenity.
  • EMDR Container – The client is asked to visualize a secure container where they can lock up any distressing thoughts, feelings, and images.
  • 5-4-3-2-1 Technique – This grounding exercise draws the client’s focus to the present moment and its sights, smells, tastes, and other sensations.
  • The Butterfly Hug – This self-soothing tool helps to calm the nervous system and reduce feelings of anxiety or distress.

Mindfulness exercises are also wonderful ways for helping with flashbacks and panic attacks. Progressive relaxation techniques can help someone practice focusing on muscle tension to help one feel safe in their bodies again.

Q: Being triggered is another common symptom of trauma-related mental health conditions such as PTSD. (“Triggers” are situations, thoughts, or emotions in someone who has experienced a traumatic event.) What should someone do when they are triggered?

A: Just breathe! When someone who is triggered can notice this, simply pausing and breathing can break through the automatic responses. This gives that person an opportunity to assess what is happening in the moment versus reacting to trauma from the past.

Q: Is it normal to feel guilty, angry, or disconnected in the aftermath? What feelings are common, and how do you work through those feelings?

A: Yes, it’s definitely normal to feel guilty, angry, or disconnected after a sexual assault. Other normal feelings are shame, sadness, despair, and denial. One way to work through these feelings is to sit and allow oneself to express these feelings through words, emotional release, and creative expression. This can be done on your own or with others. Another healthy way to work through the feelings is with a therapist or spiritual advisor.

Other Tools for and Sources of Healing from Sexual Assault

Q: To what degree is it therapeutic to talk about a sexual assault with others? How do you handle questions or comments from others that feel invasive or invalidating?

A: It can be therapeutic to talk about sexual assault with people who are healthy supports. Healthy supports are ones that listen without judgement, provide guidance when asked, and help the survivor get better. It is not healthy to talk about this with those who will be giving critical feedback, condescending statements, and providing unsolicited advice. It is also not therapeutic to talk about sexual assault if it is keeping the survivor stuck in the past and focusing on the negative rather than the potential to grow from the trauma. Learning to set boundaries with questions or comments from others that feel invasive or invalidating is crucial. Direct communication skills are also important.

Q: What role does forgiveness play in healing, and is it necessary?

A: Forgiveness plays a huge role in healing and is absolutely necessary to overcome sexual assault trauma. Forgiveness of the abuser is not the same as excusing the behaviors; it can release resentments that are holding a survivor back from having a healthy life and relationships. Forgiveness includes understanding that the abuser is living in their own hell — of their hurtful behaviors to others — and trusting that karma from the universe will right wrongdoings. More important is the survivor’s forgiveness of the self, which releases irrational thoughts of self-blame and shame.

How to Gauge Progress in Healing from Sexual Assault

Q: How might someone gauge their progress in healing from sexual assault?

A: First and foremost, progress would be gauged by the survivor’s level of self-esteem. After an experience of sexual assault, it is very common to have feelings of low self-worth, self-blame, and poor body image. Secondarily, progress would be measured by an increase in rational versus fear-based thought patterns and decision-making. Other signs of progress include abilities to have close emotional relationships with others and develop a strong support network.

Q: How do sexual trauma survivors learn to trust others again?

A: It takes time for sexual assault survivors to learn to trust others. Over time (with a lot of self-work, therapy, etc.), survivors can have close emotional and physical relationships with others. To begin this journey, survivors can start with self-love, compassion and forgiveness. This step can simultaneously be done with finding support groups specific to their personal and interpersonal challenges. Dating and sexual relationships should proceed slowly, with time spent on building friendships that are respectful of boundaries and healthy communication.

The path to recovery from sexual assault takes time and is rarely linear. Complete healing may not be achievable, depending on the circumstances. However, what’s also evident from speaking with Dr. Ananda is that today’s survivors have more tools and supports than ever to help them heal, find fulfillment in life, and develop happy and healthy relationships.

Filed Under: Behavioral & Mental Health, Featured in Mental Health

About Kristina Robb-Dover

Kristina Robb-Dover is a content manager and writer with extensive editing and writing experience... read more

Primary Sidebar

Learning Center

  • Help for You
  • Help For Loved Ones
  • Help For Alcoholism
  • Help With Substance Abuse
  • Behavioral & Mental Health
  • Life in Recovery
  • Rehab Explained
  • All Articles

Sign up for the Blog

Our Facilities

Take a look at our state of the art treatment center.

View Our Gallery

The Experience Blog

  • Addiction News
  • Alumni
  • Community Events
  • Expert Columns
  • FHE Commentary
  • FHE News
  • Treatment Legislation
  • All Articles

Footer

FHE Health

© 2025 FHE Health

505 S Federal Hwy #2,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441
1-833-596-3502
youtube facebook instagram linkedin twitter
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • AI Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
A+ BBB and Top Places to Work - Sun Sentinel

Copyright © 2025 · FHE Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. If one of our articles is marked with a ‘reviewed for accuracy and expertise’ badge, it indicates that one or more members of our team of doctors and clinicians have reviewed the article further to ensure accuracy. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.

If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at marketing@fhehealth.com.

833-596-3502

Text/Call Me