Healing sexual assault

Healing yourself, loving the world

Tapping helps our healing from sexual assault

I have worked with a variety of clients who’ve experienced sexual assault. Addressing assault with EFT is a compassionate, healing, and tender journey. While each person has a unique experience and healing process, common perceptions show up during the healing process:

  • It wasn’t that bad. It’s not affecting me.
  • I don’t remember it. It’s not affecting me.
  • I can’t tell anyone what happened. It’s too shameful, embarrassing, horrible, unbelievable.
  • It was a long time ago. What’s the point now?
  • I’ve already been to therapy. Why do I need to revisit it?
  • It happens to everyone.  What’s the big deal?
  • It was so painful.  I really don’t want to address this.

EFT can be a gentle yet effective tool for healing from sexual assault

One of the benefits of EFT is how we don’t have to rehash the deep painful experience in order to clear the feelings.  There are ways to apply EFT in a safer-feeling way.  Layers of the experience can be addressed one at a time.  While there might be some tears, there is also great relief. I wish I could describe what it feels like to release a painful memory. For me, I’m tense, crying, tight chest, and feeling very constricted and in trauma. Once the energy has shifted, and it can shift in a few rounds of tapping on a particular memory, I find my body relaxing, the memory fading into the distance, and myself reclaiming part of my heart and soul.

The hidden thoughts

One of the reliefs found in the healing process is addressing those hidden thoughts that we are ashamed of and that feel unbearable.  Thoughts related to the physical response of our bodies, the ways we might hold ourselves at fault, the confusion about incest, the sympathy for our perpetrators, the anger at the silence, and so on.  Besides offering a safe and compassionate space where I see and know the wholeness of each client, I also bring in a perspective from the world of Family Constellations that offers relief from the larger system perspective.

Getting support

If you have experienced sexual assault and wish to address it using an energy tool that I consider way more compelling than traditional therapy, I invite you to EFT.   Talk with several different practitioners.  Ask them their experience.  You want someone who is at a minimum:

  • Skilled with EFT.
  • Experienced with sexual assault and its related patterns.
  • Someone with whom you feel comfortable.

In my next post, I will offer some words for tapping that might ease the way into finding support.

Photo by Monica Galentino

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Deborah Donndelinger

Deborah Donndelinger

I'm writing from Maryland, but my heart goes out all over the world. I'm cheering you on as you tackle the hard stuff, embrace the easy, and show up to help others.