Restoring the Soul After Sexual Trauma

• Overview

Sexual assault is a traumatic event which opens the person to a matrix of grief. The losses after the event are deep and painful: loss of safety and control, innocence, sense of self, loss of trusting others, your body and self; loss of sharing a part of self, possibly for the first time, with a beloved as an act of intimacy; loss of sense of normalcy and loss of the world as you once knew it.

One of the most critical losses is the loss of trust, either from the offender that may have once been a trusted other, or the person or system which did not or could not protect. The loss of trust can shut off the ability to live with an open heart when the victim/survivor silently vows, "I will never ever let anyone hurt me like that again." In order to live a vibrant life, a return to trust is essential. Learning to trust again after betrayal is critical to restoration of the soul.

In this on-demand webinar we will look at the progression through the stages of functioning: victim, survivor, thriver and what is necessary to make the progression, with special focus on healing from betrayal and making sense of meaning of the trauma. Joseph Campbell once said, "Madmen and Saints swim in the same water, what drowns one, transforms the other." Trauma is an opportunity for transformation. This is the heroic journey of post traumatic growth.

Learning Objectives:

• You will be able to discuss what sexual trauma is.
• You will be able to identify three stages of healing.
• You will be able to review making sense and meaning of the trauma and revealing the hero within.

Authors

Melissa "Missy" Bradley-Ball, M.S., NCC, B.C.E.T.S., F.A.A.E.T.S., Private Practitioner

Agenda

What Is a Sexual Trauma?

Three Stages of Healing: Victim, Survivor, Thriver - Levels of Functioning and the Needs of Each Stage

Empowering the Victim/Survivor - Understanding the Grooming Process

Identifying and Understanding the Often Primary Trauma of Sexual Trauma - Betrayal

Healing the Heart Space - Healing From the Betrayal

The Heroic Narrative - Making Sense and Meaning of the Trauma and Revealing the Hero Within