Dr. Sheri Vanino, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist & Trauma Specialist
Adult Sexual Assault
Sexual assault in adulthood is confusing —
Especially when it involves someone you knew, trusted, or had prior intimacy with.
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You may not have fought back.
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You may have frozen.
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You may have continued contact afterward.
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You may still be unsure how to label what happened.
These responses are COMMON, NORMAL trauma reactions.
They are not evidence of consent, weakness, or poor judgment.
We will work TOGETHER to restore clarity, rebuild trust in yourself, and reduce the intrusive symptoms that keep the experience feeling present.
Understanding What You Are Feeling
Understanding Common Responses
Many adults expect they would react forcefully in a threatening situation.
In reality, the nervous system often responds automatically
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Freezing,
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Appeasing,
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Dissociating, or
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Shutting down.
These survival responses can happen even if you want the assault to stop.
When the Person Was Someone You Knew
Sexual assault in adulthood frequently involves a partner, date, acquaintance, friend, coworker, or someone previously trusted.
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Prior intimacy,
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Mixed feelings, or
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An existing relationship
Can create confusion and make it harder to immediately recognize or label the experience as assault.
Why It Can Continues to Affect You
Even when life appears to move forward, trauma can remain active in the body and mind.
You may experience:
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Anxiety,
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Sleep disruption,
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Intrusive memories,
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Shame,
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Emotional numbness, Hypervigilance, or
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Difficulty with trust & intimacy.
How Therapy Can Help
Healing often begins with understanding that your reactions make sense in the context of trauma.
Therapy can help:
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Reduce distressing symptoms,
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Rebuild self-trust,
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Process what happened at your pace, and
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Help you feel fully present in your life again.
Reclaiming YOU
Sexual assault can make you feel disconnected from who you were before.
Therapy is not about forcing yourself to “move on.”
It is about helping your body and mind understand that the danger
is no longer happening now, so you can begin to feel
Safer
Clearer
&
More like yourself again.