Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse & Complex Trauma

Healing from childhood sexual abuse is not a linear journey, and is so much more than reclaiming our bodies or sexuality. It often involves confronting challenging family dynamics, attachment wounds, abandonment, rage, grief, self-blame, guilt, and so much more.

Complex Trauma

One of the challenges survivors of childhood sexual abuse face is coming to terms with the multiple and complex instances of abuse and harm, beyond a single incident. Complex Trauma refers to prolonged or repeated exposure to traumatic events or experiences, often beginning in childhood, that have a cumulative impact on an individual's physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. Complex trauma can involve a range of experiences, including physical, emotional, institutional and sexual abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and exposure to community violence or disasters. The effects of complex trauma are pervasive and differs from single-incident trauma, such as a car accident or natural disaster, in that it is often ongoing, interpersonal, and can involve betrayal or powerlessness.

It's not uncommon for self-blame to be pervasive, as we may feel that we somehow ‘allowed’ ourselves to be harmed. This can be especially true when the abuse was perpetrated by someone we knew and trusted, as sexual abuse often is. We may even feel a sense of obligation to protect our abuser, or wonder how to effectively set boundaries with family members who were complicit.

Betrayal Trauma

As I began to process trauma, I found that acknowledging betrayal trauma was a key part. The term "betrayal trauma" was first coined by psychologist Jennifer Freyd to describe the effects of childhood abuse that occurred within close relationships, where the child was dependent on the abuser for care and support. Betrayal trauma can be any form of psychological trauma that occurs when a person has been betrayed by someone they depend on or have a close relationship with. It often involves a breach of trust or a violation of the power dynamics in a relationship, leading to feelings of fear, confusion, anger, and loss of control, and shatters our sense of safety and security.

Trauma and The Body

Complex Trauma, especially childhood sexual abuse has huge impacts on the body. Trauma that gets stored in the body can lead to physical symptoms such as chronic pain, digestive issues, autoimmune disorders, and other impacts of nervous system dysregulation. In this episode, I discuss some of the leading research on trauma and the body and share my personal experience of healing from childhood trauma along with the biggest lessons I've learned along the way.

“Coming to terms with abuse is an intensely particular experience where when you actually begin to label something as harm, violence or abuse (...) it often gets conceptualized as ‘I allowed myself to be harmed.’ (...) Logically, you may know that you were a child and there is nothing you could have done but that self-blame can be so pervasive. And because sexual abuse is usually perpetrated by someone that the survivor knows, we have a tendency, unfortunately, to want to protect that person.”

— Jazmine Russell, DEPTH Work Podcast Episode 08

Healing childhood sexual abuse & complex trauma - what will you learn in this episode:

The complexities around childhood sexual abuse and attachment issues
Why do so many childhood abuse survivors find themselves isolated and without familial support
Why acknowledging betrayal trauma is a key part of the healing process
How trauma impacts and gets stored in the body
How self-trust and personal power can be developed through trauma

Depth Work - A Holistic Mental Health Podcast

This is a space for those who love to dive into the underbelly, to revel in the mystery, question assumptions about what is normal, play in the both/and, and honor the wide range of human emotions.

As a complex trauma survivor, holistic counsellor and co-founder of a mental health institute, I learned that there is immense wisdom in our pain and what we call crazy is just what we are yet not willing to understand and explore. Let’s dive in!

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