Erika Shershun, LMFT, Somatic Psychotherapy, San Francisco and throughout CA

Healing Sexual Trauma

Survivors of Sexual Trauma

If you're a survivor of assault, sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape, or incest I understand it may be difficult to reach out for help. Some clients choose not to tell me in an initial intake or first session that they're survivors, although I usually sense if this is the case. Often individuals have buried the memory deep inside because they have not had the resources available to safely process the violations and begin to heal. As a licensed therapist treating survivors in CA, and as a coach working with survivors outside of CA, it's important to me that you help determine when you're ready to begin working with the trauma, that you help to set the pace, and most importantly that you feel safe enough for healing to take place. You're welcome to share your story if you want, but I will never ask you to tell your trauma story in detail, it is not necessary to heal.

All sexual trauma involves violation, a rupture of personal, emotional, sexual, and energetic boundaries. Whether you experienced sexual violence recently or many years ago you may not realize that the symptoms and issues you're struggling with now are related to the traumatic event. Symptoms of sexual assault may be psychological, emotional, and physical, and can include but are not limited to the following:

Depression, Anxiety, and Social Anxiety
Flashbacks, PTSD
A sense of being frozen or shut down
Unexplained feelings of shame or guilt
Overwhelming emotions such as rage, hate, and terror
Difficulty forming deep, sustaining relationships
Feelings of disconnection and extreme isolation

I'm a Somatically trained psychotherapist, somatic refers to the body. This is significant when it comes to working with sexual violations and the resulting trauma which robs you of your body sense. Healing trauma is primarily a bodily or biological process frequently accompanied by psychological effects. This is especially true when the trauma involved betrayal by someone you trusted, or someone who was supposed to protect you. Successful healing of these unseen yet deeply felt wounds involves using methods that establish a connection to your body.

As with the symptoms, the length of time and the process of recovery is different for each individual. A gentle and gradual approach is important so that your nervous system is not overwhelmed. Again, this is something that you will help to determine.

Sexual trauma can negatively impact your health, vitality, your ability to feel in connection with others, and to feel safe in your own skin. I am here to help you deal with the challenges you may be facing, to reclaim lost resources, to gain greater self-agency, and to grow the future you desire for yourself.

I invite you to call 415.470.9409 or message me today to set up a free 15 minute phone consultation where I can answer your questions and you can share any concerns.

Erika Shershun, LMFT, Somatic Psychotherapy, EMDR, San Francisco and throughout CA

The Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook

The Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook was released by New Harbinger in July 2021. The Spanish translation was released in 2022, and the Russian in 2023. The Polish translation is due out later this year. It's available on Amazon and most other major bookstores.

To learn more about the Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook, to read my survivors blog, or to get a copy of my free ebook, The Many Ways to Ground visit: HealingSexualTrauma.com

Healing Sexual Trauma by Erika Shershun, LMFT

The Healing Sexual Trauma Blog

You can find my survivors blog at

HealingSexualTrauma.com

Surviving & Thriving:
Healing Sexual Trauma

To learn more about my ongoing weekly psychotherapy group for female identified survivors residing in CA check out the Surviving and Thriving Group page.

The Many Ways to Ground free ebook

Available at HealingSexualTrauma.com

coming soon:

The Healing Sexual Trauma Course

I understand how hard it can be to find the resources needed to heal from sexual trauma, it's not always easy to find someone skilled in this challenging, yet rewarding work. This is why I created the Healing Sexual Trauma Course, a six-month online somatic based training that includes weekly recorded videos and three private 1 on 1 thirty minute coaching calls. The course curriculum has been carefully curated, each week building upon the previous with insights, reflections, and practices that will aid you in your healing and growth. These are teachings you can return to again and again as needed for grounding, guidance and support as you move forward on your healing path.

To learn more about the course or to be added to my mailing list visit HealingSexualTrauma.com