When Trauma Enters the Bedroom Sexual abuse and assault can affect intimacy long after the abuse has ended. The trauma doesn’t just live in memories—it can shape how we relate to our bodies, relationships, and sexuality. There is no “normal” response. Some survivors avoid sex because intimacy feels unsafe, overwhelming, or triggering. Others become hypersexual, seeking connection, validation, control, or escape through sexual experiences. Some move between both extremes. Neither response means something is wrong with you. Sexual trauma, especially during childhood and adolescence, can deeply impact a developing mind. It can leave survivors carrying painful beliefs such as: • “My body isn’t mine.” • “Love and harm go together.” • “My needs don’t matter.” • “Something is wrong with me.” Many survivors also struggle with substance use. Drugs and alcohol can become ways to numb shame, fear, loneliness, or the emotional pain trauma leaves behind. These are not signs of weakness. They are survival adaptations. Healing often involves learning that your body belongs to you, your boundaries matter, and that intimacy can exist alongside safety, respect, trust, and choice. If sexual trauma has affected your relationship with sex, your body, or substances, please know: You are not broken. You are not alone. And healing is possible. 💜🔥 What has helped you reclaim a sense of safety or trust after trauma?