This podcast is the first in a series about trauma and sex. The hosts, both counselors on sex and relationships in the U.S., talk about what trauma is – or more to the point that trauma is your experience, not the action itself – and how different people experience different impacts from it in their future sex / relationships. While this is a podcast about sex this episode doesn’t contain any explicit content. A really good start to a discussion about going through something scary and maybe still having a part of you that is scared.
Are you the partner of someone who experienced trauma? Have a listen to the Swoon episode for partners.
The Hosts
Gina Senarighi, MS, MA, CPC is a sexuality counselor and communication consultant specializing in healthy boundaries, passionate relationships, jealousy, and infidelity. She supports non-traditional couples all over the world as a retreat leader and certified relationship coach.
Julie Jeske, LPC is a sex and relationship counselor. She has a private practice where she helps clients increase intimacy, ignite passion and deepen their connection to themselves and others. Julie especially loves to help women discover who they are sexually. Through counseling, online classes, or in-person retreats; her clients learn how to talk about their sexual and relationship desires, and explore ways to make them a reality.
This episode covers:
- How common trauma is
- How it can impact a relationship
- Why it’s so hard to define what trauma is and isn’t
- Why trauma can be so different with different partners
- How to deal with trauma when you realize you have it
Action Steps
- Get a Therapist
- Ask yourself:
- What will make me feel safe?
- What things help you feel comfortable?
- How can someone check in with me?
- How do I know when I feel activated/triggered/checked out/overwhelmed?
- Ask your partner:
- What will make my partner feel safer?
- How do you want me to check in with you when this comes up?
- How can we stay connected safely if this comes up in vulnerable moments?