The body is an integral part of human beings' physical existence. It is responsible for various functions such as breathing, eating, sleeping, moving around, digesting food, and reproducing.
It houses the mind and emotions, which interact with each other to influence behavior and thought patterns. When something happens that affects the mind or body, it can have a lasting effect on one's life.
Traumatic events can cause psychological and physiological damage leading to long-term health complications. In this article, I will discuss how partners support veterans in rebuilding trust in their bodies and sexual agency post-trauma.
Veterans are individuals who served in the military and were exposed to war situations, making them vulnerable to experiencing trauma. The American Psychiatric Association defines trauma as "a significant negative event experienced by an individual." Traumatic experiences may include military combat, witnessing death or injury, kidnapping, torture, terrorism, natural disasters, and violence. These incidents can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which causes distress, anxiety, anger, nightmares, flashbacks, and difficulty connecting with others.
PTSD can lead to sexual dysfunction due to low sex drive, intimacy problems, and sexual avoidance.
Partners play a crucial role in helping veterans regain trust in their bodies after trauma. They offer unconditional love, understanding, comfort, support, empathy, and acceptance without judgment or criticism. Partners help veterans feel safe, secure, and accepted despite past mistakes, failures, or setbacks. This creates a nurturing environment conducive for healing and growth.
They provide emotional and physical intimacy through touch, hugs, kisses, cuddling, and sex. Partners also create a bond of trust that promotes open communication about issues related to sex, relationships, and intimacy. By creating this safe space, partners encourage veterans to express themselves freely and take risks in bed.
To aid veterans in rebuilding their sexual agency, partners must be patient, understanding, and consistent. Veterans are often self-conscious about their body image, sexual performance, and desires.
They might have trouble maintaining an erection, achieving orgasm, or ejaculating. They may fear being rejected or judged by their partners if they cannot perform in bed.
Partners should assure them that it is normal to experience these difficulties during recovery. They should also remind them that there's no need to rush into intercourse but instead explore other ways of connecting with each other sexually. It could involve holding hands, cuddling, or massaging each other. These activities build confidence and increase intimacy between partners.
Partners can also use techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga to relax the mind and body. These activities promote relaxation and reduce stress levels, which affect sexual functioning. Breathing exercises improve blood flow and oxygenation, while meditation calms the nervous system and reduces anxiety. Yoga strengthens muscles, improves flexibility, and increases circulation. All these activities help veterans feel more comfortable in their bodies, which enhances their self-esteem and confidence.
Partners play a vital role in helping veterans regain trust in their bodies and sexual agency post-trauma. By creating a safe space for open communication and expressing themselves freely, they foster healing and growth. Through patience, consistency, and supportive behavior, they encourage veterans to rebuild confidence in their sexuality gradually. Techniques like breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga are effective tools that promote relaxation and improve performance. With time and effort, veterans can reconnect emotionally and physically with their partners, leading to fulfillment in their relationships.
In what ways do partners support veterans in rebuilding trust in their bodies and sexual agency post-trauma?
Partners can help veterans rebuild their body image by validating their feelings of self-doubt and shame related to their physical appearance, providing encouragement and positive affirmations to restore confidence, engaging in intimate activities that emphasize pleasure over performance, addressing any past traumas related to sexual abuse or assault, promoting healthy lifestyle habits for improved physical functioning, and offering emotional support during periods of anxiety and depression.