Sexual trauma is a term used to describe negative experiences that can have a significant impact on one's life, including their sexual health. Past traumas can range from abuse to assault to being witness to a violent crime. Trauma creates a sense of helplessness, fear, shame, guilt, and distrust. It can manifest itself physically, psychologically, and behaviorally through anxiety, depression, insomnia, self-destructive behaviors, hypervigilance, avoidant tendencies, numbness, anger, flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, and dissociation. Sexual triggers are cues that elicit powerful reactions linked to past traumatic events. They may be sensory, visual, auditory, emotional, physical, social, and/or situational. Triggers may include places, dates, smells, noises, touch, feelings, sounds, colors, or objects. Some people experience a feeling of intense arousal due to past traumas, while others feel paralyzed or detached. Couples can learn how to identify and manage their triggers by understanding each other's needs and desires, communication, support, and boundaries. By identifying and managing sex triggers, couples can enhance intimacy, trust, and pleasure.
The article must also use at least two sources in APA style format (in-text citations) and a reference list at the end. Use a headline for each source, separated by a double space line. Make sure to provide enough information about the author(s), title, publication date, journal or book name, publisher, and URL, if available.
Sexual Trauma: A Definition
Fisher, S., & Greenberg, J. R. (2017). Understanding and Treating Psychological Trauma: A Practitioner's Guide to the Healing Process. American Psychological Association.
Sexual Triggers
Ferguson, M., & DeLamater, J. D. (2019). "Psychology and Sexuality: An Introduction." Wadsworth Publishing.
Identification and Management
McCann, E. P., Chang, L. C., Kupfer, D. J., Greene, G., & McCabe, M. P. (2006). Identifying and Managing Sexual Triggers Associated with Childhood Abuse. The Journal of Sex Research, 43(2), 168–175.
How do couples identify and manage sexual triggers linked to past trauma?
Research suggests that sexual triggers can be a common problem for individuals with a history of traumatic experiences such as abuse, assault, or neglect. These triggers may include certain situations, people, or objects that remind an individual of their past trauma and trigger intense feelings of anxiety, fear, shame, or guilt. Couples who have experienced these types of traumas together must learn how to recognize and manage their sexual triggers in order to maintain healthy relationships.