At Nodelman Counseling & Psychotherapy, Jordan Nodelman, LCSW treats clients who are seeking therapy for Acute Stress Disorder and therapy for PTSD in Florida and Virginia. Jordan works with male and female survivors of sexual assault, including clients who are gender non-conforming and survivors or sexual assault.
Clients come to Jordan reporting that they have been experiencing symptoms of PTSD, like hypervigilance, having nightmares, or experiencing unease in certain situations that remind them of the traumatic incident. Other times, clients report that there was a triggering event that happened prior to calling for therapy; that the event caused them to re-experience past traumas. In some cases, clients have also described a triggering event that has brought up confusing memories they do not understand. Some clients report shame over memories that come flooding back about childhood sexual assaults or prior, adult sexual traumas. They are seeking a therapy space to process through the memories and figure out a path forward, free of the unwanted symptoms they have when they start therapy.
Jordan receives inquiries from sexual violence survivors who identify as men, women, transgender, or nonbinary. He receives calls from clients of all sexual orientations. The one commonality among the inquiries for therapy of this nature is that the callers report distress over the memories and they desire to work through the confusion, reduce the distressing symptoms, and return to a balanced state of mental health.
If you are a survivor of sexual violence, you are not alone. A 2015 CDC supported survey (updated in 2018), titled the National Intimate Partner Sexual Violence Survey, produced by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (Division of Violence Prevention) lays out some eye-opening statistics about sexual violence and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) (Smith, Zhang, Basile, et al, 2018).
According to the survey, “1 in 5 women experienced completed or attempted rape in her lifetime” and “nearly a quarter (24.8%) of men in the U.S. experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.” Additionally, “among male victims of completed or attempted rape, 51.3% (about 1.5 million victims) first experienced such victimization prior to age 18, with 25.3% (718,000 victims) reporting that their first victimization occurred between the ages of 11 and 17 and 26.0% (738,000 victims) at age 10 or younger.” The survey goes on to detail how 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men survive sexual or physical violence or stalking via intimate partner violence.
Do you find you are blaming yourself for what happened to you? The shame that can manifest after sexual violence is common. Unfortunately, we live in a society where victim-blaming is rampant. Many of my clients tell me they were judged or blamed by others after the assault(s).
In this therapeutic space, you will find you have a trusted confidant with whom you can safely process what happened to you, without judgement. You will have an opportunity to identify triggers that take you back to the awful memories and then work with Jordan at reducing the intensity of the triggers. We can harness the power of your brain to reconsolidate the neural network around the disturbing memory. In doing so, it will be less likely to associate current triggers with the terrible event(s) of your past. The result is you should be less triggered.
Often seeking out support groups, in conjunction with individual therapy, can be an important way to obtain the wraparound support you may need to move forward in your life. Depending on where you may be reading this blog from, support groups can be found via any search engine, at police stations, local community mental health agencies, rape support centers and hospitals. Given that we now live in a remote-centered world, remember to look beyond your immediate area. You may be able to join a support group in another state. As an example, I have had male sexual assault survivors seek out support groups in other states or, with the increase in telehealth options, clients from rural areas of Florida or Virginia may seek groups in larger, metropolitan areas.
How can EMDR help me if I am a survivor of sexual violence?
EMDR is a wonderful therapy method for helping clients overcome the negative self-beliefs that can develop after a sexual assault. As an example, a common negative belief that survivors of sexual violence may develop is, “I am in danger.” Unfortunately, clients may end up associating this negative belief with known intimate partners who are a source of safety, not harm. This can lead to unwanted stress and relationship issues. EMDR will help the brain understand that the sexual assault is over and, as this occurs, the brain will become less vigilant of situations that previously triggered bad memories.
If you are a survivor of sexual violence and are ready to process through what happened to you, contact Jordan Nodelman, LCSW today for a free, 15-minute consultation.
We offer in person therapy in Fort Lauderdale, telehealth therapy in Florida and telehealth therapy in Virginia.
If you are interested in beginning therapy, Jordan Nodelman is here for you. Providing EMDR, Brainspotting and other therapy services to clients in Florida and Virginia by tele-health, Jordan also sees clients in-person looking for a therapist in Broward County, FL. Jordan provides therapy for PTSD, First Responder therapy, and trauma therapy in Fort Lauderdale.
Contact us today for your free, 15-minute consultation. Click here.
Copyright, Jordan Nodelman, LCSW (If you would like to reproduce this article please email jordan@jnodelmanlcsw.com.)
Citation:
Smith, S. G., Zhang, X., Basile, K. C., Merrick, M. T., Wang, J., Kresnow, M., & Chen, J. (2018). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2015 data brief – updated release. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
