{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Role of Touch in Healing from Sexual Trauma","description":"\u201cMany sexual trauma survivors went into a freeze state.. And so there\u2019s this sense of \u2018My body betrayed me, and I don\u2019t want to be in this body, but I\u2019m stuck here, so I\u2019m going to do the best job I can to not be here.\u2019 And that is the ultimate disconnection. So what we\u2019re going for is to start to reconnect that, just a little bit at a time, maybe at first just with questions and guidance, and little by little, help you start to recognize that your body is an ally in this process of healing. And in fact, because it was the site of the crime, it\u2019s also the site of immense healing. And until you can actually feel that, there are things you can\u2019t heal. There are things you can\u2019t heal with words because words weren\u2019t what injured you.\u201d   In this conversation, Molly and regular special guest Sarah Brennan share their perspective on the role of touch in healing from sexual trauma. Some of the themes they explore are: The power of safe touch. Doing TO the body or making the body DO versus feeling, experiencing, and listening to the body with genuine curiosity. The body as key to healing injuries that were (and continue to be) experienced in the body. Feeling betrayed by the body\u2019s response to assault or violation. Feeling subtle sensations again (or for the first time) after only being able to feel extreme sensations or numbing out or being hypervigilant - or any combination of the aforementioned strategic adaptations.    \u201cPeople who are terrified need to get a sense of where their bodies are in space and of their boundaries.  Firm and reassuring touch lets them know where those boundaries are: what\u2019s outside them, where their bodies end. They discover they do not need to constantly wonder who and where they are. They discover their body is solid and they do not have to constantly be on guard. Touch lets them know they are safe.\u201d ~Bessel Van Der Kolk -------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE to the show to be the first to hear about new episodes!   Contact Sarah: www.theembodyconnection.com \/\/ sarah@theembodyconnection.com   Contact Molly: www.theembodyconnection.com \/\/ molly@theembodyconnection.com   Book: The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk   -------------------------------------------- Special thanks to:   Jenn Baykan, content creation for somatic based healers: https:\/\/www.jbaykan.com\/   Dave Hiltebrand for intro and outro music original composition: https:\/\/www.davehiltebrand.com\/   Gina McLaughlin Photography for photo and graphic design: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ginamclaughlinphotography\/?fref=tag ","author_name":"Beyond MeToo: Healing the Wounds of Sexual Trauma","author_url":"https:\/\/www.mollycoeling.com\/","html":"