Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Counselor Education and Supervision

Department or School/College

Phyllis J. Washington College of Education

Committee Chair

Veronica I. Johnson

Commitee Members

Kirsten W. Murray, Sara A. Polanchek, Shannon Lollar, Salena B. Hill

Keywords

Disclosure, Healing, Power and Privilege, Sexual trauma, Sociocultural contexts and socializations, Trauma response

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

Individuals identifying as members of an underrepresented group face a higher risk of sexual violence (RAINN, 2020; Rosay, 2016; Smith et al., 2017). Encountering sexual violence is associated with physical and mental health issues that impact the wellbeing of survivors. Developing a theory to explain the healing responses to sexual trauma helps both survivors and those providing support gain knowledge about potentially transferable healing strategies. This grounded theory study was guided by a central question: what is the experience and process of surviving sexual trauma for individuals in underrepresented groups? Six adult survivors of sexual trauma identifying as members of an underrepresented group based on their gender identity, sexual orientation, racial identity, and disability identity were interviewed in two rounds. Results showed that survivors’ journey of healing from sexual trauma included the cycles of somatic, emotional, psychological, and behavioral responses. Social support in naming, normalizing and validating survivors’ experience helped them make a positive shift in their understanding of consent and name the sexual encounter as violence. Victim questioning, on the other hand, resulted in negative trauma responses prolonging the opportunity of experiencing internal moments of relief. Survivors’ ability to shift internalized blame to externalized blame had a critical role in their intentional attunement to healing responses. Moments of relief, both internal and external, were significant to helping survivors remain afloat as they weathered the recovery storm. Survivors identified their sociocultural contexts and socialization as foundational factors that shaped the power and privilege held by the survivors and their aggressors and that impacted their identity exploration and formation. The exploration and formation of their intersecting identities has helped participants to integrate their experience of sexual trauma into their authentic self, a healing response to sexual trauma. This grounded theory provides a framework to illustrate healing strategies from sexual trauma.

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