Genital Response, A Lesser Known and Rarely Discussed Trauma Response
I specialize in working with adults who were victims of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). I was at a training recently with two Dutch EMDR therapists and researchers, Ad de Jongh, PhD and Suzy Matthijssen, PhD, where they discussed the “Genital Response” that sometimes happens in treatment with survivors of sexual trauma.
“Genital Response” is when thinking about your sexual trauma triggers sexual arousal and even possibly an orgasm. In women this means that they get wet and lubricated and in men they get an erection. Sometimes people are maybe hesitant to work on their sexual trauma because they are afraid that they may experience these symptoms during a therapy session. It is important to name this phenomenon, in order to reduce the shame around a natural and normal physiological response.
In addition, a “genital response” can happen during the sexual abuse. It is important for survivors of sexual abuse to know that while their body had a “genital response” during the abuse it does not mean that they consented or wanted to the sexual contact. Physiologically, we are mammals and when our bodies are sexually stimulated, they respond to the sexual contact. It is a separate issue from consent.
When I work with CSA survivors, I tell them about this phenomenon, so that they can understand and feel less shame and responsibility for the way their body reacted during the abuse and when they are triggered. I have even had patients whose abuser would say that the “genital response” indicates that they enjoyed it, but that is a lie that the abuser told to make it seem like the abuse was consensual. The abuser is always fully responsible for the abuse - it is never the child’s fault. I sometimes ask the question to adult patients, “Was this your idea?”
I also notice that sometimes CSA survivors assume that because they had the genital response during the abuse that this means something about their sexuality. For instance, when a boy had a genital response during the abuse with a man that does not mean that they were attracted to the man. The genital response has absolutely nothing to do with sexual preference.
Dr. de Jongh and Dr. Matthijssen have suggested two techniques that EMDR therapists can use to help the CSA survivor work through the genital response during treatment. One way to work on this is the “blind-to-therapist” EMDR technique where the patient can process the details of the sexual trauma without having to reveal all of the sexual details to the therapist. Another technique is to do a “flashforward” where the patient imagines what happens in a session if they do have a genital response. Both techniques help with reducing the shame and lowering the avoidance of working on the sexual trauma.
The more open that we can be about sexual trauma including naming the genital response, the more we can help surivors of sexual abuse receive the treatment and healing that they so desperately need.
