Understanding How COVID-19 May Trigger Bodily Memories for Sexual Trauma Survivors

Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
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Understanding How COVID-19 May Trigger Bodily Memories for Sexual Trauma Survivors

Sexual trauma catalyzes a range of physiological survival responses which impact survivors physically, mentally and spiritually in both the acute moment of trauma and the aftermath. As these evolutionarily selected responses are designed to aid our survival in the face of threat and trauma, which for some can be ongoing, they can also be understood as sources of resilience. During times of increased stress – such as the enormity of confronting both the global pandemic of COVID-19 and the national reckoning with white supremacy and institutional racism – survivors of sexual trauma may feel that archived or previously manageable trauma related symptomatology has been exacerbated. For helping professionals, we are always holding our personal histories as we engage in our work with others, however, in this unprecedented moment, we may feel our capacity to create grounding containers for our clients has been strained.  

As Maryland begins to resume in person services for sexual assault survivors in our state, service providers continue to raise questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted survivors and how we can continue to support them moving forward. In this webinar, Molly Boeder Harris will explore the ways in which sexual trauma and COVID-19 may catalyze similar survival responses in the survivor’s physiology, and how we can work somatically as survivors, advocates, and community members to bolster ourselves and each other for the nonlinear journey towards collective healing, justice and belonging that lays ahead.  

In 2003, Molly Boeder Harris entered the movement to end sexual violence and began a deep personal immersion into somatic trauma healing practices for her own recovery. Initially, she served as a volunteer advocate for sexual assault survivors and after a year of service, she started working professionally as a Medical and Legal Advocate. In 2008, she trained specifically in child sexual abuse and advocacy to serve as a Children’s Bilingual (English + Spanish) Advocate. Her work at this time included medical and legal advocacy for child survivors (infants – 17 years) and their non-offending caregivers. During this time, she also earned her 200-hour yoga certification with YogaWorks in Los Angeles and instructed yoga to colleagues at rape crisis centers to promote sustainability and self-care among her peers. Ultimately, the combination of her personal and professional experiences inspired her to create The Breathe Network where her passions for anti-violence advocacy, holistic healing and trauma resilience have naturally aligned.

Registration for this training is now open.

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