Rebuilding Hope’s Clinical Director Stephanie Sacks hears this sentiment a lot from community members and victim-survivors: “I was sexually assaulted a long time ago… why does it still affect me?”
Over her more than 30 years of clinical experience supporting victim-survivors, Stephanie has seen the patterns that emerge for many people trying to move forward after their trauma. Read on to hear her answer to this common question and see how trauma therapy can support your unique healing journey.
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For many people, experiences of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment are something they’ve worked hard to move past. Life goes on. Time passes. You may feel like you’ve “handled it,” or that it no longer impacts you in a major way.
And yet… sometimes certain reactions, feelings, or patterns show up that are harder to explain.
You might notice things like:
- Feeling more anxious, overwhelmed, or emotionally reactive than you’d expect in certain situations
- Strong reactions to things like crossed boundaries, messiness, feeling disrespected, or loss of control
- Feeling on edge, easily startled, or like you can’t fully relax
- Avoiding certain topics, conversations, or situations without quite knowing why
- Feeling disconnected—from your emotions, your body, or even from people around you
- Difficulty with trust, safety, boundaries, or intimacy in relationships
- Changes in how you feel about your body or sexuality
- Ongoing physical symptoms like tension, headaches, stomach issues, or sleep difficulties
- Coping by staying busy, shutting down, overworking, or using substances to get through
- Feeling like you’re carrying this alone, or holding something you haven’t been able to talk about
You may not immediately connect these experiences to something that happened a long time ago—and that’s very common.
Our minds and bodies are incredibly good at helping us get through difficult experiences. Sometimes that means setting things aside so we can keep moving forward. But that doesn’t always mean the impact has fully resolved.
For some people, the effects of past trauma can show up quietly over time—or become more noticeable during periods of stress, life changes, or in close relationships.
This doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means your mind and body may still be holding onto something that you didn’t get the chance to fully process.
You don’t have to be in crisis, and you don’t have to have everything “falling apart” for therapy to be helpful.
Sometimes, therapy is simply a space to:
- make sense of patterns you’ve noticed
- understand your reactions with more clarity and compassion
- reconnect with yourself in a way that feels steady and safe
- share your experience in a space where you don’t have to carry it alone
And if you’ve ever had the thought, “That was a long time ago—I shouldn’t still be affected by it,” you’re not alone. Many people feel that way.
Support is available whenever you’re ready—whether that’s now, or simply something you keep in mind for the future. Our team of specialized trauma therapists are here for you, and we would be honored to be a part of your healing journey.
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To get support or to sign up for therapy services, please call our 24/7 Helpline and one of our Advocates will be able to assist you at 1-855-757-7273.
