Therapeutic body resonance: pathways to recovery through enactment for childhood sexual abuse survivors

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors tend to have a diminished or distorted experience of physical body-ownership, emotional stability, and sense of safety. The present study explored embodied elements of trauma among CSA survivors, and consequences projected onto the therapeutic relationship. The research sample comprised 37 participants residing or working in two types of facilities—a live-in prisoner rehabilitation centre for female parolees, and a psychiatric hospital ward specialising in sexual abuse survivors. The qualitative thematic analysis approach was used to analyse semi-structured interviews. The article explores four central themes, with findings indicating that awareness and processing of expressed bodily resonance within the therapeutic relationship might advance recovery.