Coming soon!
Check back for more resources – including a list of professionals & organizations I know and trust who are working in this area.
Trauma Responses
Encountering trauma in the kink community comes with its own considerations. Here is a framework I have been developing over the years to respond when trauma, triggers and distress come up in kink spaces.
- What does Fight, Flight, Freeze & Fawn Mean? (WebMD)
- Understanding the fawn response (Psychology Today)
- Distinguishing between freeze & fawn (A Place of Hope)
Trauma & Memory
Processes in the brain when experiencing trauma or retraumatization can alter how the brain stores & retrieves memory.
- Normal Memory vs. Traumatic Memory (Department of Justice)
- Memory Systems (NICABM)
Grounding Techniques
When triggered, using these kinds of techniques can help bring you back you into your body, helping you regain stability.
- 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique (University of Rochester)
- 7 Grounding Techniques for Anxiety (Forbes)
Therapeutic Techniques
There are different ways to treat trauma read about a few of them here. Remember different kinds of therapy will work for different types of people and traumas.
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) (Cleveland Clinic)
- Somatic therapy (Harvard Medical)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (American Psychological Association)
Kink Aware Frameworks
Encountering trauma in the kink community comes with its own considerations. Here are some helpful frameworks I have used or developed to use when responding as trauma, triggers and distress come up in kink spaces.
- My presentation for Woodhull’s Virtual Sexual Freedom Summit Distinguishing Abuse (2020)
- Distinguishing abuse handouts (Latest version: Thunder in the Mountains 2021)
Kink-Aware Response Framework
While I find Mental Health First Aid to be a useful tool, I wanted to develop something that was a bit more pinpointed for kink communities to help reduce retraumatization in scenes.
- Assess for distress
- Give avenues of control/choice
- Reassure safety & Release expectations
- Encourage open communication
- Evaluate for understanding.
Trauma Informed Care
I have been practicing trauma-informed care since 2014. It is not just one set of tools or a certification you take once and call yourself “competent”. It is an ever growing process of uncovering bias, responding with compassion & reducing retraumatization.
- Trauma-Informed Approach (SAMHSA)
- This is your brain on poverty (Pacific Standard)
- Twelve Stages of Burnout (Dominion Systems)
Have other resources to share?
Email to discuss adding your organization, website or listing to this site:
La Madonna Rosa 
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