What role for psychoanalysis in treating traumatic sexuality?

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Title: What role for psychoanalysis in treating traumatic sexuality?
Authors: Soligo, Chiara (AUTHOR)
Source: International Forum of Psychoanalysis. Dec2025, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p249-260. 12p.
Subjects: Child sexual abuse, Sexual dysfunction, Therapeutics, Psychoanalysis, Sexology, Traumatism, Neurosciences, Implicit memory
Abstract: Childhood sexual abuse is a significant risk factor for the development of several types of health-related conditions. Early psychoanalytic debate has focused on mechanisms underlying hysterical symptoms, guessing its etiology in the return of memory of a traumatic experience during childhood. Through a literature review, this paper will examine the impact of trauma due to childhood sexual abuse on subsequent sexual functioning in a dialogue between psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and sexology. Traumatic experiences embed themselves in the body as implicit memories, due to several neurophysiological, neuroendocrine, and central sensitization mechanisms described, leading to compromising sexual function in the long term. Therefore, post-abuse sexual dysfunctions must be considered as a specific group. An overview on the recommended therapeutic approaches aims to integrate then psychoanalytic psychotherapeutic treatment, considering its focus not on the symptoms but rather on a broader individual functioning. Prioritizing patient's safety also in relation to timing, psychoanalysis helps the subject break the silence of the abuse, reconnecting past and present and body and mind. A right hemisphere-based therapy, where the mirroring processes between the patient and the analyst becomes a vehicle to re-inscribe into their own self and body the intolerable split elements once lived, so that they become integrable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Forum of Psychoanalysis is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: What role for psychoanalysis in treating traumatic sexuality?
– Name: Author
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Soligo%2C+Chiara%22">Soligo, Chiara</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Forum+of+Psychoanalysis%22">International Forum of Psychoanalysis</searchLink>. Dec2025, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p249-260. 12p.
– Name: Subject
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+sexual+abuse%22">Child sexual abuse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+dysfunction%22">Sexual dysfunction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Therapeutics%22">Therapeutics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychoanalysis%22">Psychoanalysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexology%22">Sexology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Traumatism%22">Traumatism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neurosciences%22">Neurosciences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Implicit+memory%22">Implicit memory</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Childhood sexual abuse is a significant risk factor for the development of several types of health-related conditions. Early psychoanalytic debate has focused on mechanisms underlying hysterical symptoms, guessing its etiology in the return of memory of a traumatic experience during childhood. Through a literature review, this paper will examine the impact of trauma due to childhood sexual abuse on subsequent sexual functioning in a dialogue between psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and sexology. Traumatic experiences embed themselves in the body as implicit memories, due to several neurophysiological, neuroendocrine, and central sensitization mechanisms described, leading to compromising sexual function in the long term. Therefore, post-abuse sexual dysfunctions must be considered as a specific group. An overview on the recommended therapeutic approaches aims to integrate then psychoanalytic psychotherapeutic treatment, considering its focus not on the symptoms but rather on a broader individual functioning. Prioritizing patient's safety also in relation to timing, psychoanalysis helps the subject break the silence of the abuse, reconnecting past and present and body and mind. A right hemisphere-based therapy, where the mirroring processes between the patient and the analyst becomes a vehicle to re-inscribe into their own self and body the intolerable split elements once lived, so that they become integrable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of International Forum of Psychoanalysis is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/0803706X.2025.2572766
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 12
        StartPage: 249
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Child sexual abuse
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexual dysfunction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Therapeutics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychoanalysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Traumatism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Neurosciences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Implicit memory
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      – TitleFull: What role for psychoanalysis in treating traumatic sexuality?
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            – D: 01
              M: 12
              Text: Dec2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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