Even if a person intellectually understands that they are not to blame for the assault, they may still struggle with a sense of guilt or shame. When a person can connect with others who support them it will be easier to fully accept that they are not responsible. 

It can be frightening for survivors to get back in touch with their body and feelings, following a sexual trauma. For some survivors their body feels disconnected from them, in a way; like now that it’s been a place of violence, they no longer what it to be part of themselves.  This can result in body harm, such as cutting, or even putting themselves in high risk situations again because ‘the worst’ has happened to them already.  It’s scary to face the intense feelings associated with the assault, but while the process of reconnecting may feel painful, it’s crucial to healing from an assault. The true danger to a survivor’s physical and mental health comes from avoiding those feelings and not getting mental health services to help process them.