Interview - Janet Bayramyan (Certified EMDR & Brainspotting Therapist)

I have been practicing psychotherapy since 2016, and have been in my own private practice since 2019. I adore this work and appreciate everyone’s internal capacity for their own healing. I work with trauma survivors, survivors of relational trauma and attachment wounds, and so much more. Experiencing sexual assault is an incredibly confusing, damaging, and violating experience that one may go through in their lives. 1 in 3 women experience some form of sexual violation. It can cause mental health issues because our nervous regulatory system and the way our brain processes information gets disrupted. It can increase symptoms of anxiety and hypervigilance. The world may feel unsafe. If we already struggled with mental health symptoms, having a sexual assault on top of it can exacerbate what was already there or lying dormant. Friends and family can support, they can’t fix. Healing and creating meaning from trauma, is our own responsibility. I suggest meeting with a skilled trauma therapist to support you on your journey. Friends and family can create space for open dialogue, or create healthy distractions, can show love and care through love languages. There are a plethora of ways friends and family can support. When we show everyone in our circle and in our world that going to therapy can be not that big of a deal, like going to the grocery store, or picking up a cup of coffee, then we will know that the stigma is not there. This helps us because it will help normalize going to therapy like going to the doctor for a checkup or going to the dentist for a teeth cleaning. Going to therapy is just as valuable as our regular medical appointments. Simple [use] every resource that you can find. For example, therapy perhaps covered by insurance, or going to 12 step meetings are free, or even support groups offered by your hospital system. I recommend as many resources as are available to you.