Health Counseling for
Adults Awakening to Childhood Sexual Trauma
Because you shouldn’t have to face what happened to you alone.
Hi, I’m Dr. Christie Wylde.
And I know how scary it can be to wake up to memories of being hurt by someone you trust.
Parents, caregivers, and family members are supposed to protect you, cherish you, and keep you safe when you’re a child — not violate you or make you feel unloved.
And yet — as we are learning collectively — harming children is incredibly common practice in the world. Millions of survivors are now doing their best to recover from the life-altering impact that being sexually abused as children has had on their bodies, hearts, spirits, and minds.
This impact shows up in unexpected, sometimes indescribable ways — like not being able to sleep next to your partner without having a panic attack.
Repetitive night terrors that don’t make any sense.
Ongoing digestive issues, like chronic nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (yuck, I know!)
Recognize any of these symptoms?
While these may seem unrelated to your childhood on the surface, they have deep roots in how your body stores energy and processes trauma.
I know from my studies — and also from experience.
I’m an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse myself.
Here’s how I help.
Many symptoms we adult survivors of childhood sexual trauma experience are behavioral — in other words, they show up as action, energy, or thought.
That is why we so often slip through the cracks when we turn to medicine/the healthcare system for support. Our emotional and psychological trauma isn’t reflected in labs or imaging (and if it is, there’s a good chance our practitioner won’t know how to read it — most clinical practitioners are not survivor-informed) — even though these aspects greatly affect our overall health.
On the other hand, when we turn to mental health professionals, such as therapists and counselors, our physical symptoms are overlooked or dismissed, sometimes due to negligence, but often due to the fact that counselors are trained in workings of the mind, not the flesh. The reality is: digestive issues, pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic pain, and fatigue won’t resolve themselves through mental health care alone. Our bodily issues require practical, tangible, medical care.
I’ve learned firsthand — from personal experience, clinical practice, and listening to survivors’ stories — that we need a special container to hold us as we heal.
We deserve adequate, competent medical care that resonates with this complex, confusing, sometimes contradictory experience of making sense of surviving childhood sexual abuse.
That’s why in my approach to collaborating with you towards your self-determined health goals, I employ SpiritMindBody Medicine, so we can make the truest and most holistic assessment of where you are. From there, we partner to ensure your healing journey is everything you need it to be — resonant, right-sized, and relevant to your experience — and more.
I want you to know:
You are not alone in what you survived.
And you are not alone now.
As a fellow survivor, and as your health practitioner, I help you find the unique medicine you need to make meaningful-to-you progress on your healing journey.
Where are adult survivors of childhood sexual trauma supposed to turn for the support if we need an approach that is body, mind, and spirit combined? I started my practice as an answer to this question.
Our Process.
I’m here to help you relate to your experience with compassion, clarity, and care.
We work together in a highly-individualized, 1:1 virtual setting (in some circumstances, we may bring in your support people for a joint session, but that’s completely up to you!)
Step 1: Book Your Free “Fit Check”. In this 30 minute complimentary intro consult, you share your concerns and I share how I can help. Let’s get you set up with the support you need.
Step 2: Intake Session — If we’re a great fit, we schedule your first 90 minute visit. During this deep dive, you share details through the client portal about your medical history, current diagnoses, labs/images, and any other information you think may be relevant to our work together. I use this information to guide our therapeutic process, and we continue to peel back layers as we get curious about all facets of your life. By the end of our intake session, I’ve got a great understanding of your concerns and your experiences, and we’re ready to get to work on what’s needed to restore you to your ideal, self-determined vision of health.
Step 3: Follow-up
During your second, 60 minute visit, we dive deeper into what we discovered during your intake. I share my overall impressions of your health needs, and offer approaches designed to meet you exactly where you’re at. During this phase, we get clear and collaborative. We plant the seeds for your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being and healing.
Step 4: Implementing Your Long-Term Healing Plan
Based on your level of need and interest, we’ll make a plan to work together weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Through virtual sessions, in-between session virtual support, and resource recommendations, you receive truly holistic, heartfelt, comprehensive care that tends all of you —that most importantly meets your survivor-specific needs.
Ready to get started?
Schedule your complimentary, 1:1 “fit check” with me today.
Check Out My Podcast for Extra Resourcing
WE ARE NOT BROKEN is a podcast exclusively serving survivors of sexual assault, hosted by Dr. Christie Wylde. Combining tangible resources with compelling storytelling, each episode addresses the unique road to recovery that SA survivors walk.