Sexual assault affects hundreds of thousands of women each year, and its impact is sadly long-lasting. Dr. Powell unpacks some of the ways past trauma can manifest in the present: “It's not always a one-to-one, 'someone did this thing to me, so when that thing is happening to me, I have a trigger about it,’” she notes. Often times a color, smell, or even someone’s vibe can set off thein your body, which can have a very real impact on pain in the moment. It can cause your, specifically in the pelvic floor, which could lead to physical discomfort during sex, oral sex included, long after an assault occurred. Reaching out for counseling or therapy is one way to start healing, but learning how tois another important skill. Dr. Powell offers a simple script if you don’t know where to start. Try something like, "Hey, I have this history of having been touched in ways I didn't want to. I don't want to go into the specifics of what happened, I just want you to know that when we're having sex, sometimes something might not work for me. I need to know that I can just give you that feedback and we can figure out a way to move forward."