Therapeutic Services That Help Rebalance The Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra, or Svadhisthana, is the second chakra in the traditional seven-chakra system. Located in the lower abdomen, just below the navel, it is associated with emotions, creativity, sexuality, and pleasure. When balanced, the sacral chakra allows us to experience life fully through our senses and emotions.
Sacral Chakra Characteristics
Color: Orange
Element: Water
Location: Lower abdomen, about two inches below the navel
Governs: Emotions, creativity, sexuality, pleasure, relationships, and flow
Affirmations: "I am creative," "I deserve pleasure," "I honor my body," "I feel deeply."
Sacral Chakra & Trauma
Trauma, especially sexual and emotional trauma, can significantly impact the sacral chakra, causing imbalances that manifest in various ways. When such trauma is experienced, it often causes disruptions in the sacral chakra's energy flow. This can lead to various symptoms as the system attempts to regain autonomy, agency, and control over the body to rebalance the chakras.
Manifestations of Sacral Chakra Imbalance Due to Trauma
Emotional Imbalance
Difficulty expressing emotions
Feeling emotionally numb or detached
Mood swings or heightened sensitivity
Sexual Issues
Lack of sexual desire or pleasure
Sexual dysfunction
Shame or guilt around sexuality
Hypersexuality or sexual anorexia (extremes in sexual behavior as attempts to regain control)
Creativity Block
Feeling uninspired or creatively blocked
Difficulty in expressing oneself creatively
Relationship Difficulties
Struggles with intimacy and trust
Codependency or detachment in relationships
Fear of change or new experiences
Physical Symptoms
Lower back pain
Reproductive issues
Urinary problems
Hip or pelvic pain
Sexual Anorexia, Hypersexuality, and Re-traumatization or Deprivation
When sexual assault or abuse occurs, it can profoundly impact the sacral chakra. This can cause imbalances that manifest in various ways as the psyche attempts to regain a sense of control and agency. The body's response to trauma can lead to behaviors aimed at restoring mastery over one's body and experiences. However, these attempts can often result in further harm.
Manifestations of Sacral Chakra Imbalance Due to Sexual Trauma
Hypersexuality
In the aftermath of sexual trauma, some individuals may seek out sexual encounters in which they have choice and control. This behavior is an attempt to show the psyche that mastery and control over sexual experiences can be regained.
This can manifest as engaging in frequent sexual activity, sometimes with multiple partners, as a way to counteract the loss of control experienced during the assault.
Sexual Anorexia
Conversely, sexual anorexia involves avoiding or depriving oneself of physical intimacy and touch as a way to gain control.
This behavior is a response to the trauma, aiming to prevent any situation that might remind the individual of the abuse or assault.
Sexual anorexia deprives the individual of the basic need for touch and connection, further isolating them and impacting their emotional and physical well-being.
Consequences of Imbalanced Trauma Responses
Both hypersexuality and sexual anorexia are attempts to heal the sacral chakra and regain control over the body and psyche. However, these coping mechanisms can often lead to re-traumatization and further deprivation until the trauma is processed and the chakra is rebalanced.
Re-traumatization may include
Feeling shame for engaging in or avoiding sexual activity
Finding oneself in relationships that simulate or trigger abuse patterns
Experiencing flashbacks to the abuse during sexual encounters
Repeating trauma patterns in various ways
How Can Spilove Psychotherapy Help You Heal Your Sacral Chakra After Trauma?
So what can we do here? The trauma is done, but you body and psyche continues to play out the trauma patterns. At Spilove in Pennsylvania, we understand that while the trauma itself may be in the past, the body and psyche continue to play out trauma patterns. Our integrated trauma approach combines psychological and energy-working fields to effectively resolve trauma and promote healing.
Our Symbol—The Tree
We use the tree as our logo to symbolize the whole human experience
Roots and Soil—Represent the underlying systems, including the family system, life experiences (both traumas and joys), and the deeper psyche.
Branches—Represent the symptoms such as sexual anorexia, hypersexuality, flashbacks, triggers, hypervigilance, nightmares, and other PTSD symptoms.
Our approach focuses on teaching clients to manage the symptoms in the branches. While also working to heal the soil and reshape the roots that cause trauma patterns to play out.
Trauma Healing Modalities We Use in Therapy
We utilize several modalities to help our clients heal from trauma:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
An evidence based technique shown the help the system reduce PTSD symptoms through bilateral stimulation. We use light buzzing, beeping or tapping while targeting a trauma or grief memory or negative belief. This process brings up the triggers and then assists the system to metaphorically chew and digest the memories so that they still exist, but the intensity of the PTSD symptoms attached to them are muted or reshaped.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
A concept that includes the various PARTS of us that we all have and how they orchestrate themselves internally to protect our Self from having to feel the pain of the Exiled parts. This theory uses the idea that we have exiled parts that hold trauma, such as our inner children. It suggests that we all have manager parts that help us function. These manager parts work to keep the Self unaware or unaffected by the trauma. If the manager parts are unsuccessful at keeping the Self away from the pain of the trauma, then the firefighters come in. These firefighters can manifest as addiction, eating disorders, cutting, suicidal ideation, and so on.
The firefighters and managers have the same job of preventing the Self from having to feel the pain of the Exiles. With this premise and the premise that there is no pathology, we just need to respect and get curious about these parts. This approach helps our clients consider their internal systems in new ways. They can find love and care for themselves and their parts. Eventually, they trust that the Self can handle the trauma and release the Exile from the burden of continuing to hold and hide it in the system.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy
An approach that asks the body to lead the charge rather than the mind. In somatic trauma therapy, we follow the physical and emotional sensations in the body and uncover the messages that the body sends us all the time.
Inner Child Work
Similar to or a part of IFS, Inner Child work focuses on discovering the parts of us who were wounded and who knew how to love and play as children. During Inner Child Work, we explore the burdens, delights, and needs of our own inner children. As well as cultivate a healthy inner parent to care for them in ways that they need most.
Sand Tray
Use of real toys and objects to represent parts of the psyche, people who impacted us, and events. The Sand Tray is a beautiful way to work with the subconscious and help uncover and reshape emotional and behavioral patterns.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
DBT therapy includes the four modules of Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. In group DBT or individual settings, our trauma therapists utilize these modules to teach our clients how to manage their symptoms. And they learn how to engage with themselves and others in ways that assist them to be most in integrity with themselves.
Trauma Resolution Intensives
A 2-3 day long process where these trauma resolution modalities are blended together and tailored to your specific needs to help you boost the trauma work you’ve been doing for yourself.
Through the above modalities, our clients engage in processes to meet themselves in the traumatic patterning, learn to love and care for the inner children who got hurt in it, and are then able to reshape the traumatic patterning. That way they can shift into new patterns that feel more in integrity for them. In this way, the blocks and wounding to the Sacral Chakra are cleared out and can be rebalanced.
Getting Support Healing Your Sacral Chakra From a Trauma Specialist in Bryn Mawr & Philadelphia
Our trauma specialists recognize that the journey to healing from trauma is multifaceted and deeply personal. Trauma can significantly impact the sacral chakra, manifesting in various emotional, sexual, creative, relational, and physical symptoms. Through our integrated approach, we aim to address the symptoms and the underlying causes of trauma. Thus providing our clients with the tools and support they need to heal.
Using the tree as our guiding symbol, we focus on nurturing the roots and soil—the foundational aspects of our clients' experiences and psyche—while also tending to the branches, where symptoms manifest. Our diverse modalities, including EMDR, IFS, Somatic Experiencing, Inner Child Work, Sand Tray Therapy, and DBT, offer a comprehensive path to trauma resolution.
We are committed to helping our clients regain control, agency, and a sense of peace. By addressing the deeper roots of trauma and providing practical skills to manage symptoms, we foster a holistic healing process. At our Pennsylvania-based therapy practice, we strive to create a safe and supportive environment where clients can heal, grow, and thrive.
Whether you are experiencing hypersexuality, sexual anorexia, flashbacks, or other trauma-related symptoms, we are here to guide you on your healing journey. Together, we can work towards reshaping your roots, healing your soil, and nurturing your branches for a healthier, more balanced life.
Trauma Therapy for Unblocking the Sacral Chakra in Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, & Online in Pennsylvania & New Jersey
If you have thoughts or questions or are interested in speaking to us further about healing and rebalancing your Sacral Chakra, please click the button to schedule a free consultation for therapy and coaching in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and online throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
About the Author, a Trauma Therapist in Bryn Mawr
Tiffany Spilove is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with extensive training in trauma and PTSD healing using EMDR and a Client-Centered Depth Psychology approach. Tiffany is passionate about working with a diverse range of clients, including the LGBTQ community, and addresses various struggles such as attachment wounds, anxiety, life transitions, and challenges faced by empaths and other healers.
In her practice, Tiffany employs an array of therapeutic modalities to resolve symptoms of PTSD and eating disorders. These include techniques for working with the Inner Critic and other internal parts of the self. She also integrates Narrative and Solution-Focused Therapy, Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology, as well as Psychodynamic and systems work, always meeting clients with a Client-Centered approach.
Tiffany is currently offering EMDR & Trauma Intensives for clients.