When Consent Is Unclear: The Presentation of Unacknowledged Sexual Trauma in Psychotherapy and Its Impact on Clients’ Lives
Authors
Fionnuala, Wallace
Issue Date
2025.16.12
Degree
MA in Pscyhotherapy
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Open Access
Abstract
This thesis explores the phenomenon of unacknowledged sexual trauma in psychotherapy, particularly in cases involving ambiguous consent. Many survivors enter therapy without recognising their experiences as sexual abuse, particularly when confusion around consent, nonverbal freeze responses, or the absence of overt resistance are involved. Drawing on theoretical understandings of trauma, feminist critique, neuroscience, and legal analysis, the research considers how trauma is often expressed through physiological and emotional symptoms rather than explicit memory. This research evaluates the sociocultural and legal discourses that obscure recognition, including rape myths, epistemic injustice, and restrictive consent frameworks in Irish law. Highlighting how neurobiological responses, such as dissociation, autonomic dysregulation, and implicit memory, manifest in symptoms. Therapists are encouraged to interpret these cues as meaningful expressions of trauma, rather than signs of pathology. Using an interdisciplinary methodology the thesis proposes a model of attuned, trauma-informed care that validates non-verbal and non-linear presentations. It argues that healing requires not just individual insight but cultural shifts in how we understand consent, violation, and credibility. Ultimately, the work advocates for a therapeutic approach that honours the complexity of unspoken trauma and facilitates integration through relational and embodied attunement.