Shame is a significant yet often overlooked emotional consequence of trauma, especially among survivors of sexual trauma. It significantly distorts self-concept, disrupts embodiment, and increases the risk of developing eating disorders. Studies indicate that between 30 to 50 percent of individuals undergoing treatment for eating disorders have experienced sexual trauma. Shame serves both as a consequence of this trauma and as an ongoing driver of disordered eating. Its pervasive messages about self-worth corrupt core perceptions and contribute to unhealthy coping mechanisms in the body and mind.
Shame is one of the most powerful emotional consequences of trauma, yet it remains one of the least understood. While fear is often recognized as a hallmark of post-traumatic stress, shame tends to linger quietly in the background—undetected but deeply corrosive.
Empirical studies consistently link experiences of childhood sexual abuse with elevated rates of eating disorders, especially bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Meta-analytic findings suggest that between 30 to 50 percent of individuals in eating disorder treatment report a history of sexual trauma.
Within this population, shame emerges as both a consequence of trauma and a mechanism that sustains disordered eating over time. It is not merely a byproduct of suffering but also a driver of it.
For many survivors, shame takes up residence not only in the mind but in the body. It distorts self-perception, severs self-trust, and erodes any sense of internal safety.
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