Blocking out is a coping skill that prevents a woman from gaining full or partial memory of traumatic experience. A woman may have blocked out (or can't remember) large parts of her life.

This is re-experienced body sensation and/or pain originally associated with the trauma. The body will always remember what was done to it.

Because her private space was violated, a survivor has to learn that she does have the right to establish boundaries about where and when people can touch her.

A survivor may resist accepting the reality of the traumatic event; it feel safer to not believe. Denial is a way to cope with memories. ("There's no way this could have happened to me. I must be crazy.")

A flashback is an intrusive recalling of a traumatic event(s). It can be experienced by visualizing the event or moment and feeling numb or detached. An event can be re-experienced emotionally, with or without memory of the event. Flashbacks can include "body memories."

To heal, a survivor must re-live the feelings and pain she was unable to feel at the time of abuse. Healing can be long and highly traumatic as a woman attempts to integrate the fragmented parts of herself. "You can't heal what you can't feel."

This is a person who has survived and coped by developing , multiple personalities (MPD). It is a form, or level, of dissociation. Some women may notice severe and rapid mood swings, loss of time, changes with vision, headaches and other symptoms, although those these symptoms alone do not define MPD.

This means a person is unable to feel anything.

A panic attack is feeling out of control; a woman may feel like she may faint or die. She learns how to breath deeply and work her way through an attack.