Why don't people run away or scream when they are being assaulted?

Why are their memories often unclear, distorted and confusing?

The brain under attack is run by defense and fear circuitries, with reflexes and habits being referenced as survival tactics. We use these defenses all the time and especially when sexually assaulted, physically assaulted or in military combat.

Around the world, across cultures, evolution has sculpted our brains over eons, to respond to all life-threatening situations by activating the same circuitries, long before we were sophisticated enough to embody cultural expectations.

This workshop will shed light on how stress and trauma can alter brain functioning during sexual assaults and other traumatic experiences. We’ll look at the impairment of the prefrontal cortex, the activation of the defense circuitry and the display of reflexes and habits harbored by us for centuries.

Whether you have been an assault victim or wish to…