Hope­ful, ground­break­ing, and anchored in true sto­ries, this much-need­ed book from sex­u­al­i­ty jour­nal­ist and fel­low sex­u­al assault sur­vivor Katie Simon delves into the chal­lenges of mov­ing from trau­ma to heal­ing. Tell Me What You Like will guide sex­u­al assault sur­vivors toward the sex and rela­tion­ships they want, and speaks to the shift in sex­u­al cul­ture we all need. Over a decade ago, Katie Simon began seek­ing out sto­ries of peo­ple who faced sex­u­al chal­lenges after sex­u­al trau­ma — just as she did. Simon inter­viewed dozens of sur­vivors, and her inves­ti­ga­tion yield­ed diverse respons­es from peo­ple of all back­grounds, ulti­mate­ly con­firm­ing that there is no sin­gle path toward heal­ing. Simon’s research led her to life-chang­ing find­ings that sex­u­al assault sur­vivors most want to know about: cop­ing with trau­ma trig­gers and trau­mat­ic stress symp­toms such as anx­i­ety, depres­sion, phys­i­cal pain, and flash­backs. From embod­ied con­sent to self-plea­sure, sex­u­al regret, break-ups, and beyond, you’ll find answers to all your ques­tions about how sex­u­al trau­ma affects sex and rela­tion­ships with­in these pages, in sto­ries told by sur­vivors who’ve actu­al­ly been there. Mil­lions of sur­vivors across the Unit­ed States are treat­ed as irrepara­bly bro­ken. Simon offers a pos­i­tive approach to heal­ing based on empa­thy and com­mu­ni­ty — and the under­stand­ing and tools to nav­i­gate trau­ma and cul­ti­vate the sex lives we desire, and deserve. The nar­ra­tives Simon has gath­ered break down the poten­tial obsta­cles to rebuild­ing post-assault, and offer mul­ti­ple paths for­ward with opti­mistic new approach­es to sex after sex­u­al assault. Packed with insights, sto­ries and advice, this invalu­able guide reimag­ines what sex can look like — not only for sur­vivors, but for all of us.