Sexual Trauma Recovery in Berkeley, California and Virtually
Malachi Gillihan is a Trauma Specialist and Certified Spiritual Counselor, offering Sexual Trauma Recovery in Berkeley, the East Bay, and virtually to clients of all genders, nationwide and internationally. More than half of the people Malachi works with carry a history of sexual trauma, and his approach centers on one thing above all: helping you recover a sense of safety in your own body.
That safety can be hard to locate. It might show up in specific relationships, in your work, or in how you experience your own body day to day. This work isn't about restoring or improving your sex life, though that sometimes follows. It's about helping you feel safe again, in the fullest sense of that word.
Malachi is also a survivor-practitioner. His own history includes sexual trauma, not trauma in the abstract, which is part of why this work stays personal rather than clinical or distant.
Sexual Trauma Recovery is one-on-one, ongoing support, paced around what you're ready for. Sessions blend talk-based work with mind-body practices, shaped around your own history rather than a fixed script.
What you can expect:
Support from someone whose own practice reflects deep specialization; more than half of Malachi's clients carry a sexual trauma history
Guidance from a survivor-practitioner with research grounding in sexual trauma specifically
Sessions in person in Berkeley or virtual, wherever you are
Room for real connection, and yes, even humor, alongside the hard parts
A starting point that asks nothing of you but a conversation
What Are the Signs of Sexual Trauma?
Why Does Safety Feel Hard to Find, Even Now?
A chronic sense of unsafety is one of the clearest signs of sexual trauma, even long after the events themselves. It can attach itself to specific situations: difficulty feeling at ease around a certain gender, or around people who resemble someone connected to what happened to you, even when you know, logically, that they pose no threat. It's not something you're choosing. It's how trauma teaches the body to stay on guard.
What if You've Already Tried Therapy and It Hasn't Helped?
Some people come to this work after previous therapy that helped with some things but left the sexual trauma itself mostly untouched, or after reaching a plateau they couldn't move past. That doesn't mean something is wrong with you or that healing isn't possible. It usually means the work hadn't yet been shaped specifically around sexual trauma. This is exactly the situation this service exists for.
What Are the Three Truths of Trauma Recovery?
Malachi calls these the Three Truths of Trauma Recovery. They shape all of his work, and they carry particular weight here.
You Are Not Alone
Sexual trauma isolates in a way that's hard to describe to anyone who hasn't lived it. It can feel like your experience sets you apart, like no one else could understand what it's done to your sense of safety. That isn't true. So many others carry some version of what you're carrying, even on the days it feels like you're the only one.
You Are Not Broken
Sexual trauma can leave you feeling permanently altered in a way that feels like damage rather than injury, especially in how you relate to your own body. It isn't damage in that sense. What you're carrying is the result of what was done to you, not evidence of who you are. This truth is about restoring your sense of hope and agency, not pretending the impact wasn't real.
You Can Heal and Grow
Healing from sexual trauma can mean a great deal more than symptom relief. It can mean a renewed sense of safety, connection, and trust, in your relationships, in your own body, and in your life more broadly.
Sessions Designed Around You
In-Person and Virtual Sessions
You can choose what fits your life. Sessions happen in person in Berkeley, California, or virtually if you're anywhere else in the country, or the world.
Session Length and Format
Sessions combine talk-based work with mind-body practices, and the pace is set by you rather than by a fixed process. To learn more about how Malachi's approach comes together, visit the About page.
Starting With a Consultation Call
There's no assessment to pass and nothing to prepare beforehand, and nothing you need to be ready to say yet. A consultation call is simply a conversation, so you and Malachi can both find out whether this is the right fit.
What Safety Has Looked Like for Others
This work is deeply personal, and so is what safety looks like once it starts to return. Here's what a few people have said about that experience.
"Impressive synthesis and integration of the science"
Workshop Attendee
"Malachi presented the complex information very clearly. His passion for the subject came through and I found it very motivating to learn more."
Workshop Attendee
"Malachi was a skilled facilitator and the training was well-organized, well-paced, and engaging."
Workshop Attendee
"All the information given in the workshop was not only relevant, but well documented, which made the workshop very valuable."
Workshop Attendee
"Absolutely blew my mind in the best way. I feel empowered, seen, and am excited to try out so many of these tools and strategies!!!!! Thank you Malachi"
Workshop Attendee
"The class was excellent - I wouldn’t change a thing"
Workshop Attendee
More Ways to Heal and Grow
If your situation looks a little different from what's described above, one of these may be a better starting point.
Individual Trauma Recovery
For a trauma history where sexual trauma isn't the central presentation.
Complex PTSD Recovery
For trauma that's chronic and layered, extending beyond a specific type of event.
Male Survivors of Sexual Trauma
For men who want a page built specifically around that experience.
Group Trauma Therapy
For those who'd rather heal alongside others with similar experiences.
Couples & Family Trauma Support
For sexual trauma's impact on a relationship or family, not just on you individually.
Trauma & Addiction Recovery
For trauma and addiction addressed together.
Somatic & Mind-Body Therapy
For you if body-based work should lead the sessions, especially if regaining a felt sense of safety in your body is the priority.
Begin With a Consultation Call
You don't have to have this figured out, or be ready to talk about everything, before you reach out. Sexual Trauma Recovery starts with one conversation: a short, low-pressure consultation call to see if working with Malachi, a Trauma Specialist based in Berkeley, makes sense for you.
Sessions are available in person in Berkeley, California, or virtually, wherever you are.
Common Questions About Sexual Trauma Recovery
Yes. This work is for adults of any gender with a history of sexual trauma. If you're a man looking for an approach built specifically around that experience, the Male Survivors of Sexual Trauma service may also be useful to you, but this service and this work are not limited to any one gender.
Does This Apply to Me If I'm Not a Woman?
1
No, not as the primary focus. This work centers on recovering a sense of safety, in your body, your relationships, and your day-to-day life. Sexual wellbeing sometimes improves as a result, but it isn't the goal of the work, and you won't be asked to make it one.
Will This Focus on My Sex Life?
2
Yes, for most people. Virtual sessions use the same approach as in-person work, and many people find the added privacy and control over their own space actually helps, especially early on. In-person is always an option too, if that feels more supportive to you.
Does Virtual Work as Well as In-Person for This Kind of Work?
3
Yes. The pace of this work is set by you. There's no requirement to describe what happened before you're ready to do so, and for many people, that readiness develops over time rather than existing on day one.