TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose Whilst chemsex is a relatively new phenomenon, trauma is not. Freud borrowed the word from physical medicine, where it was used to describe tissue damage, and applied it, for the first time, as a metaphor to a psychological process by which the protective functioning of the mind can too be pierced and wounded by events. The chemsex environment hosts a myriad of potentially traumatising scenarios and experiences, though perhaps disguised as exhilaration or excitement. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach The paper is a practitioner’s experience.Findings These experiences piled on top of childhood experiences of being “less than” for being gay, can be responsible for widespread undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among those who engage in chemsex. This paper explores this possibility and offers solutions.Originality/value Compounded trauma and PTSD symptoms amongst MSM who engage in chemsex has to date, not been researched.
VL  - 19
IS  - 1
SN  - 1745-9265
DO  - 10.1108/DAT-11-2018-0067
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/DAT-11-2018-0067
AU  - Morris Stephen
PY  - 2019
Y1  - 2019/01/01
TI  - Too painful to think about: chemsex and trauma
T2  - Drugs and Alcohol Today
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 42
EP  - 48
Y2  - 2024/09/22
ER  -