When a victim finally understands the extent to which they were lied to during their relationship, some can feel they did not consent to sex.

“If I had known I was being lied to and manipulated, I would never have let him touch me.”

Grooming of any kind makes consent impossible. The law might not recognise this, but the human body can. For some people this amounts to a deep feeling of violation.

Relationships in which there is significant dishonesty and manipulation require the victim to ignore, suppress or dissociate from the gut instincts and feelings of uneasiness which tell them there is something wrong.

This state of denial — or ‘betrayal blindness’ — can give rise to a raft of physical symptoms, depression, anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks.

Dissociation during sex may have become habitual. It can take time to come to terms with what your body has experienced.