What is military sexual trauma? Military sexual trauma refers to a service members experience with sexual assault or sexual harassment during his or her military service. As a healthcare provider I highly encourage you to ask if your patient has ever served in the military, what their experiences are and if they have suffered military sexual trauma or harassment and continue to assess than psychiatrically. Always refer them to a psych nurse practitioner, a social worker, a psychiatrist, psychologist. Military sexual trauma survivors may self medicate with alcohol and drugs or they may have somatic symptoms that may be very difficult to treat. Have an open mind of this mind-body connection and assess if they have suffered any trauma in the past.