Painful. Gut-wrenching. Heartbreaking. Unbearable.

That’s how women described listening to Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where Christine Blasey Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school.

“I had to tune out the second he began to get hysterical,” Marie said, referring to Kavanaugh’s angry, defiant and sometimes emotional testimony. “I had flashbacks to the way my ex-boyfriend would yell at me. Even through the TV, it terrified me.”

From her home in New Bern, North Carolina, Marie – who asked that her last name not be used to speak openly about her own sexual assault – watched the hearing in her living room with her two sons. As Ms Ford recounted her story, Marie became so anxious she asked her children to leave the room.

The committee on Friday voted along party lines to send Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate for a floor vote. But sexual assault survivors were still grappling with the emotional fallout from Thursday’s hearing, “triggered” by the memory of another alleged victim that forced them to confront their own painful memories.

It was not long after Kavanaugh was seated in front of the committee that he became visibly angry. When that happened, Marie told The Washington Post, she froze, flooded with memories of a former boyfriend who she says raped her when she was 20 years old.

“Whenever Kavanaugh interrupted female senators while they were asking him questions, it’s the same exact thing my ex would do when I tried asking him something and he didn’t like me sticking up for myself,” Marie said.

Women across the political spectrum called in to C-SPAN during hearing breaks to talk about their experiences being assaulted. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network reported a 201 per cent spike in calls Thursday as well as “unprecedented wait times” for its online chat.

The Crisis Text Line, which provides crisis intervention, saw the numbers of people reaching out with stories of sexual abuse double in October 2017, when the #MeToo movement began. The organisation says it’s the highest number of sexual abuse reports they have seen since the since the 2016 election.

Such responses are common when sexual assault is in the news, said Nancy Glass, associate director for the John Hopkins Centre for Global Health.

In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Protesters disrupt the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy on the court left by retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A member of Code Pink protests as US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh arrives on the first day of his confirmation hearing in front of the US Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on September 4, 2018. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing epa06996310 Circuit judge Brett Kavanaugh prepares to testify before his Senate confirmation hearing to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 04 September 2018. President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to fill the seat of retiring justice Anthony Kennedy. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would give conservatives a five-member majority in the high court. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS MICHAEL REYNOLDS EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Protesters dressed in The Handmaid's Tale costume, protest outside the hearing room where Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy on the court left by retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Win McNamee Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A protester is removed during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A woman stands and voices her opposition to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination for Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Jacquelyn Martin AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh arrives for testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy on the court left by retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Win McNamee Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Protesters disrupt the start of the Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy on the court left by retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Mark Wilson Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A protestor is carried out by security as US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh attends the first day of his confirmation hearing in front of the US Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on September 4, 2018. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A woman stands and voices her opposition to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination for Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, in Washington.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Jacquelyn Martin AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A protestor is escorted out of the room as US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh attends the first day of his confirmation hearing in front of the US Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on September 4, 2018. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing U.S. Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh points to his daughters as his wife Ashley looks on before the start of his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie CHRIS WATTIE REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A woman protests as US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh arrives on the first day of his confirmation hearing in front of the US Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on September 4, 2018. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing U.S. Capitol police officer lead detained protesters out of the start of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts JOSHUA ROBERTS REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A protester is removed during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A protester is removed during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts JOSHUA ROBERTS REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing A protester is removed during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing epa06996576 A protester is removed as circuit judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before his Senate confirmation hearing to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 04 September 2018. President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to fill the seat of retiring justice Anthony Kennedy. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would give conservatives a five-member majority in the high court. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO JIM LO SCALZO EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing epa06996814 Protesters inside the Hart Senate Office building under arrest as Brett Kavanaugh appears before his Senate confirmation hearing to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 04 September 2018. President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to fill the seat of retiring justice Anthony Kennedy. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would give conservatives a five-member majority in the high court. EPA/TASOS KATOPODIS TASOS KATOPODIS EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing US Capitol Police arrest a protestor during the US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 4, 2018. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. Some two dozen witnesses are lined up to argue for and against confirming Kavanaugh, who could swing the nine-member high court decidedly in conservatives' favor for years to come. Democrats have mobilized heavily to prevent his approval. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images SAUL LOEB AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing US Capitol Police arrest a protestor during the US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 4, 2018. - President Donald Trump's newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images SAUL LOEB AFP/Getty Images

“When people hear others telling their stories, it can ‘trigger’ them, it can bring back memories of their own experiences, even if it’s from a long time ago,” Ms Glass said.

The result can be surprisingly physical. The chemicals and hormones released in the body during a traumatic experience can also be released when the experience is remembered, Ms Glass said. They are like symptoms.

“Your adrenaline is going. Your body is producing an inflammatory response. It can cause you to feel anxious, sick to your stomach, get headaches,” Glass said. “It has different reactions to different people.”

Ms Glass says she has worked with survivors of sexual assault for 25 years, and the hearings brought to memory the many horrific stories she had heard throughout her career in public health.

Like combat veterans, sexual assault victims can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The triggering of a victim’s PTSD occurs when they are prompted to remember or relive the trauma, whether by a car backfiring or a fraught sexual assault hearing on Capitol Hill.

Ford’s testimony – and her perceptible anxiety – also reminded some victims of the shame they felt about their experience and the common decision to not tell anyone about it.

Brett Kavanaugh: the most important moments in Donald Trump Supreme Court nominee's hearing

“The hearings reminded me of being a victim of a similar flavour of assault – of the confusion that followed, and not wanting to make a big deal out of it,” said Chelsea Rider from Portland, Oregon.

“It seems so sensible at the time to just sweep this stuff under the rug and try to move forward,” Ms Rider added. “But you just never know where your attacker will end up.”

Lisa Barnhill watched the hearings from her living room near Missoula, Montana. She says was raped in 2012 at a party by a man whom she trusted. She says she tuned in to Ms Ford’s testimony, but five minutes into the cross-examination, she had to tune out.

“You could hear Ford’s voice shake,” she said. “When they started bringing our graphs and asking about where her house is in relation to the party – it was too much.”

Ms Barnhill says she tried to carry on with her day, and then began to feel the memories of her attack return. “It was like this feeling in the pit of my stomach,” she said. “I started reliving my experience. My hands were shaking. My whole body was shaking at times. My heart was pounding.”

Kristie, who also spoke on the condition that her last name not be used, said the hearing continues to devastate her.

“There are some similarities in Ford’s story and my own,” Kristie said. She told The Washington Post her rape also occurred at a high school party where kids were drinking. She woke up to a classmate attempting to remove her clothing.

“I repeatedly told him, ‘No,’” Kristie said. “Over and over, I said, ‘No.’ I tried to push him off and fight back. He was stronger than me, taller than me, and bigger than me. I had been a virgin, and that was forcibly taken away from me.”

Kristie says she and Ms Ford have another unfortunate commonality: she can’t recall key details that many think she should be able to remember from that night.

“I cannot remember the exact date or month, though I know the season,” Kristie said. “When people claim she must not be telling the truth because she can’t remember the date I thought, ‘This is what people would say to me.’”

Watching the hearing from her home in Ocean View, Delaware, Kristie said she felt her chest tighten. She said she has lost her appetite since the hearing ended on Thursday evening.

“I felt her pain to my core. I thought about when this was me, how scared I was,” Kristie said. “How scared I still feel every day.”