Prominent physical immobility, attenuated physiological reactivity, and dissociative experiences are common reactions to sexual assault (SA). These reactions resemble tonic immobility (TI), or reversible involuntary motor inhibition in response to threat. Physiological components of TI, such as reduced heart rate, breathing, muscle tone and body temperature are regarded as key components of the TI response in animal studies. The present investigation extended this research to humans, and examined physiological (finger temperature, skin conductance, heart rate, respiration, and EMG) and subjective (TI characteristics, overall dissociation, depersonalization and other cognitive experiences associated with distress, panic, and physical sensations) responses to idiographic script-driven imagery in female SA survivors. Participants (N = 82) were 41 female SA survivors (20 who reported TI during a SA and 21 women who reported a SA without TI) and 41 non-victimized controls. Participants with a history of SA were exposed to personalized script-driven imagery of their SA, a recent stressful situation, and a neutral scenario. Controls were exposed to SA scripts developed by their SA counterparts, a personalized script depicting a recent stressful situation, and a standard neutral scenario. Both groups of SA survivors evidenced greater increases in heart rate from baseline in response to SA cues than controls, although these findings were accounted for by anxiety sensitivity. Non-TI+SA participants evidenced greater overall increases in arousal on skin conductance. TI+SA survivors reported greater subjective TI characteristics, namely subjective immobility, distress and depersonalization, in response to SA cues than controls. Findings suggest that women with a history of' TI during SA evidence some distinct physiological response to SA cues, and a psychological reaction characterized by greater subjective TI characteristics, physical and panic sensations, and psychological distress, compared to women without a history of TI during SA.