Trauma
After a rape has occurred, people may say things like “It’s over now, you need to get on with the rest of your life,” or they will not understand why six months after the rape has happened the victim/survivor is still suffering from the effects of the rape.
Rape begins with a physical act; during a sexual assault every part of a victim’s self – mind, body, and spirit – are concentrated on surviving. Rape is as much an attack on “self” as it is an act of physical invasion. After the assault, the struggle to comprehend what has happened begins. It’s meaning floods over the victim/survivor who has to find the way to return to her/his life, body, and self.
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | Rape Trauma Syndrome
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Many sexual assault victims/survivors will experience Rape Trauma Syndrome as they attempt to put their lives back together following an assault. Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is often discussed in relation to Vietnam veterans and the 9/11 attacks. PTSD is the psychological term for symptoms that arise when someone has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event. The symptoms of PTSD fall into three categories:
Intrusion
Persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event through intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, or body memories.
Avoidance
Persistent attempts to reduce exposure to things associated with the traumatic event including people, places and activities. Also includes a numbing of the feelings and responsiveness toward family members and friends that was not present before the trauma.
Hyperarousal
Increased physical symptoms of arousal, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, outbursts of rage, difficulty concentrating, constant watchfulness, or an exaggerated startle response.
Rape Trauma Syndrome
Identified by Ann Wolbert Burgess and Lynda Lytle Holstrom, Rape Trauma Syndrome is a cluster of emotional, physical and behavioral responses to the extreme stress experienced by the victim/survivor during and after a sexual assault. Rape Trauma Syndrome is divided into two, sometimes three phases.
The Acute Phase
The acute phase begins immediately and can last from days to weeks after the assault. In general, the survivor’s initial response will be shock and disbelief. Many survivors appear numb. A victim/survivor who was assaulted by an acquaintance may have a particularly difficult time overcoming shock and disbelief, which can result in questioning the trustworthiness of others in her/his life. If the assault was particularly terrifying or brutal, the victim/survivor may have an extreme shock response and completely block out memory of the assault.
During this phase, the victim/survivor often experiences a complete disruption of her/his life while experiencing a myriad of contrasting emotions and mood/behavioral swings, and/or sensory triggers that provoke flashbacks of the assault, which can be as traumatic and life-like as the initial assault. Any response to sexual assault should be considered appropriate and valid because the victim/survivor is feeling it.
The Reorganization Phase
The reorganization phase is often described as two stages. In the early stage, which is sometimes identified as the “recoil phase,” the victim/survivor appears to have begun resolving their issues and it is sometimes called the “flight to health.” In this phase denial frequently masks the underlying problems as victims/survivors make an effort to re-establish the routines of their life and bring back some semblance of control. Sometimes in an effort to feel back in control, rape victims/survivors make dramatic changes in lifestyle, environment or physical appearance. These changes fail to bring about the security they search for; nightmares, phobias, and acute phase symptoms often re-emerge.
This re-surfacing of issues often forces victims/survivors out of denial and into a “working stage”. They may be more willing to seek help or counseling in an effort to get in touch with their feelings and emotions associated with the rape. Victims/Survivors may feel overwhelmed as they struggle with feelings they had suppressed since the assault. Flashbacks are often still present.
Though described in terms of “phases” or “stages” it is important to recognize that healing may not be as linear as these terms imply. A victim's/survivor’s healing process is as unique as the victim/survivor is.
Variations of the Rape Trauma Syndrome include a compounded reaction and a silent rape reaction.
Compounded Reaction
This includes symptoms of RTS listed above and also includes reoccurrences of previous problems, especially with psychiatric illness. Symptoms may include: depression; confusion; psychotic behavior; temporary dissociative states; psychosomatic disorders; suicidal behavior; and acting out behaviors such as alcoholism, drug abuse, or an extreme change in sexual behavior.
The Silent Rape Reaction
This refers to symptoms that may arise as a result of previous assaults that have not been disclosed or addressed. In addition to the RTS symptoms listed above, the victim may experience increased anxiety, blocking, stuttering, sudden onset of phobic reactions and fear, persistent loss of self confidence and self esteem, self blame, and paranoid feelings.
