The rape crisis center can connect you with an advocate who may be able to meet you in person at a hospital or police station.
You are in a state of shock and unable to come terms with the fact that you have been violated and are unable to think of the future course of action. You are engulfed by fears of having to face social stigma and criticism. You are uncertain of being believed and you are unsure that you’d receive support and empathy from different people such as family, friends, police, or medical professionals. You are so overcome by feelings of shame and embarrassment and by what is yet to come (in terms of probing questions, evidentiary physical examination, or a fear of testing positive for STIs). You feel so intimidated that you just prefer to wait for the symptoms to disappear on their own without anybody having to know anything.
Don’t wait for signs of an STI. Some STIs remain concealed for a long time before they manifest as symptoms. Even if physical symptoms are absent, it is essential to get tested for the presence of STIs in latent form. When they’re detected in the early stages, most STIs are curable and treatable. If you ignore symptoms, an STI could become a serious and chronic medical problem that will be hard to treat and cure.
Consult a doctor or rape crisis worker about the pill and its possible side effects. If you are under 17, you will need a prescription for emergency contraception.
Once you realize you are pregnant you might be flooded or enveloped by feelings and emotions of guilt, self-blame, fear, shame, disbelief, and helplessness.
If you don’t feel you have a friend or family member who could act as a pillar of support without being judgmental, then consider seeing a counselor who has expertise in dealing with situations like yours.
A rape crisis center can offer both pre-abortion and post-abortion support. Your decision to not continue with the pregnancy could leave you with a mix of feelings and emotions. It would not doubt be stressful for you but at the same time make you feel relieved. Post-abortion issues such as depression, guilt, anger, low self-esteem could arise. It will be helpful to stay in touch with the counselor at the crisis center. They might even suggest psychotherapy. Planned Parenthood has resources about abortion services in your area.
It is fine to seek opinion of others. Just make sure to uphold your right to decide on what you should do. You might be deepening your wound by giving precedence to others’ values, opinions, or judgments.
Rape trauma syndrome/PTSD: These include feelings of anxiety, stress, helplessness, guilt, anger, inability to focus, shame, substance abuse, or becoming suicidal. Fear and growing suspicious about people and their behaviors and intentions. Relationship problems: These might arise as a result of becoming emotionally less responsive, detached from loved ones, or doubting the actions and intentions of friends and family. Insomnia, an inability to have sound sleep, or having nightmares. Denial: You might experience an unwillingness to acknowledge the fact that you were raped and expressing inability to remember what happened Flashbacks: You may have repeated recollections of the assault to such an extent that it becomes difficult for you to distinguish between what happened in the past and what is happening in the present. Hyper-arousal: You might feel the need to be on constant alert to ensure you are safe. Eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia or bingeing. Sexual dysfunction. Physiological symptoms: These might include as diarrhea, constipation, rapid heart rate and breathing, dizziness, unexplained headaches and stomach pains.
Some symptoms of PTSD include: flashbacks, avoidance, sleep problems, fear, mood and anxiety related problems, and hyper-arousal. [9] X Research source Survivors can be plagued by constant thoughts of fear and of being attacked. The feelings and thoughts can take such an extreme turn that normal everyday functioning becomes a challenge. They tend to develop distrust towards society in general but men or women in particular. Some may stop mingling or socializing with people out of fear of being assaulted again. They may try to make some major changes in life, such as moving houses, changing school/work, or moving to a different city.
You might avoid the road you took that day or avoid the area where it happened. You might also avoid the people who remind you of that day. Avoiding discomfort and fear is normal and is in fact seen as helpful. But the positive effects can be felt only in the short term. It’s not useful in the long run. In fact, this avoidance behavior can lead the memories and symptoms to manifest in a different manner that could be worse. [10] X Research source , [11] X Research source
Counseling services are usually offered by professionals who have had vast experience in dealing with cases such as rape. Counseling for rape survivors is usually one-on-one. The counselor will help prepare the rape survivor to deal with possible after-effects of the rape. Counselors understand the importance of making the survivor feel safe and supported. Counseling is the place where the rape survivor can expect to be treated with respect and receive adequate support. The rape survivor can expect their counselor to listen patiently and actively. [12] X Research source , [13] X Research source Cognitive behavioral therapies can be used to treat the psychological symptoms arising as after-effects of rape. But the survivor still needs successful recovery from the symptoms. Empowering the survivors and preparing them to re-build their self-esteem, confidence and helping them take charge of their life again are what are essential to make the recovery successful.
If you keep avoiding the symptoms and the existence of the problem, everything will seem to be fine for a little while. But the problem would still be lying dormant and can erupt anytime. This eruption can lead to more damage. [14] X Research source Lazarus and Folkman (1984) Problem-focused coping techniques help you get to the root of the problem. They can assist you in dealing with the symptoms as well as the problem that is causing the symptoms.
Counseling is offered to family and friends in order to help them bolster the rape survivor’s efforts in dealing with the unpleasant experience and after-effects.
Although pharmacotherapy is effective to a certain extent. Keep in mind that other forms of therapies are more promising and yield better results without any side effects. While medication can make the symptoms just wane for some time, therapies try to penetrate to the root of the problem to sort it out and that too without posing any threat of side effects. [16] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source You most likely will need a prescription from a psychiatrist or your medical doctor for these medications.
This therapy is “prolonged” because it is not limited to one or two sessions. Instead, it involves a series of sessions (up to 18 depending on the condition of the individual), with each session lasting for about 30-45 minutes. The survivor listens to audio recordings that recount the traumatic incident. Repeatedly making the individual undergo the same feelings and emotions they had during the trauma may help them become habituated to those feelings and thoughts. The idea is that eventually, the feelings are no longer so upsetting. This paves the way for accepting the incident and making peace with the past. The therapy is not easy for either the survivor or the therapist. The survivor will need to revisit and recount intimate details about the rape. The therapist may also find it difficult to make the survivor talk in detail about the rape. Prolonged exposure therapy is seen to tackle symptoms of PTSD successfully apart from dealing with feelings of guilt and depressive symptoms. [17] X Research source
When a person remembers a traumatic incident, the thoughts, feelings and emotions that accompany the incident adversely impact the functioning of the brain. This is because remembering a rape can be considered equivalent to going through it the first time. The sights, sounds, smells and thoughts associated with the incident serve as reminders about the incident. The therapist will make hand movements and ask the individual to follow the movements as he moves his hands back and forth. Sometimes he alternates the hand movements with fingers or toes. Meanwhile, the individual is told to recall the traumatic incident and everything else associated with the incident, including feelings, thoughts, sights, smells and sounds. Gradually the therapist will lead the individual into thinking and talking about more pleasant events. This therapy is believed to work on reducing negative emotions, thus reducing symptoms that arise due to the presence of negative emotions. EMDR is particularly useful in treating individuals who find it excruciatingly difficult to talk about the sexual assault. It also can be used to treat eating disorders, alcohol and substance abuse that might emerge as after-effects of the rape. This therapy is not a talk therapy like other cognitive behavioral therapies. It also does not advocate medications. [18] X Research source
SIT is a client-specific cognitive behavioral form of therapy that can be modified and tailored to suit the needs of an individual. SIT is a three-phase intervention. In the first phase, the therapist establishes a constructive and collaborative relationship with the rape survivor. The individual is encouraged to view the fears, perceived threats, stress, and anxiety as problems that need to be addressed rather than avoiding them. The therapist will conduct interviews, psychological testing and assessment with the survivor. During the second phase, the individual is taught coping skills, including acceptance and attention diversion tactics; self-relaxation and self-comforting techniques; and interpersonal communication and relationship building skills. In the third phase, the survivor will fine-tune their coping skills. The survivor may also be asked to provide assistance to another person in a similar situation in order to boost the efforts of the survivor and to encourage them to appreciate the positive changes they made.
There may be people who blame you, criticize you and hold you responsible for whatever happened to you. They might suggest that the rape was a consequence of your irresponsible behavior. There may be people who don’t believe your version. They might ask, “Why did you not do this? You could have escaped by doing this. ” There may be people who impose their decisions on you, make decisions for you, or are vociferous in saying that you have to listen to them. Some families may be too overprotective in an effort to give maximum support and love to the survivor. This can hamper the survivor’s recovery. Their family’s protective attitude and actions constantly remind them that they’ve been scarred for life. They get used to being shielded and finds it difficult to venture out to begin life anew. Keep away from people who are capable of triggering negative reactions and feelings for you. Negative attitude and negative reactions from family and friends can lead to the survivor adopting avoidant coping strategies which are maladaptive and can mar the recovery of the survivor.
Support groups expose you to people who have overcome their assault and have thrived in their respective lives. Meeting and interacting with people who are sailing in the same boat as you would help you dismantle the wall of distrust that you have been building because of the assault on you.
Exercising or being physically active helps to release stress, anxiety and pent-up emotions. It can also help divert your attention from painful thoughts and memories. Exercising also boosts confidence and self-esteem. Sitting at home will not do you any good. You may feel more lethargic and aggravate your fears, anxiety or depression. Exercise will also help you sleep better. One of the symptoms you may be experiencing is an inability to get proper sleep and rest. Getting physical activity will help you get better rest.
Mindfulness helps you accept difficult thoughts, emotions and feelings. It can help you release these thoughts as they come without judgment. Just stay in the present and focus on the present. Let the thoughts come and go. This way, you are providing an appropriate outlet to your thoughts and emotions that will otherwise be very tough to handle and still stay stable. Mindfulness can be used to prepare for therapies such as prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy. [20] X Research source
When a person is experiencing flashbacks, it is difficult to differentiate between what is real and what is imaginary. Practicing yoga teaches you to be in constant touch with the present. You are totally aware of yourself, your body, your thoughts and your surroundings. Yoga is the safest and gentlest way to acquaint yourself with your own body. Survivors of sexual assault may start hating their bodies or body parts that were violated. Yoga can help you accept yourself with grace. This self-acceptance is key to recovery. [21] X Research source
The instructions could guide you through a process of visual imagery (scanning of the body). This entire process of scanning keeps our mind busy and focused and away from distractions. Soon, your body and mind reach a state of peace and relaxation. Your energies focus on the third eye (the inner sanctuary positioned between the eyebrows). This third eye acts as a controller of the hormones in the pineal gland, located in the center of the brain. The pineal gland hormone, melatonin, works as a wonder pill to prevent, cure and heal many problems that plague the body and mind. It helps to reduce stress, promote immune system functioning, ensure good sleep, relax the nervous system, and provide holistic healing . Yoga nidra meditation podcasts or audio recordings are available for download online.
Pandora’s Project has a number of recommendations, including books on rape, relationship abuse, same-sex rape, child sex abuse, and other sources.
Significant weight loss or gain. Preoccupation with food or dieting Yellowing teeth or bad breath Lowered body temperature Refusing to go out to eat Habits at mealtime, such as cutting food into small pieces or pushing food around plate Seek help by talking with a doctor, counselor or support group. The National Eating Disorders Association has resources to help you with an eating disorder. [24] X Trustworthy Source National Eating Disorders Association Nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and communities affected by eating disorders Go to source
Walk away from the object you were planning to use to self-harm. Leave the room. Write down your feelings in a journal. Draw on yourself with a marker on the spot where you were going to self-harm. Call or text a friend. Get more assistance from S. A. F. E. Alternatives. This organization offers resources regarding self-harm.
Rape survivors are often concerned about their partner’s reaction and behavior. They may wonder how their sex life will be affected, how they can cope with this trauma together, or if they will still enjoy being together as life was before the rape. [27] X Research source Couples therapy can be useful, identifying, understanding and resolving the problems that might exist between partners. Sex therapy is a step above couple’s therapy because it focuses on the intimate physical relationship. In sex therapy, the therapist works to change the survivor’s thought patterns and attitudes towards sex. The therapist employs various exercises and techniques such as “sensate focus” and Kegel exercises to treat the sexual dysfunction. [28] X Research source Sexual dysfunction can also be treated using cognitive behavioral therapy.
