Treating Emotional Turmoil of a Rape Victim
Contents
Psychotherapies for Rape Victims. 6
cognitive-behavioural Approaches. 6
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. 7
Treating Emotional Turmoil of a Rape Victim
Introduction
The effects of sexual violence go beyond the victim by affecting their closest relationships, communities, and society at large. Recovering from sexual assault may take a long period, and the healing process can be painful. It is, however, possible for rape victims to rebuild their self-worth, sense of control, and learn to heal. There are different ways in which a rape victim may react to sexual violence. This depends on the context of the victim’s life, culture, and personal style. Some survivors are willing to express emotions, while others choose to keep their feelings. While some may tell others what happened immediately, others may prefer to way for weeks, months, or years until they are ready to discuss the assault. Respecting personal choices and how they decide to cope with this traumatic event is important.
Sexual assault cases are shockingly common in society. Studies show that about one in every five women in the United States will be sexually assaulted or rapes at a point in their lives (DeCou et al., 2017). In most cases, the assault is done by someone they know and trust. It is important to note that boys and men also suffer from sexual trauma due to rape every year. Considering the effects that this vice has to society, it is important to come up with ways of treating the emotional turmoil of rape victims.
Impacts of Rape on the Survivor
The impacts of sexual assault go far beyond the physical injuries for victims of any gender and age. Regardless of when the assault happened or whether it was attempted or completed, it can impact the daily functioning of the survivor. This is likely to be associated with a wide range of physical, emotional, and psychological reactions. The trauma of being raped can be shattering, leaving the survivor feeling lonely, ashamed, and scared. He or she may be filled with unpleasant memories, flashbacks, and nightmares (Cano et al., 2019). The victim no longer trusts others and does not consider the world to be a safe place. Such people may start questioning their sanity and self-worth. They start believing that they are “dirty” and blame themselves for what happened. Intimacy becomes impossible, and relationships are considered dangerous. Most of the rape survivors end up struggling with depression, anxiety, and PSTD.
There are various chronic physical conditions that can occur as a result of sexual assault. Women, who have been raped, for instance, are likely to experience more intense premenstrual symptoms, chronic pelvic pain, non-epileptic seizures, digestive problems, and arthritis. Some of the victims can contract sexually transmitted diseases during a completed or attempted rape, and this may lead to more physical health issues. It is possible for rape victims to develop reproductive health problems. Most of the survivors experience reduced sexual behavior and low sexual desire. If the person is not getting the right pleasure or satisfaction during sexual activity, they are likely to experience pain and fear.
Rape victims may start experiencing disorganized sleep patterns. It is hard for them to fall asleep, and if they manage, they will wake up at night and will not fall back asleep. For victims who were attacked in the middle of the night while sleeping, they will be alert every evening at that specific time when the rape occurred. Some of them may start screaming during the night. After the rape, some victims may lose appetite and start experiencing a disorganized eating pattern. When a victim thinks of the assault, he or she may feel nauseated, and food may not taste right. Studies reveal that victims of childhood rape are likely to have more severe sexual complications. This is due to the penetration during the sexual assault that increased the risk for extra sexual problems.
Some rape survivors choose to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as having several sexual partners and not practising protective sex. For them to cope with these unpleasant emotions that resulted from being raped, some people will start substance abuse. Such people may also start avoiding situations that they feel are dangerous and may start shying away for conversations, articles, or television shows that talk about sexual violence. Accomplishing daily tasks becomes difficult since they develop difficulties in problem-solving. Absorbing new information also becomes difficult. Considering how these individuals become extremely vulnerable, it is important for those around them to provide an immediate response.
Treatment Options
There are various interventions that can be tailored to meet the treatment requirements of all rape victims. The treatment options vary according to the survivor’s age, gender, culture, and personal style.
Psychotherapies for Rape Victims
Psychotherapies have been effective in making most of the rape victims lead a normal life. The interventions are mostly meant for adult sexual violence victims and are designed to reduce the effects of rape trauma, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychological distress through predetermined treatment plans, counselling, training programs, and structured and unstructured interaction. The most effective treatments are cognitive-behavioural approaches such as insight therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy. The major goals of this therapy for the victim of rape are to prevent and reduce depression, anxiety, and depression symptoms; and improve their self-esteem and social adjustment.
Cognitive Behavioral Approaches
The practice components of psychotherapeutic treatment include developing and maintaining a trusting relationship with the therapist, and recounting the victim’s story about the rape to put the therapist in a position of helping the person overcome the emotional turmoil. In most cases, the therapist will try to help the victim make sense of his or her memories and eliminate and reduce anxiety symptoms, including fears, flashbacks, thoughts, and guilt that occurred as a way of the victim responding to the sexual violence (Macdonald et al., 2016). This practice also teaches rape victims other important skills such as communication, assertiveness, and anger management. The therapist will mostly focus on the current situation of the victim and its solution, paying attention to personal beliefs and views about their life.
When a therapist is applying the cognitive-behavioral model, he or she considers the victim to be a producer and product of their environment. The treatment plan under this model aims at changing the survivor’s behavior within their environment. Some of the common examples of the cognitive-behavioral model include assertiveness training, stress incubation training, exposure therapy, and cognitive processing therapy. Although it is difficult for the victim to admit that he or she was raped due to the stigma attached, it is important for them to open up about what happened to them (Artime & Buchholz, 2016). Once the therapist builds trust with the victim, it makes it possible for them to talk about the rape because hiding it will keep on burdening the victim (Littleton & Grills, 2019). The therapist is required to be calm, empathetic, and supportive to ensure that they get as much information as possible from the survivor.
The therapist helps the victim overcome their sense of helplessness and isolation by reminding them that they have coping skills and strengths that can help them get through tough times. A survivor is presented with a variety of ways in which they can reclaim their sense of power, especially by engaging in activities that make them stronger. This can be reaching out to a friend in need or making donations (Keefe et al., 2018). Even when a survivor is aware that they are not responsible for the rape, they still struggle to a sense of guilt. A therapist makes such people realize that they did the best under those extreme circumstances. This can also be achieved by making the victim assigns the responsibility to the rapist, and he or she is the only one to blame.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
The therapist may also use the psychodynamic psychotherapy, which focuses on how the victim can identify defence mechanisms, express emotions, examine past experiences, work through interpersonal relationships, and how they can avoid distressing emotions. Psychodynamic psychotherapy brings that individual’s psychic tensions and conflicts from the unconscious into the conscious to enable healthy functioning (McLean et al., 2018).
Supportive Counseling
Supportive counselling can be effective if provided in group or individual settings. This type of therapy enables the survivor to share their experience as well as the symptoms that resulted from the rape. The aim of this approach is to enable the victim to normalize the experience, decrease the personal sense of isolation, instil hope, and increase interpersonal learning (Murray et al., 2018). This is important in coping the feeling of guilt and preparing for upsetting memories and flashbacks. The treatment method to be used depends on the specific characteristics of the survivor, such as the extent of the anxiety symptoms.
The tailoring of the treatment in terms of the treatment setting, therapist’s experience, number of sessions, and duration, depends on the type of treatment to be applied. Although it is possible to be shocked by the incident, it is important for the specialist to let the victim know that he or she was right and that the therapist stands supports them. This requires the therapist to focus on the reactions and feelings of the survivor at every session of the therapy. For the victim to reestablish control over their life, allowing them to make their decisions is helpful. Whenever the survivor is willing to talk, the therapist should be ready to listen and come up with various supportive ways that will make them know that they are getting the care they deserve.
Social Support Networks
The people surrounding the survivor on a daily basis may determine the effectiveness of the treatment. For a rape victim to improve his or her mental health and be able to combat stress, he or she should be surrounded by great friends and confidants. It is through social support that a survivor can enhance their self-esteem, promote healthy lifestyle behaviors, and encourage adherence to the treatment plan. To cope with this stressful situation, a victim can find people sharing similar values and interests, and they will find happiness together (Houston-Kolnik et al., 2017). An individual can join a fitness group since physical fitness is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Other ways of putting the survivor in contact with other people who share similar pursuits could be through social networking sites. Appreciating the family and friend during these difficult moments is crucial.
Victims of rape should always remember that the purpose of building their social support networks is to lower the levels of anxiety, not to add them. This requires the victims to watch for situations that are likely to drain their energy and avoid spending time with people who are always critical and negative (Larsen et al., 2019). These social support networks will improve not only the mental health of the survivor, but also their physical health and endurance. An individual should keep on making more friends while strengthening the relationships they already have.
Conclusion
The cases of sexual violence are rapidly increasing in different parts of the word. The victims can suffer for the rest of their lives if the necessary intervention is not provided in time. There are different treatment plans that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the survivor. Cognitive-behavioral approaches, psychodynamic psychotherapy, supportive counselling, and social support networks help most of the victims lead a normal life after sexual violence. For the different approaches to be effective, the survivors must be willing to open up and be ready to receive the assistance being provided. Establishing an environment where the victim can trust the people around him or her helps in getting the best out of each treatment plan. It is always important to have a caring and supportive family and friends that will be there when needed, especially when an individual is depressed.
References
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Cano, A. S. V., Niño-Laina, M., Sánchez, S. M., & Polo-Usaola, C. (2019). Sexual Violence: Effects on Women’s Identity and Mental Health. In Psychopathology in Women (pp. 81-108). Springer, Cham.
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