Going Deeper:
RAPE TRAUMA SYNDROME & Treatment
The catastrophe that brings about a post-traumatic stress disorder need not
be experienced en masse, as in flood, war, and concentration camp; it can be
solitary. Rape is, perhaps, the most common such catastrophe in modern
American society. A woman's reaction to rape looks very much like the
post-traumatic stress syndrome and has been called the rape trauma syndrome (Burgess and Holmstrom, 1979).
The reactions can be divided into two phases:
the acute (disorganization) and the long-term (reorganization). In one study, researchers found that immediately following rape, a roughly equal number of women exhibited one
of two emotional styles; expressive-showing fear, anger, anxiety, crying,
sobbing, and tenseness, or controlled-masking feelings and showing a
calm exterior. There soon followed symptoms that strongly resemble reactions
to floods, combat, and concentration camps, particularly anxiety and
reliving of the rape. Physical symptoms also appeared: sleep disturbances
with inability to get to sleep or sudden awakening, stomach pains, genitourinary
disturbances, and tension headache. Women who had been suddenly
awakened by the rapist found that they would awake each night, at about
the same time the attack had occurred, screaming from rape nightmares.
Dreams and nightmares of the rape continued for a long time, with one third
of the victims reporting terrifying rape dreams.
Like flood victims, they startled easily in response to even minor episodes,
such as being alone. In addition, fear, depression, humiliation, embarrassment,
anger, and self-blame became dominant emotions, particularly fear
of violence and death. Like the victims of flood and concentration camps,
these women sometimes developed phobias. Women who had been at tacked
indoors developed phobias of the indoors, and women who had been
attacked outdoors developed phobias of the outdoors. Sexual fears were
fairly common after rape, and some women were unable to resume normal
sexual activity. Five months after being raped, a woman said, "There are
times I get hysterical with my boyfriend. I don't want him near me; I get
panicked. Sex is okay, but I still feel like screaming." According to another
study, depressive symptoms seemed to disappear in most rape victims
within about four months (Resick and Ellis, 1982).
In the long-term process of reorganization, most women took action to
ensure safety. Many changed their telephone numbers, and half of the
women made special trips home to seek support from family members. Half
of the victims moved. One victim who couldn't afford to move first stayed
with relatives, and then she rearranged her home. The rape had occurred in
her bedroom, and here is what she did: "Wouldn't sleep in my own bed.
Stayed with friends for a while. Changed my bedroom around, and got a
new bedroom set." Many of the victims began to read about rape and to
write about their experience. Some became active in rape crisis centers and
assisted other victims, and of these, 70 percent recovered in a few months.
When contacted four to six years after the rape, three-quarters of the victims
felt that they had recovered, half of these within a few months and the other
half within several years. One-quarter of the women, however, felt that they
still had not recovered (Burgess and Holmstrom).
be experienced en masse, as in flood, war, and concentration camp; it can be
solitary. Rape is, perhaps, the most common such catastrophe in modern
American society. A woman's reaction to rape looks very much like the
post-traumatic stress syndrome and has been called the rape trauma syndrome (Burgess and Holmstrom, 1979).
The reactions can be divided into two phases:
the acute (disorganization) and the long-term (reorganization). In one study, researchers found that immediately following rape, a roughly equal number of women exhibited one
of two emotional styles; expressive-showing fear, anger, anxiety, crying,
sobbing, and tenseness, or controlled-masking feelings and showing a
calm exterior. There soon followed symptoms that strongly resemble reactions
to floods, combat, and concentration camps, particularly anxiety and
reliving of the rape. Physical symptoms also appeared: sleep disturbances
with inability to get to sleep or sudden awakening, stomach pains, genitourinary
disturbances, and tension headache. Women who had been suddenly
awakened by the rapist found that they would awake each night, at about
the same time the attack had occurred, screaming from rape nightmares.
Dreams and nightmares of the rape continued for a long time, with one third
of the victims reporting terrifying rape dreams.
Like flood victims, they startled easily in response to even minor episodes,
such as being alone. In addition, fear, depression, humiliation, embarrassment,
anger, and self-blame became dominant emotions, particularly fear
of violence and death. Like the victims of flood and concentration camps,
these women sometimes developed phobias. Women who had been at tacked
indoors developed phobias of the indoors, and women who had been
attacked outdoors developed phobias of the outdoors. Sexual fears were
fairly common after rape, and some women were unable to resume normal
sexual activity. Five months after being raped, a woman said, "There are
times I get hysterical with my boyfriend. I don't want him near me; I get
panicked. Sex is okay, but I still feel like screaming." According to another
study, depressive symptoms seemed to disappear in most rape victims
within about four months (Resick and Ellis, 1982).
In the long-term process of reorganization, most women took action to
ensure safety. Many changed their telephone numbers, and half of the
women made special trips home to seek support from family members. Half
of the victims moved. One victim who couldn't afford to move first stayed
with relatives, and then she rearranged her home. The rape had occurred in
her bedroom, and here is what she did: "Wouldn't sleep in my own bed.
Stayed with friends for a while. Changed my bedroom around, and got a
new bedroom set." Many of the victims began to read about rape and to
write about their experience. Some became active in rape crisis centers and
assisted other victims, and of these, 70 percent recovered in a few months.
When contacted four to six years after the rape, three-quarters of the victims
felt that they had recovered, half of these within a few months and the other
half within several years. One-quarter of the women, however, felt that they
still had not recovered (Burgess and Holmstrom).
Trauma/Phobia/Anxiety More at:
http://social-anxiety-treatment-cure.weebly.com/
If you or a loved one has experienced RAPE TRAUMA SYNDROME
...of course you know the treatment method I recommend!
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html
http://social-anxiety-treatment-cure.weebly.com/
If you or a loved one has experienced RAPE TRAUMA SYNDROME
...of course you know the treatment method I recommend!
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html