Sexual assault victims mainly rape ones, vary in how they deal with their trauma. Some take time to come to terms with what really happened, in many cases even years. While others show an emotional response immediately after the terrible incident took place. Cultural background, the way the victim has been brought up and also the type of relationship the victim has with the aggressor may condition the recovery process.
RTS is the term used for the trauma caused by a rape.
RTS falls under PTSD, which stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. This means that the victim keeps relieving the experience as the trauma affected the victim greatly. This can take place for example because of nightmares, flashbacks, places or individuals which make the victim remember what they had to go through.
Since every victim deals with it on their own terms and time, it is difficult to identify and get a grasp of what and when life will get easier. Despite this two therapists, Ann Burgess and Lynda Holmstrom, classified stages of how a victim might deal with their emotions after having gone through a rape.
The first one of these stages is the ‘Acute Stage’. During this stage, (which comes as the first one after the rape) there may be some sort of shock or disbelief, after these disappear fear may follow. Humiliation and self-blame might also take place. When confronting some particular details from the rape they may burst out crying or sobbing, the same cannot be said for those who manage to control their behaviour. Although they may seem calm and composed, this does not mean that what had happened to them has not affected them greatly, they are just great at hiding it.
Since this is the first stage in the mental procession of a rape case, the effect on the victim's behaviour cannot be left out. They may find it hard to perform tasks on a daily basis for the first few weeks following the assault.
The second stage would be the ‘Underground Stage’. This stage is described by the therapists as being the one where the victim tries to continue with their lives normally. They try to block thoughts regarding the event. Some victims remain enclosed in this stage for a very long time, as they try to avoid it, and may appear to be ‘over it’. It is important to note that some victims during this stage would be in denial of what happened to them, confirming this with vocal statements such as “There wasn’t a rape”, “It was just rape”.
Following the second stage is the ‘Reorganizational Stage’. This stage is given initiation on the presence of a trigger, for example experiencing the rape again through a nightmare or flashback. This can be emotionally draining. Regardless, this stage is needed as it helps to deal with the acceptance of what happened, thus enabling for the continuation of the integration process the victim has to face.
The healing process during this stage can depend on the relationship the victim has with the aggressor, for example if s|he was a stranger the victim might change job just so they would not have to go through the same street they have been caught in during the assault. At this point it is important to note that the majority of aggressors involved in rape cases have a familial (or friend) relationship with their victim. Since the relationship would be of a close nature there could be a feeling of guilt when trying to report the rape. This is because the victim may be trying to justify what happened to them, they may try to excuse their behaviour and are in denial of what type of damage the other party may have caused. A vocal statement or emotional though in result of this would be “He didn’t really mean to hurt me” or “ I shouldn’t feel like this”.
The last stage is the ‘Development Stage’. During this stage the victim is coming to terms more effectively with what happened to them and why. Issues concerning trust and power over their body may also affect their future relationships. This is why therapy would be important to tackle these issues, learning to deal with them in order to avoid further damage.
'Feelings & Stages Following A Sexual Assault - Rape Crisis Center' (Rape Crisis Center, 2019) <https://thercc.org/get-support/after-an-assault/feelings-stages-following-sexual-assault/> accessed 9 April 2019
Rape Trauma Syndrome (Kcsarc.org, 2019) <https://www.kcsarc.org/sites/default/files/Resources%20-%20Rape%20Trauma%20Syndrome.pdf> accessed 9 April 2019
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