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Hello there. I'm Peter Back.

The Surrey Hypnotherapy Clinic TM

For professional, caring and confidential help, advice, therapy or treatment for, or about, any of the above issues or topics, or similar, please just contact Peter, preferably by e-mail, to arrange an appointment for your free initial consultation - either in person, or online.

There is no getting away from it, sexual assault is traumatic. Similar to other traumatic experiences, it is normal for a person to experience trauma-reaction symptoms in the weeks following an assault.

In fact, 94% of women who are raped experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in the two weeks following the assault. This is normal. It is a reaction to the fear, feeling of loss of control, and vulnerability that one experiences following any unexpected and shocking event (i.e., what is called trauma).

These symptoms generally include: 

• Intrusive re-experiencing (through memories or reminders) of the assault
• Avoidance of trauma-related stimuli or reminders
• Alterations in thoughts and mood (negative thinking and depressed, anxious, or angry mood)
• Increased arousal and reactivity (anxiety, hypervigilance, irritability, easily startled)

The relationship that a person had with the perpetrator prior to the assault also significantly impacts the frequency and intensity of distress that is likely to follow. Generally speaking, the closer you were with the person who committed the assault, the more likely you are to be impacted by the trauma.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Centre (NSVRC, 2015) found that:

• 84% of survivors victimized by an intimate partner are likely to experience psychological distress and related difficulties at work or school,
• 79% of survivors victimized by a family member, close friend, or acquaintance experience distress, and
• 67% of survivors who were victimized by a stranger experience distress.

Some good news is that research shows that 90% of individuals “naturally recover” from a traumatic event, meaning that their PTSD symptoms dissipate over time.

It is not exactly known why some individuals recover more quickly than others, but one theory is that those individuals who recover do not “avoid” the trauma. That is, they do not avoid thinking about it, or talking about it (which it is suggested, is with a trained mental health professional), or expressing natural emotions related to the assault.

Conversely, avoidance is known to be the most significant factor that creates, prolongs, and intensifies trauma-reaction or PTSD symptoms.

Unhelpful Ways of Coping
Making the decision to not report a sexual assault may temporarily help you to believe you are “fine,” in control of yourself and the situation, or that you are not too bothered by what occurred.

Making the decision to not seek professional mental health treatment may also help to temporarily reinforce these desired beliefs.

While these are understandable acts of demonstrating resiliency to yourself (and perhaps others), these actions, unfortunately, do not work to actually relieve you of the psychological distress that is likely to follow.

Some readers may be thinking, “well, I’ve managed what happened to me well and I am fine” or “I got past it.”  It is possible that you may feel that way—albeit temporarily.

Very often when individuals forego trauma treatment, they may temporarily feel a lot better and not even think about what happened too often. This effect may even last for several years.

However, unfinished psychological business can create significant distress in your life.

Research shows that 70% of sexual assault survivors experience moderate to severe distress, which is a larger percentage than for any other violent crime (NSVRC, 2015).

The importance of seeking professional help and not engaging in avoidance behaviors cannot be understated.

Avoidance is a short-term strategy to relieve yourself of distress, but unfortunately, it creates much more severe long-term difficulties. And so avoidance does not actually work. While you may think you are reducing your suffering by not dealing with the assault (i.e., not talking about the assault, holding back/repressing your emotions, and avoiding reminders of the trauma), this will only prolong and intensify psychological suffering.

When to Seek Treatment
It is strongly suggested that you seek treatment sooner rather than later. Some of the more easily identifiable benefits to doing this include shortened treatment time, quicker recovery, and less time spent missing out on life.

From a clinical perspective, the amount of suffering and distress is substantially reduced when a person seeks treatment earlier on.

This can be hard to appreciate when you have never experienced severe anxiety, depression, irritability and anger, or intimacy problems.

Other common maladaptive reactions that are more likely to be prevented with early treatment include increased use of illicit substances, suicidal thoughts, and difficulty functioning at work, school, and at home.

NSVRC (2015) research on sexual assaults found:

• 33% of women who are raped contemplate suicide
• 13% of women who are raped attempt suicide
• 38% of victims of sexual violence experience work or school problems
• 37% experience family/friend problems, including getting into arguments more frequently than before, not feeling able to trust their family/friends, or not feeling as close to them as before.

Sexual assault victims are:

• 3.4 times more likely to use marijuana than the general public...
• 6 times more likely to use cocaine than the general public, and
• 10 times more likely to use other major drugs than the general public

The earlier you seek treatment the more easily you can avoid the development of significant problems.

Emotional responses of survivors will vary from individual to individual. Sexual assault can be extremely traumatic and life-changing. It’s important to remember that your responses are not crazy; they are normal reactions to a traumatic situation – sexual assault.

Below are some common questions and feelings survivors of sexual assault may experience but it is not necessarily an exhaustive list.

Why did this happen to me?
You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not your fault. Your power was taken away by someone else. Sexual violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, etc. One in three women and one in six men are sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime.

When will I be okay? When will this be over? When will I stop feeling so bad?
It is hard to understand that someone would do this to you and hard to imagine that there would be so much pain. It isn’t fair but you did survive. You are strong and courageous. There is no blueprint for healing. It is on your own time schedule and in your own way. Peter can help you if you need it.

How do I get over this?
No one was taught how to heal from a trauma, so it’s scary. There are no simple 10 steps to healing but healing is happening. Talking about it is a very important healing tool. Sexual assault is not something that any individual will ever “get over” in their lifetime without help, more, it becomes an experience that makes up the character and being of the victim/survivor that has no more or no less impact on the individual than any other life experience.

No one understands!
You are not alone. These are common feelings of survivors. Even if you feel that no one can understand your personal situation, there are those out there who want to help and support you through this time. Sexual assault is a very common experience for many people. 1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

It wasn’t that big of a deal.
What happened was a trauma and can affect you very much. Sometimes you don’t realize the extent of how it is affecting you right away. But, just pretending it didn’t happen or ignoring it won’t be helpful in the healing process.

I’m just imagining this. This couldn’t really have happened.
It’s hard to believe something so awful and so painful but typically memories like this are real. Memories of painful experiences are sometimes blocked until you’re ready to process them and move on.

I feel like I am going crazy!
You are not crazy; you are dealing with a “crazy” difficult situation. Many survivors have this feeling.

I know it may seem fairly trivial to some but I just so wish that it had never ever happened!

Unfortunately it did happen. It wasn't your fault, but you have been emotionally and psychologically traumatised by your experience - and you probably need to speak to Peter to help you to resolve the upset resulting from that traumatic situation, and to help you to truly get over it.

For professional, caring and confidential help, advice, therapy or treatment for, or about, any of the above issues or topics, or similar, please just contact Peter, preferably by e-mail, to arrange an appointment for your free initial consultation - either in person, or online.

Acknowledgements:

Overcoming Sexual Assault Symptoms and Recovery Victim Assistance Common Feelings of Sexual Assault Survivors National Sexual Violence Resource Centre (NSVRC)

Some other areas also benefitting from Online Hypnotherapy:

Birmingham Hypnotherapy; Bournemouth Hypnotherapy; Brighton Hypnotherapy; Bristol Hypnotherapy; Bucks Hypnotherapy; Cornwall Hypnotherapy; Devon Hypnotherapy; Dorset Hypnotherapy; 

Essex Hypnotherapy; Georgia Hypnotherapy; Hampshire Hypnotherapy; Kent Hypnotherapy; London Hypnotherapy; Midlands Hypnotherapy; Norfolk Hypnotherapy; Pennsylvania Hypnotherapy; Philadelphia Hypnotherapy; Poole Hypnotherapy; Portsmouth Hypnotherapy; Somerset Hypnotherapy; Southampton Hypnotherapy; Sussex Hypnotherapy; Wales Hypnotherapy; Yorkshire Hypnotherapy; Online Hypnotherapy