Hello there. I'm Peter Back.
I’m a hypnotherapist and psychoanalyst in private practice here at the Surrey Hypnotherapy clinic, in the Woking and Guildford area of Surrey, UK.
Many of the people that I help did not experience their assault recently - it may have happened many many years ago, and they were so upset and confused at the time that they tried to pretend that it didn't happen.
They 'dealt with' the situation at the time by avoidance - they avoided talking about it, they avoided thinking about it - they didn't speak to anyone about it, and as a result all those feelings and emotions were 'bottled up' inside themselves at the time.
And, some time later, something has happened, maybe a news report or programme on the TV or radio, that has, somehow, reminded them, maybe subconsciously, of the incident - and since that time they have found it difficult to put the incident behind them. The genie is out of the bottle - it has been 'retriggered', and those bottled up thoughts and feelings start to create a potentially wide range of symptoms, such as upset, tearfulness, anxiety, depression, erratic behaviour, intrusive thoughts etc. And these symptoms progressively increase in severity as time passes (potentially over months, or even decades), until the survivor eventually recognises that they really do have a problem, and they then contact me, seeking help for the symptoms that they have, possibly not even realising that their symptoms are a result of the sexual assault they experienced 'way back when'.
The therapy that I specialise in is similar to the traditional 'old fashioned' psychoanalysis type therapy that you may have heard of, where you effectively lie on a couch with your eyes closed, speaking out your thoughts to me, your therapist
The difference with what I actually do is that the traditional 'old fashioned' psychoanalysis type therapy approach only really works well when the client is nicely relaxed - and so I help the client to first get into a nicely relaxed state by using Hypnosis before starting the therapy.
The effect of the enhanced relaxation is that it makes it easier for you to access, and identify, the particular problem areas that you have. And with this therapy, and my special techniques, we work together to rectify the cause(s) of the problem(s) and symptoms that you have, and undo the damage that has arisen as a result of your sexual assault.
And the benefit of using Hypnosis in the way that I do is that it greatly accelerates your therapy – and reduces a traditional, 'old fashioned', psychoanalysis type therapy down from about 1000 hours, of seeing a therapist maybe 3 times a week for 4+ years, to something more like just 9-12 hours of therapy over 6-8 weekly sessions!
I am very experienced in practising this advanced form of therapy with sexual assault survivors and I really do understand the symptoms and the suffering that my clients have had to endure before coming to see me.
If you would like more information on how this successful treatment could benefit you please contact me to arrange a FREE initial, and confidential, consultation, and get started on changing your life straight away.
YOUR NEXT STEP...
Either:
Contact Peter to make an appointment for a free initial consultation, either in person, or online.
or
Read Peter's website welcome letter.
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.
Please Note
With the advent in the UK of the coronavirus, and the UK government's sudden 'lockdown' insistence upon travel restrictions, social distancing and social isolation, I was encouraged by many of my clients at the time to see if it might be possible for them to continue their therapy with me using an on-line, internet based, approach - maybe based on using a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) provider, such as Skype, or similar.
I might stress that I really am indebted to those clients, for all their encouragement at that time, because it did eventually prove possible to overcome the early 'teething problems' and establish a reliable method for providing effective therapy to people online, over the internet - and all without them having to leave the comfort of their own homes !
And of course the effect of this is that travel is now no longer the obstacle to accessing effective therapy that it used to be - and I am now able to easily provide effective therapy to many, many, more people, who may be almost anywhere in the world !
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:
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:
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:
Sexual assault victims are:
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)
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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