Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Rape Survivors
PTSD is a reaction to being exposed to an event which is outside the range of normal human experience. Sometimes it is referred to as post t
Symptoms often present in Rape Trauma:
Intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
Repeated and distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Unable to distinguish between past events and reality. Such incidents are often called "flashbacks".
Distressing and or frightening dreams about the event.
Associating various words, happenings, or "triggers" to the actual event which then causes a "flashback".
Avoidance of anything that may "trigger" a flashback including not talking about the attack itself.
Pretending it nevertheless happened and an inability to recall anything about the attack, "denial".
A feeling of numbness, detachment or "unrealness" about everything.
A lack of emotion or inability to feel love or care about anything.
A feeling of depression and isolation.
A change in sleep patterns. More often or not the ability to sleep or stay asleep for any length of time.
Avoidance of being touched, and shying away from loved ones. Sudden movements may startle.
A lack of trust in anyone, even close family or partners.
More irritable than usual. Outbursts of anger and crying. Mood swings.
A feeling of low self esteem and confidence.
A feeling of being dirty, or disgusting.
Deep embarrassment or shame. Sometimes self blame for events.
Bitterness and morbid hatred of the perpetrator, with a preoccupation of how to harm or humiliate them.
Loss of appetite or a change in eating patterns.
Intrusive Symptoms: Flashbacks
Intrusive symptoms can be described as those where the traumatic event "intrudes" into everyday life, and is re-experienced. These symptoms are often referred to as Flashbacks. The event is so real and so vivid it feels like the person is actually experiencing the trauma all over again. It is happening right in front of their eyes, and they can't tell what is reality and what is memory.
These flashbacks can range in severity from mild and brief to long and strong. They can involve both sensory perceptions and motor re-enactment too. During a flashback you may experience vivid images, strong smells, or noises. Some may even involve actually acting out a traumatic experience. Many times trauma survivors don't recognize that they are having a flashback nor remember afterwards what happened. It is not unusual for someone to faint or dissociate during a flashback and be unable to recall any part of the experience, even when a witness describes their behavior to them.
Sometimes after a flashback trauma survivors are aware of what triggered especially if someone else observes the behavior and recounts it to them, or if it is a recurring situation.
Sometimes these flashbacks occur as nightmares or bad dreams too. There is some evidence to suggest that traumatic nightmares occur in the earlier, lighter stage of sleep than other dreams, and are more easily recalled upon waking. Traumatic dreams may however contain accurate and inaccurate, literal and symbolic, information and should always be interpreted with caution.
Sometimes there is no actual reliving of the trauma itself, but instead survivors experience a sudden painful emotional breakdown. These can involve crying, anger or fear for no apparent reason, and can occur repeatedly like flashbacks. Sometimes a flashback can involve just having feelings that are far more intense than a situation calls for but would have been appropriate in the original traumatic situation.
The important thing to remember about flashback experiences, especially those related to abuse and rape survivors, is that they can make you feel as afraid, as helpless, and as out of control as you were during the actual trauma, even if you don't consciously remember it. Others have the experience of losing their sense of where the flashback stops and reality begins.
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