Information via accrediting organization American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Whether it was 10 days ago or 10 years ago, emotions and thoughts may seem overwhelming following a sexual assault. In learning the facts about rape and how to get help, women will discover that the symptoms they experience, while confusing, are to be expected given the trauma of such an attack.
Sexual assault is never the victim’s fault–ever. No matter what was said or what clothing the woman wore, whether there was alcohol involved, or if the perpetrator was not a stranger. A woman’s body is her own, and no one has permission to do anything against her wishes.
We often think of a sex offender as a faceless monster, but this just isn’t the case. While stranger rape is what most women fear, it isn’t the most prevalent type of sexual assault. Studies show that 76% of sexual assaults committed against women are by a current or former husband, lover, friend, or date.
There are some circumstances in which a woman is not able to give consent: when forced to engage in the activity; when harm is threatened (either personally or to another); if the woman is drugged, drunk or unconscious; if she is a minor; if she is developmentally disabled; or undergoing a medical procedure.
Sexual assault is defined as any sort of sexual activity in which a person is involved against her will. This is considered a horrible crime to most every man. While each has the tool to commit a sexual assault, a very small number has cruel intent. We know that a sexual assault takes place approximately every two minutes; however, these numbers may be low because these offenses are rarely reported.
One of the myths of rape is that after a certain period of time, the victim must be “over it.” This is rarely the case, but if a long time has passed since the assault, she may not be able to connect current issues with the past trauma suffered. There are several phases of trauma based on the time frame since the assault:
Information via accrediting organization American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
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