How To Overcome Sexual Assault

The trauma of having been raped or sexually assaulted can be devastating. Feelings of fear, shame, and loneliness may appear again and again in the form of nightmares, flashbacks, or other unpleasant symptoms. If you have been raped, you need to remember that you are not to blame for what happened and that you can recover, you can feel safe and confident again.

It is not easy to recover or overcome a rape or sexual trauma, it takes time and the healing process can be quite painful. But if you know the right strategies and have the support you need, you can do it. You will learn to take control of yourself and your self-esteem will slowly begin to resurface, making you stronger and more resilient.

The Aftermath Of Sexual Assault

This can cause damage far beyond the physical, the psychological pain can be greater. When a person has been raped the world ceases to be a safe place for him or her. They stop trusting others or themselves. People who have been raped may feel guilty about what happened or feel dirty or damaged. They may be struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression.

The aftermath is all the characteristic symptoms of trauma. They are feelings of helplessness, shame, shame, defect, guilt, of living in a reality that is not real. It is necessary for the affected person to seek help to overcome the rape and to live in harmony with him/herself.

How To Overcome A Sexual Assault

Reframe what happened to you

There’s no doubt that surviving sexual assault is hard. It will be difficult to admit that you were sexually violated, it may make you feel very bad or you may even be afraid of the reaction of others. But you should not keep it a secret because then you will be denying yourself the help you need.

Reach out to someone you trust and tell them what has happened to you. You need to be selective about who you tell. It is best to talk to someone who is understanding, empathetic, and calm.

Do not feel alone. You may feel powerless and vulnerable. Remember that you are strong and have coping skills. You just have to find the right strategies. To regain a sense of empowerment, help others. You can also seek help from sexual assault support groups.

The rapist is to blame, you don’t have to feel bad because you didn’t stop the assault or because you trusted the wrong person.

You will have to deal with upsetting memories

When going through a very stressful event, the body stays in fight or flight mode for a while…when the threat has passed the body calms down, but traumatic experiences can cause the nervous system to become stuck in a state of high alert. Memories, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts may become too frequent.

To avoid intrusive thoughts or disturbing memories:

• Try to anticipate and prepare for triggers.
• Pay attention to the danger signals your body is telling you.
• Learn techniques to relax at any time.
• Remember that the thoughts are in your mind, not the current reality.
• Live in the present and try to connect with yourself and your immediate environment.

Connect with yourself again

Your nervous system is in a state of hypersensitivity and you need to start doing things to avoid any association with the trauma. Gradually you will be able to turn off the unpleasant feelings and learn to feel joy again. Don’t disconnect emotionally, you need to feel alive.

It can be frightening to get back in touch with your body and your feelings after sexual trauma. In many ways, rape can make you feel like your body is your enemy because it is ‘contaminated’.

In addition, dealing with the feelings that rape produces can also be quite scary. Connect with your body and your feelings again. Memories are not real, but your body and mind are in the present and you should take care of them so that in this way, you can reconnect with yourself. You can do massages, meditate… and above all, do not leave aside the professional help and its guidelines.