Rape is not about sex. It is about power, control, and intimidation. In 1983, the Texas Legislature moved rape into the assault category renaming it sexual assault. This helps to accentuate the point that rape is sexualized violence not violent sex.
Sex is not rapes motive but its weapon. It is sex used as a weapon to humiliate, degrade, and cause pain. Aside from the fact that it uses the same parts of the body, it has nothing to do with regular consentual sexual relations. It doesn't feel like sex. It feels like being beaten up.
Rape is a violent crime which produces painful phsycological reprecussions. Every woman that is raped expresses fear for her life whether or not a weapon is used. Sgt.Harry O'Reilly of the New York Police Department sex crimes unit stated "Rape is the ultimate violation of the self, short of homocide. Or perhaps it is worse, for in homocide the self ceases to exhist and cannot suffer."
Rape trauma syndrome is defined by Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess as the "acute phase and long term reorganization process that ocurs as a result of forcible rape or attempted forcible rape. This syndrome of behavioral, somatic, and phsychological reactions is an acute stress reaction to life-threatening situation." The syndrome usually manifests itself in a three-phase reaction: disorganization, reorganization, and resolution and integration.
The first phase, consisting of impact and disorganization, is the period directly after the attack. In this period there is a great deal of disorganization in the victim's lifestyle as a result of the rape. Fear is the prominent feeling and physical symptoms are not
The second phase, reorganization, is when the victim begins to organize her lifestyle. The time of onset varies from victim to victim. A change in activities (i.e. changing residence, changing telephone number, trips to see family, etc.), nightmares, and phobias are likely during this period.
The third phase, consisting of resolution and integration, is when the victim begins establishing her emotional equilibrium and reaches her adapted lifestyle.
Rape represents a disruption of the lifestyle of the victim, not only during the immediate days and weeks following the incident, but possibly well beyond to many weeks and months. A woman's initial reactions to rape is generally either shock, anxiety, anger or all three. She might respond by crying, hysteria, remaning calm or becoming unusually calm.
One of the immediate problems that a victim may experience is the disturbance of sleep. This problem may be heightened if the woman was home asleep when she was attacked or if the rape took place within her home. A large number of the victims will move after they have been raped, as the fear that the man knows who they are and may return: some will resort to moving out of town or out of the state and not just across town.
Another commong post-rape emotion that women experience is fear. There may be a general fear of people or of men as the woman struggles with learning to trust people again. A victim may also experience a period of time immediately after the rape when she unwilling to come into contact with anyone,even family and loved ones. A mother may notice a sudden change in her behavior and reactions with her children. Many mothers suddenly become over protective of their children.
The long-range effects consist of resolution of these problems and an attempt to return to normal life. The victim will often try to justify to herself that everything is alright and by doing this she often suppresses her feelings. One way of relieving these suppressed feelings is by daydreaming. Another way of assuring herself and others she is Ok is by adopting a dangerous lifestyle. She may do things that she would not ordinarily do, just to prove to herself that she is not afraid and can still do whatever she wants.
Eventually, a woman realizes that she cannot go on without facing these feelings and dealing with the reality of the situation. She may drastically change her lifestyle at this point by moving, getting a dog, acquiring a roommate or lover, or by limiting her physical activity. There is generally one part of the trauma that she must resolve and it is often the most difficult and painful to deal with. Most rape victims experience strong feelings of guilt. This feeling of guitl is three-fold in it's origin.
(1) Women are conditioned by society to feel that a victim of rape was "asking for it" and that, if she conducted herself properly, this wouldn't have happened. What's more, many women are confronted with that kind of reaction by their husbands, parents, or others who tend to blame the victim for what has happened to her.
(2) Probably the most frightening thing about being raped is the experience of totally losing control. It is twice as frightening to admit that the rape happened as a result of chance and that it could happen again with no provocation what so ever on her part. This lack of control is too difficult for many rape victims to deal with. It is much easier and safer to pretend that "I must have done something to cause this to happen to me." The victim has a real need to regain control therefore, feeling guilty about what she might have done wrong fullfills this purpose.
(3) Being raped is very humiliating and dehumanizing. By assigning herself a role in the situation, she is able to feel more human again.
Victims of aquaintance rape or "date rape" can be even more psychologincally damaged than with other types of sexual assault because feelings or shame, guilt, fear, disbelief, and lowered self esteem are often very strong. The trauma of being deceived by a trusted person may cause the victim to initially deny the experience as if nothing happened.
Whatever the victim's feelings are after the assault, it is important that she be able to talk about them to someone who is willing to let her express her feelings and who will not make personal judgements or decisions about how she is reacting or how she should have handled the situation. The amount of support and understanding that a woman receives from her family and friends is of critical importance in her recovery and restoration of her prior level of functioning.
People exposed to dangerous and life threatening situations may develot a posttraumatic stress disorder. This disorder is described as acute when symptoms begin shortly after the trauma and as chronic when symptoms appear months or years later. Any time a trauma occurs, there is a potential for the victim to develop post traumatic stress disorder. Typically it occurs after military combat, natural disasters, hostage situations,rape , rape, assault, or extreme abuse. It is important to understand that the victims or posttraumatic stress disorder are normal people who have suffered abnormal events. People with ptsd often exhibit hyperalertness and increasing anxiety which can result in aggressive or bizare behavior. Ptsd victims may resort to abusing drugs and alcohol to in a effort to decrease this anxiety. They may also behave as if the original trauma were reoccuring. They may also develop a phobic avoidance of activities or situations that remind them of the trauma. This phobic avoidance may lead to a socially isolated lifestyle. People with ptsd often suffer from feelings of anxiety, tension, irritability, agression, and guilt and a physic numbing or other emotions. Ptsd victims suffer a number of congitive changes after the trauma. Ptsd suffers have a difficulty concentrating and may experience some impairment of memory. Flashbacks and flashes of the trauma are common. Devaluation is another change that occurs. The victim may feel like they did not deserve to survive.