Rape Trauma Syndrome Pros And Cons
Dangers of Rape Trauma Syndrome
La’Fattai Wheeler
Dr. Susan Lentz
CRJ 479: Violence Against Women
Abstract Rape is a very traumatic experience that a person can have. It is hard to even imagine what goes on in the heads of those who have been harmed sexually by, for the most part, someone they know. It is an experience that the un-raped population, no matter how much they tried, would never understand. During the post period after the rape has occurred, the victim faces obstacles mentally in her personal life, and legally, if he or she decides to pursue a case, for others to see. There are a lot of victims out there who will keep quiet about the situation choosing not to take it to court. Just imagine how the victim would feel …show more content…
if this were the case. Feminist have some feelings toward this subject matter. Depending upon what type of feminist they are, they would want the victim to take as much action as they can in order for the victim to see justice. This research paper will touch on what Rape Trauma Syndrome, the phases of Rape Trauma Syndrome, the expert psychological testimony, Rape Trauma Syndrome and how it relates to Post Traumatic Rape Syndrome, and the treatment.
What is Rape Trauma Syndrome?
Let us start this off by defining what rape trauma syndrome is. According to the medical dictionary at thefreedictionary.com Rape Trauma Syndrome is “[a]n acute stress reaction to a life-threatening situation in which sexual assault was attempted or successful” (McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 2002). This shows that Rape Trauma Syndrome does not just occur when the aggressor is successful at raping someone; it could be attempt as well. This means that a sexual threat or a touch can cause someone to have this syndrome. Just to have two different views of Rape Trauma syndrome, according to Ann Burgess, rape trauma is “the stress response pattern of the victim following forced, non-consenting sexual activity. This rape trauma syndrome of somatic, cognitive, psychological and behavioral symptoms [are] active stress reaction[s] to a life threatening situation” (97). This definition coming from Burgess is a well put definition. After a rape has been bestowed upon an individual, they experience a great amount of trauma, physically, mentally and emotionally. All of these factors weigh down on the victim and adds stress to their lives and their wellbeing.
As serious and as criminalizing as rape was, very few people reported that it happened to them. It was found that “and criminal victimization surveys estimate between 40-50% of forcible rapes are not reported” (Burgess 97). With the victims not speaking up, it gives the aggressor a sense of complete satisfaction; as if he or she has control in the situation. It is understandable that they may be in a state of fear to where it is hard to stand up and fight for themselves because of what the aggressor may say or do, but at some point, they need to realize that it would actually be beneficial for them to speak up. In the United States in a “nationally representative sample of college women, 20% of respondents reported that they had experienced forced intercourse…and in a Study of New Zealand Students 51% of women reported some type of sexual-victimization” (Kaltman, Krupnick, Stockton, Hooper & Green 547). Reporting the matter is like the victim reaching their hand out and asking for help. This is the first step. It is a big step but reporting the assault will hopefully help the victim recover faster by giving them a sense of closure.
Victims of sexual assault should at least consider the thought of reporting their assault; it could ultimately help them. Moving forward into more recent times, Burgess observed that: increase in rape reporting has been the positive institutional response to rape victims through the establishment of sex crime units by law enforcement agencies, victim advocates in rape crisis centers, victim specialists in prosecutor's offices and victim counselors in emergency departments of general hospitals. Rape rehabilitation services are also being covered by insurance companies under its workers' compensation policies (98).
What the victims fail to realize is that they can find an outlet to help them get past the negative energy that came from being raped or almost raped if they just report it. There is a resource pool that they can pull from that can help them get back to being who they are normally; back to being their confident selves. They need to know that there is help out there, but how would anyone know that a helping hand is needed if it goes unreported. They should not have to go through their situation alone.
Victims of sexual assault go through a lot of things emotionally and physically. It can be proven that “[v]ictims of sexual trauma have a significantly higher prevalence of both mental and physical health problems when compared to nonvictims…and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors including substance use and sexual risk-taking behavior” (Kaltman, Krupnick, Stockton, Hooper & Green 547). After a victim has been violated by a perpetrator, they may feel worthless. It gets them into the mood doing risking things because they feel less about themselves as a person. From the outside looking in, it appears as if they do not care about what they are doing to themselves, but from the inside, they may be trying to close the “wound” that they have from being assaulted.
Phases of Rape Trauma Syndrome There are a series of phases that are involved in Rape Trauma Syndrome.
There are four phases that are involved in the stress response to violence that are interrelated with the three response patterns of victims who were raped. The first phase of the stress response to violence “includes reactions of shock, disbelief, and denial to the [occurring] event with temporary paralysis of action and denial of sensory impression” (Burgess 98-99). This is pretty accurate. When a violent act is happening to a person, they are appalled that is it happening. They do not even want to believe that something of its stature would happen to them. This is directly related to the first phase of the response patterns of victims who were raped. Burgess mentioned that it is “defined as an acute phase, characterized by shock and disbelief followed by or alternating with fear and anxiety” (99). This phase happens in the moment when violent crime is happening. They are in shock and disbelief because, for the most part, they may have welcomed that person and may have felt comfortable with them at one point (they know the person). It could also be the complete opposite. They may not know the person at all and they are in shock that someone would do such a thing to them. The denial part come in when the victim give up and ultimately act as if the assault is not happening. They want to push the situation as far in the back of their mind as possible hoping that maybe it will
disappear.
The second phase of stress response to violence is when the more negative energy enters in. The second phase, “or when denial is overwhelmed by reality, is termed "frozen fright" and includes terror-induced, pseudo-calm, detached behavior” (Burgess 99). This is the time where the victim of violence knows that they have to come back to reality but they are scared, or they act calm but they are always on notice because of that violent act that occurred. This phase is related to the second phase of response patterns of those who have been raped. With this phase called the “"pseudo-adjustment," [it includes] such coping mechanisms as denial, suppression of affect, and rationalization used to regain equilibrium. The victim resumes normal activities, appears to be adjusting, and shows little interest in outside help” (Burgess 99). This phase is also occurring while the perpetrator is still in the presence of the victim. After a person has been sexually assaulted, especially if they are not trying to report it, they move past that shock and disbelief phase and realize that they have become a victim to rape. During this phase the victim is going to try to adjust and act normal even though really they are terrified by what just happened.
This response is a healthy start to assist the victim in getting back to normal but it may be temporary (Burgess 99). No matter how much the victim will try to deny that the sexual assault occurred, unfortunately, it is going to resurface. It is difficult to block such a traumatic experience out of the memory. The victim will probably carry that experience with them for the rest of their life. They attempt to act calm after the rape is complete but on the inside they emotionally beaten, stirred up, and confused. This causes them to act detached like they are not connected to the situation. They become “frozen” and do not want to have any form of contact with anyone. It is almost like an out of body experience; they are there, but they are not one hundred percent there.
The third phase of stress response to violence is when the victim begins to feel the effects of the sexual assault. The third phase begins “after the criminal departs[.] [T]he victim experiences circular bouts of apathy, resignation, anger, resentment, rage, insomnia, startle reactions, and a replay of the traumatic event through dreams and nightmares” (Burgess 99). The victim realizes that this stress over this violet act is disturbing their life. They are angry about the situation, they are losing sleep, they have no true concern about anything or anyone and they replay the violent act in their head over and over whether they are awake or asleep. It is just a true damper on their livelihood. This phase is related to the third phase of response patterns of those who have been raped when it comes to anger. With this third phase, all of the “[a]nger turned toward the assailant may be felt for the first time or be turned inward, intensifying the depression characteristic of early integration” (Burgess 100). This is the phase where the victim comes to grips with the fact that something has to be solved and the first step is letting it all out. The victim has a right to be angry. Most believe that they should not point that anger toward themselves, but it is up to the patient to get better in a way that best suites them.
The fourth and final phase of stress response to violence is the victim wants to be at peace with the violent act that was formed against them. Phase four is comprised of the “restoration and resolution and integration of the experience into the victim's behavior and lifestyle” (Burgess 99). This is when the victim will have an understanding that this violent crime has happened to them and they will live with it. They have to claim it and move forward with their lives. This phase is also related to the third phase of response patterns of those who have been raped. During phase three “the victim must face and resolve feelings about herself and her assailant” (Burgess 100). In order to accomplish this they must first talk about it. After all of that time of holding their feelings in, the victim finally realizes that the only way they can be at peace with what happened is to address the situation, so they can move on with their lives. By the end of this phase the victim should know that this rape will be with them forever but it does not make them who they are.
PTSD v RTS Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are very similar. Some psychiatrist believe that rape trauma syndrome is “a particular example of post-traumatic stress disorder as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual…of the American Psychiatric Association” (Borgida and Frazier 984). RTS and PTSD are similar in their characteristics. One of the characteristics that they share is flashbacks of the traumatic event. It is said that one of the main symptoms of PTSD is the “persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event, which can manifest as acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring in the form of illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashbacks” (Gupta 86). This is very similar to RTS because after a rape victim have experience that sexual assault, they do not just forget about it. They will relive that moment over and over because it was traumatizing; it is something that truly sparked fear in them.
Another characteristic that they have is the pseudo-calm effect. Another main symptom of PTSD is the “persistent symptoms of increased arousal as indicated by hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, difficulty falling or staying asleep, difficulty concentrating, and irritability or anger outburst” (Gupta 86). This also is similar to rape trauma syndrome. Like stated before, when rape victims are in the phases of both the stress response to violence and the response patterns of those who have been raped, these are the majority symptoms of that they face. The main difference between RTS and PTSD is that RTS has more of a specific focus on post rape trauma. Some people may think that there is no difference, so why have two names for the same thing. Truthfully, there is a difference. Someone who has symptoms for RTS can have PTSD, but just because someone has PTSD does not mean that they have RTS. With that slight statement, that means that they are not the same, just similar.
Expert Testimony in Court It is debatable whether the use of expert witness in court, usually a psychiatrist, for Rape Trauma Syndrome should be applied or left completely out. The reason that this is such a debate is because “Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) and its differentiation from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)” (McGowan Helms 51). Even though there is a distinction between the two, they are extremely similar. This can make it difficult to prove that it is RTS and not the PTSD in the court. This is where the victim can run into a problem in proving their case. In a traditional case that involves an expert on psychology “expert witnesses in rape cases do not usually undertake the evaluative role at all but instead are hired to educate the court generally about rape and rape victims” (McGowan Helmns 53). This sometimes in work in favor of the victim as jurors and judges make a decision, and other times does not. This type of participation from the expert witness is neither helping nor hindering the victim; their statement is just providing information to assist in the decision making process.
There were rare cases where an expert witness would evaluate a case. In traditional cases if an expert did decide to evaluate a case they “may in fact evaluate an alleged victim and not the defendant. As a result, the expert’s testimony does not explore the motivations of the defendant but depicts the trauma the victim incurred because of the defendant’s actions” (McGowan Helms 53). Once the expert witness takes the side of the victim, their statement can me biased. The reasoning behind this is the fact that the expert knows exactly what happens and how the victim feels during and after their sexual assault. Originally, the expert witness had to meet certain criteria in order to even be a witness in the court. The expert, if chosen for the case, “must possess some specialized knowledge, skill, training or possibly experience…to enable them to supply information and opinions not generally available to members of the public” (Biggers, Yim 63). The expert witness should be well equipped and knowledgeable of the subject matter. The more experience the witness had the better. Soon enough, people started to realize that after the expert witness would give their statement, it made it tougher for the defendant to have a fair trial. People who view cases such as these feel that “[t]he premise underlying our criminal justice system is that jurors are able to determine which facts in a trial indicate guilt. However, jurors' decisions, like those of the rest of society, are influenced by social and psychological information” (Tetreault 244). This very accurate. Some people on the jury may get this information from the expert witness then automatically sympathize with the victim disregarding any other background information. What if the defendant is innocent in the case? If this were the case, the expert witness may have swayed the jurors toward the side of the proclaimed “victim” which then may have an ending result where innocent defendant is found guilty. After seeing that this was a problem, “[a]llowing an expert to conclude about the truth or existence of a ‘fact’ in court is no longer admissible today in many state judicial systems” (McGowan & Helms 54). The people felt that the juror and judges needed to use their own judgment during the trial to decide whether the defendant is guilty, which is the most fair thing to do. This does, in turn. make it a little more difficult for the plaintiff to win the case.
Treatment
The toughest part of this entire syndrome is getting the proper recovery and treatment needed. Julia Skinner wrote about her own experience with rape and rape trauma syndrome and said that “because the man had threatened to ‘find and hurt [her]’ if [she] told anyone, [she] was so afraid that [she] chose to keep the experience to [herself]” (171). This is one of the reasons why victims have difficulties recovering from this syndrome. It could be beneficial and healthy for the victim to tell either a best friend, or a close family member. The best thing that they can do for themselves is to just let all of their frustrations out. The best lesson that a victim of rape can learn is “that one can never ‘get over’ a traumatic event. Instead, the healthiest way to promote healing is to work through the painful emotions that come up, and recognize that they will lessen considerably, but they will never completely go away” (Skinner 174). The victim should try to find help by using a therapist or a rape crisis center. They have to come to a conclusion that this is not their fault which will help them get back to normal.
There are some steps that a person can take in order to get them on the road to recovery. It was discovered that “[t]he thematic structure of a [victim’s] journey of recovery is comprised of three [interrelated] and interdependent themes: reaching out, reframing the rape, and redefining self” (Smith & Kelly 343). Imagine this as a circle working from the outside to the core. First they must speak up, then understand what happened, then finally redefine. These three steps are essential in recovering from rape trauma. The most important step is “[r]eaching out to others [which will help the victim] to accomplish the folowing: 1) geting back to normal routines, 2) talking without crying, 3) being in control of obsessive thoughts, and 4) gaining the ability to move about freely in [their] environment” (Smith & Kelly 344). If the victim never reaches out to those they know they can trust, then they will be stuck in the chaos of that traumatic event forever. Being stuck there can lead to an abundance of other health problems such as extreme depression and substance abuse.
The second theme is a little bit more challenging. It is when the victim “challenges [themselves] to 1) see the positives of recovering from the trauma, 2) gain a new perspective on life” (Smith & Kelly 344). Trying to adjust and getting back to normal is a healthy sign. This does not necessarily mean that they are attempting to move on, just trying to cope better with the situation a hand. Lastly the victim needs to have “this internal understanding [of] 1) self-love, 2) forgiveness of self and the rapist, and 3) inner peace.” (Smith & Kelly 344). After this stage, the victim should be able to cope with the sexual assault that they experienced. It may be a long road to getting to this stage, but the goal is to make it here which will then prove that the victim can live a normal life.
Feminist View
Many people took a lot of action through writing in the 1970s when they got fed up with women being the victims to sexual assault. Burgess mentioned that these writings were written primarily by feminists and carried common themes: the sense of personal outrage over intimate violation; a lack of clarity concerning how to characterize the event even to oneself, and even how to characterize oneself following the event; the felt ineptness of systems that treat victims; the lack of consistent guidelines about the benefits of pursuing legal channels; and the lack of understanding of why the rape occurred and who the perpetrator was (99).
In these writings, feminist were attempting to let their voice be heard about the things that women would experience after being raped. They wanted to know why we did not have accurate resources in order for women to get back on the right track.
Rape crisis programs have been very successful in assisting rape victims in with recovery. What many people do not know is that at first, “they represented a feminist response to the culture’s violence against women, the tendency to blame the victim, and the lack of societal resources to assist rape victims” (Woody & Beldin). Feminist had to make a stand against the violence that was upon them. They wanted to assure that women who fall victim of sexual assault had somewhere to turn for expert advice and assistance.
Conclusion
Not all victims of Rape will go through RTS, but if they do, it is one of the worst things that someone should go through alone. RTS can be very detrimental to one’s health; depression and substance abuse are amongst the factors that can have an influence on someone’s health conditions. Reaching out and asking for a helping hand is one of the most important things that a rape victim can do. It may be hard to ask for help at first, but once they do ask they will be glad they did.
Bibliography
Biggers, J. R., & Yim, C. I. (2003). Rape Trauma Syndrome: An Examination of Standards that Determine the Admissibility of Expert Witness Testimony. Journal Of Forensic Psychology Practice, 3(1), 61-77.
Burgess, A. (1983). Rape Trauma Syndrome. Behavioral Sciences & The Law, 1(3), 97-113
Frazier, P., & Borgida, E. (1985). Rape Trauma Syndrome Evidence in Court. American Psychologist, 40(9), 984-993
Gupta, M. A. (2013). Review of somatic symptoms in post-traumatic stress disorder. International Review Of Psychiatry, 25(1), 86-99. doi:10.3109/09540261.2012.736367
Kaltman, S., Krupnick, J., Stockton, P., Hooper, L., & Green, B. L. (2005). Psychological impact of types of sexual trauma among college women. Journal Of Traumatic Stress, 18(5), 547-555.
McGowan, M., & Helms, J. L. (2003). The Utility of the Expert Witness in a Rape Case: Reconsidering Rape Trauma Syndrome. Journal Of Forensic Psychology Practice, 3(1), 51-60
Rape Trauma Syndrome. (n.d.) McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. (2002). Retrieved October30, 2014 from http://medical- dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Rape+Trauma+Syndrome
Skinner, J. (2009). Recovery from Trauma: A Look Into the Process of Healing from Sexual Assault. Journal Of Loss & Trauma, 14(3), 170-180. doi:10.1080/15325020902724537
Smith, M. E., & Kelly, L. M. (2001). THE JOURNEY OF RECOVERY AFTER A RAPE EXPERIENCE. Issues In Mental Health Nursing, 22(4), 337-352.
Tetreault, P. A. (1989). Rape Myth Acceptance: A Case for Providing Educational Expert Testimony in Rape Jury Trials. Behavioral Sciences & The Law, 7(2), 243-257.
Woody, Jane D, PhD, MSW; Beldin, Kerry L, MSW, PhD. Violence and Victims27.1 (2012): 95-108.
La’Fattai Wheeler
Dr. Susan Lentz
CRJ 479: Violence Against Women
Abstract Rape is a very traumatic experience that a person can have. It is hard to even imagine what goes on in the heads of those who have been harmed sexually by, for the most part, someone they know. It is an experience that the un-raped population, no matter how much they tried, would never understand. During the post period after the rape has occurred, the victim faces obstacles mentally in her personal life, and legally, if he or she decides to pursue a case, for others to see. There are a lot of victims out there who will keep quiet about the situation choosing not to take it to court. Just imagine how the victim would feel …show more content…
if this were the case. Feminist have some feelings toward this subject matter. Depending upon what type of feminist they are, they would want the victim to take as much action as they can in order for the victim to see justice. This research paper will touch on what Rape Trauma Syndrome, the phases of Rape Trauma Syndrome, the expert psychological testimony, Rape Trauma Syndrome and how it relates to Post Traumatic Rape Syndrome, and the treatment.
What is Rape Trauma Syndrome?
Let us start this off by defining what rape trauma syndrome is. According to the medical dictionary at thefreedictionary.com Rape Trauma Syndrome is “[a]n acute stress reaction to a life-threatening situation in which sexual assault was attempted or successful” (McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 2002). This shows that Rape Trauma Syndrome does not just occur when the aggressor is successful at raping someone; it could be attempt as well. This means that a sexual threat or a touch can cause someone to have this syndrome. Just to have two different views of Rape Trauma syndrome, according to Ann Burgess, rape trauma is “the stress response pattern of the victim following forced, non-consenting sexual activity. This rape trauma syndrome of somatic, cognitive, psychological and behavioral symptoms [are] active stress reaction[s] to a life threatening situation” (97). This definition coming from Burgess is a well put definition. After a rape has been bestowed upon an individual, they experience a great amount of trauma, physically, mentally and emotionally. All of these factors weigh down on the victim and adds stress to their lives and their wellbeing.
As serious and as criminalizing as rape was, very few people reported that it happened to them. It was found that “and criminal victimization surveys estimate between 40-50% of forcible rapes are not reported” (Burgess 97). With the victims not speaking up, it gives the aggressor a sense of complete satisfaction; as if he or she has control in the situation. It is understandable that they may be in a state of fear to where it is hard to stand up and fight for themselves because of what the aggressor may say or do, but at some point, they need to realize that it would actually be beneficial for them to speak up. In the United States in a “nationally representative sample of college women, 20% of respondents reported that they had experienced forced intercourse…and in a Study of New Zealand Students 51% of women reported some type of sexual-victimization” (Kaltman, Krupnick, Stockton, Hooper & Green 547). Reporting the matter is like the victim reaching their hand out and asking for help. This is the first step. It is a big step but reporting the assault will hopefully help the victim recover faster by giving them a sense of closure.
Victims of sexual assault should at least consider the thought of reporting their assault; it could ultimately help them. Moving forward into more recent times, Burgess observed that: increase in rape reporting has been the positive institutional response to rape victims through the establishment of sex crime units by law enforcement agencies, victim advocates in rape crisis centers, victim specialists in prosecutor's offices and victim counselors in emergency departments of general hospitals. Rape rehabilitation services are also being covered by insurance companies under its workers' compensation policies (98).
What the victims fail to realize is that they can find an outlet to help them get past the negative energy that came from being raped or almost raped if they just report it. There is a resource pool that they can pull from that can help them get back to being who they are normally; back to being their confident selves. They need to know that there is help out there, but how would anyone know that a helping hand is needed if it goes unreported. They should not have to go through their situation alone.
Victims of sexual assault go through a lot of things emotionally and physically. It can be proven that “[v]ictims of sexual trauma have a significantly higher prevalence of both mental and physical health problems when compared to nonvictims…and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors including substance use and sexual risk-taking behavior” (Kaltman, Krupnick, Stockton, Hooper & Green 547). After a victim has been violated by a perpetrator, they may feel worthless. It gets them into the mood doing risking things because they feel less about themselves as a person. From the outside looking in, it appears as if they do not care about what they are doing to themselves, but from the inside, they may be trying to close the “wound” that they have from being assaulted.
Phases of Rape Trauma Syndrome There are a series of phases that are involved in Rape Trauma Syndrome.
There are four phases that are involved in the stress response to violence that are interrelated with the three response patterns of victims who were raped. The first phase of the stress response to violence “includes reactions of shock, disbelief, and denial to the [occurring] event with temporary paralysis of action and denial of sensory impression” (Burgess 98-99). This is pretty accurate. When a violent act is happening to a person, they are appalled that is it happening. They do not even want to believe that something of its stature would happen to them. This is directly related to the first phase of the response patterns of victims who were raped. Burgess mentioned that it is “defined as an acute phase, characterized by shock and disbelief followed by or alternating with fear and anxiety” (99). This phase happens in the moment when violent crime is happening. They are in shock and disbelief because, for the most part, they may have welcomed that person and may have felt comfortable with them at one point (they know the person). It could also be the complete opposite. They may not know the person at all and they are in shock that someone would do such a thing to them. The denial part come in when the victim give up and ultimately act as if the assault is not happening. They want to push the situation as far in the back of their mind as possible hoping that maybe it will
disappear.
The second phase of stress response to violence is when the more negative energy enters in. The second phase, “or when denial is overwhelmed by reality, is termed "frozen fright" and includes terror-induced, pseudo-calm, detached behavior” (Burgess 99). This is the time where the victim of violence knows that they have to come back to reality but they are scared, or they act calm but they are always on notice because of that violent act that occurred. This phase is related to the second phase of response patterns of those who have been raped. With this phase called the “"pseudo-adjustment," [it includes] such coping mechanisms as denial, suppression of affect, and rationalization used to regain equilibrium. The victim resumes normal activities, appears to be adjusting, and shows little interest in outside help” (Burgess 99). This phase is also occurring while the perpetrator is still in the presence of the victim. After a person has been sexually assaulted, especially if they are not trying to report it, they move past that shock and disbelief phase and realize that they have become a victim to rape. During this phase the victim is going to try to adjust and act normal even though really they are terrified by what just happened.
This response is a healthy start to assist the victim in getting back to normal but it may be temporary (Burgess 99). No matter how much the victim will try to deny that the sexual assault occurred, unfortunately, it is going to resurface. It is difficult to block such a traumatic experience out of the memory. The victim will probably carry that experience with them for the rest of their life. They attempt to act calm after the rape is complete but on the inside they emotionally beaten, stirred up, and confused. This causes them to act detached like they are not connected to the situation. They become “frozen” and do not want to have any form of contact with anyone. It is almost like an out of body experience; they are there, but they are not one hundred percent there.
The third phase of stress response to violence is when the victim begins to feel the effects of the sexual assault. The third phase begins “after the criminal departs[.] [T]he victim experiences circular bouts of apathy, resignation, anger, resentment, rage, insomnia, startle reactions, and a replay of the traumatic event through dreams and nightmares” (Burgess 99). The victim realizes that this stress over this violet act is disturbing their life. They are angry about the situation, they are losing sleep, they have no true concern about anything or anyone and they replay the violent act in their head over and over whether they are awake or asleep. It is just a true damper on their livelihood. This phase is related to the third phase of response patterns of those who have been raped when it comes to anger. With this third phase, all of the “[a]nger turned toward the assailant may be felt for the first time or be turned inward, intensifying the depression characteristic of early integration” (Burgess 100). This is the phase where the victim comes to grips with the fact that something has to be solved and the first step is letting it all out. The victim has a right to be angry. Most believe that they should not point that anger toward themselves, but it is up to the patient to get better in a way that best suites them.
The fourth and final phase of stress response to violence is the victim wants to be at peace with the violent act that was formed against them. Phase four is comprised of the “restoration and resolution and integration of the experience into the victim's behavior and lifestyle” (Burgess 99). This is when the victim will have an understanding that this violent crime has happened to them and they will live with it. They have to claim it and move forward with their lives. This phase is also related to the third phase of response patterns of those who have been raped. During phase three “the victim must face and resolve feelings about herself and her assailant” (Burgess 100). In order to accomplish this they must first talk about it. After all of that time of holding their feelings in, the victim finally realizes that the only way they can be at peace with what happened is to address the situation, so they can move on with their lives. By the end of this phase the victim should know that this rape will be with them forever but it does not make them who they are.
PTSD v RTS Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are very similar. Some psychiatrist believe that rape trauma syndrome is “a particular example of post-traumatic stress disorder as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual…of the American Psychiatric Association” (Borgida and Frazier 984). RTS and PTSD are similar in their characteristics. One of the characteristics that they share is flashbacks of the traumatic event. It is said that one of the main symptoms of PTSD is the “persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event, which can manifest as acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring in the form of illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashbacks” (Gupta 86). This is very similar to RTS because after a rape victim have experience that sexual assault, they do not just forget about it. They will relive that moment over and over because it was traumatizing; it is something that truly sparked fear in them.
Another characteristic that they have is the pseudo-calm effect. Another main symptom of PTSD is the “persistent symptoms of increased arousal as indicated by hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, difficulty falling or staying asleep, difficulty concentrating, and irritability or anger outburst” (Gupta 86). This also is similar to rape trauma syndrome. Like stated before, when rape victims are in the phases of both the stress response to violence and the response patterns of those who have been raped, these are the majority symptoms of that they face. The main difference between RTS and PTSD is that RTS has more of a specific focus on post rape trauma. Some people may think that there is no difference, so why have two names for the same thing. Truthfully, there is a difference. Someone who has symptoms for RTS can have PTSD, but just because someone has PTSD does not mean that they have RTS. With that slight statement, that means that they are not the same, just similar.
Expert Testimony in Court It is debatable whether the use of expert witness in court, usually a psychiatrist, for Rape Trauma Syndrome should be applied or left completely out. The reason that this is such a debate is because “Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) and its differentiation from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)” (McGowan Helms 51). Even though there is a distinction between the two, they are extremely similar. This can make it difficult to prove that it is RTS and not the PTSD in the court. This is where the victim can run into a problem in proving their case. In a traditional case that involves an expert on psychology “expert witnesses in rape cases do not usually undertake the evaluative role at all but instead are hired to educate the court generally about rape and rape victims” (McGowan Helmns 53). This sometimes in work in favor of the victim as jurors and judges make a decision, and other times does not. This type of participation from the expert witness is neither helping nor hindering the victim; their statement is just providing information to assist in the decision making process.
There were rare cases where an expert witness would evaluate a case. In traditional cases if an expert did decide to evaluate a case they “may in fact evaluate an alleged victim and not the defendant. As a result, the expert’s testimony does not explore the motivations of the defendant but depicts the trauma the victim incurred because of the defendant’s actions” (McGowan Helms 53). Once the expert witness takes the side of the victim, their statement can me biased. The reasoning behind this is the fact that the expert knows exactly what happens and how the victim feels during and after their sexual assault. Originally, the expert witness had to meet certain criteria in order to even be a witness in the court. The expert, if chosen for the case, “must possess some specialized knowledge, skill, training or possibly experience…to enable them to supply information and opinions not generally available to members of the public” (Biggers, Yim 63). The expert witness should be well equipped and knowledgeable of the subject matter. The more experience the witness had the better. Soon enough, people started to realize that after the expert witness would give their statement, it made it tougher for the defendant to have a fair trial. People who view cases such as these feel that “[t]he premise underlying our criminal justice system is that jurors are able to determine which facts in a trial indicate guilt. However, jurors' decisions, like those of the rest of society, are influenced by social and psychological information” (Tetreault 244). This very accurate. Some people on the jury may get this information from the expert witness then automatically sympathize with the victim disregarding any other background information. What if the defendant is innocent in the case? If this were the case, the expert witness may have swayed the jurors toward the side of the proclaimed “victim” which then may have an ending result where innocent defendant is found guilty. After seeing that this was a problem, “[a]llowing an expert to conclude about the truth or existence of a ‘fact’ in court is no longer admissible today in many state judicial systems” (McGowan & Helms 54). The people felt that the juror and judges needed to use their own judgment during the trial to decide whether the defendant is guilty, which is the most fair thing to do. This does, in turn. make it a little more difficult for the plaintiff to win the case.
Treatment
The toughest part of this entire syndrome is getting the proper recovery and treatment needed. Julia Skinner wrote about her own experience with rape and rape trauma syndrome and said that “because the man had threatened to ‘find and hurt [her]’ if [she] told anyone, [she] was so afraid that [she] chose to keep the experience to [herself]” (171). This is one of the reasons why victims have difficulties recovering from this syndrome. It could be beneficial and healthy for the victim to tell either a best friend, or a close family member. The best thing that they can do for themselves is to just let all of their frustrations out. The best lesson that a victim of rape can learn is “that one can never ‘get over’ a traumatic event. Instead, the healthiest way to promote healing is to work through the painful emotions that come up, and recognize that they will lessen considerably, but they will never completely go away” (Skinner 174). The victim should try to find help by using a therapist or a rape crisis center. They have to come to a conclusion that this is not their fault which will help them get back to normal.
There are some steps that a person can take in order to get them on the road to recovery. It was discovered that “[t]he thematic structure of a [victim’s] journey of recovery is comprised of three [interrelated] and interdependent themes: reaching out, reframing the rape, and redefining self” (Smith & Kelly 343). Imagine this as a circle working from the outside to the core. First they must speak up, then understand what happened, then finally redefine. These three steps are essential in recovering from rape trauma. The most important step is “[r]eaching out to others [which will help the victim] to accomplish the folowing: 1) geting back to normal routines, 2) talking without crying, 3) being in control of obsessive thoughts, and 4) gaining the ability to move about freely in [their] environment” (Smith & Kelly 344). If the victim never reaches out to those they know they can trust, then they will be stuck in the chaos of that traumatic event forever. Being stuck there can lead to an abundance of other health problems such as extreme depression and substance abuse.
The second theme is a little bit more challenging. It is when the victim “challenges [themselves] to 1) see the positives of recovering from the trauma, 2) gain a new perspective on life” (Smith & Kelly 344). Trying to adjust and getting back to normal is a healthy sign. This does not necessarily mean that they are attempting to move on, just trying to cope better with the situation a hand. Lastly the victim needs to have “this internal understanding [of] 1) self-love, 2) forgiveness of self and the rapist, and 3) inner peace.” (Smith & Kelly 344). After this stage, the victim should be able to cope with the sexual assault that they experienced. It may be a long road to getting to this stage, but the goal is to make it here which will then prove that the victim can live a normal life.
Feminist View
Many people took a lot of action through writing in the 1970s when they got fed up with women being the victims to sexual assault. Burgess mentioned that these writings were written primarily by feminists and carried common themes: the sense of personal outrage over intimate violation; a lack of clarity concerning how to characterize the event even to oneself, and even how to characterize oneself following the event; the felt ineptness of systems that treat victims; the lack of consistent guidelines about the benefits of pursuing legal channels; and the lack of understanding of why the rape occurred and who the perpetrator was (99).
In these writings, feminist were attempting to let their voice be heard about the things that women would experience after being raped. They wanted to know why we did not have accurate resources in order for women to get back on the right track.
Rape crisis programs have been very successful in assisting rape victims in with recovery. What many people do not know is that at first, “they represented a feminist response to the culture’s violence against women, the tendency to blame the victim, and the lack of societal resources to assist rape victims” (Woody & Beldin). Feminist had to make a stand against the violence that was upon them. They wanted to assure that women who fall victim of sexual assault had somewhere to turn for expert advice and assistance.
Conclusion
Not all victims of Rape will go through RTS, but if they do, it is one of the worst things that someone should go through alone. RTS can be very detrimental to one’s health; depression and substance abuse are amongst the factors that can have an influence on someone’s health conditions. Reaching out and asking for a helping hand is one of the most important things that a rape victim can do. It may be hard to ask for help at first, but once they do ask they will be glad they did.
Bibliography
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