Sound of approaching footsteps, ticking clocks, knocking doors, laughter and whispering are normal for most of us but they might be causing a few to palpitate with fear and terror. No wonder, these few can be the victims of sexual assaults, mostly females, feeling humiliated both physically and mentally. The victims can experience number of reactions, some being short term and other being long term, PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) being one among them.
PTSD is a common anxiety disorder or a psychological trauma experienced by the victim. It can occur anywhere in between 2 weeks- 3 months and be effective for years. The symptoms of PTSD include re-experiencing the trauma, social withdrawal, emotional detachment. Most of the victims are not able to overcome this trauma because of lack of awareness and lack of support by the family and the society.
Battling the PTSD- I believe following these few steps the victims can try overcoming this disorder:
1) Finding a psychological to share the emotions and fear and trepidation. Going to a woman psychological can be a good idea as it might help in comforting the victim. There are psychologists who are open to deal with the sexual trauma cases.
If the victims don’t feel like going to a psychologist due to insecurity or factors like financial or social, they can try:
2) Going to some psychologists/therapists associated with the NGO’s supporting the sexual assault victims ensuring both supportive and comforting environment for the victims and not affecting their pocket.
3) Talking to someone who has survived or overcome such traumas. It can prove to be a good mutual support and recovery activity.
4) Sometimes the victim may not feel like talking to anyone outside their comfort zone. In such cases, they should talk to their near one including their parents, sibling or partners. The later can help the victim in getting over the fears, avoiding the trauma triggers and building up her self-confidence.
5) This one the most important and therapeutic in its own. I would call it “self-healing and building”. In some cases, the victims don’t find any of the above ways congenial, this is when the “mind-body connection” comes into action. The victims should try to heal their mind and body by getting reacquainted with their body. It can involve numerous ways like relaxing, exercising, meditating and yoga. The survivors should understand their self-importance, realizing how beautiful and strong you are and can be, knowing there is nothing in this world that can put an end to your right to live, smile and explore.
All these measures will not only help the victims to overcome PTSD but also protect them from any of the reoccurring assaults.
In the end, I would just like to say that each one of us matters to this universe, so it’s the time we join our hands, open our arms to help ourselves and the other victims to overcome every kind of trauma and detrimental experiences. Remember, you are much more worth than just being feeling ashamed and victimized.