Rape counselling

Rape can happen to anyone, at any stage of their life: men, women, children and the elderly. Survivors of rape & sexual abuse usually experience extreme emotional distress and although rationally they may know that what happened was not their fault, many experience great shame & guilt, as well as anger & as a result may keep what happened to them secret, even from their closest family members, doctor and other health professionals.

Debilitating symptoms

Survivors of rape & sexual abuse can go on to develop a wide-range of reactions to the trauma & symptoms such as:

Flashbacks, panic attacks, nightmares, generalised anxiety, difficulty sleeping, agoraphobia , depression, problems with sexual intimacy and self-medication in the form of addiction. In some cases they may go on to develop full-blown Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in which the person’s ability to function in major areas of life is compromised and they find themselves unable to hold down jobs or to maintain important relationships. Traditionally rape counselling has encouraged people to relive the trauma. Many people experience this as extremely traumatic in itself. In addition it can require survivors to talk about what happened in great detail which, in the case of forced sexual activity, can be experienced as uncomfortable, an invasion of privacy or even humiliating. Happily there is now another option.

All therapists in the MindFully Well network use a specific intervention (the same one as used by UK charity PTSD Resolution. You can read the key facts about this method here) which offers a number of advantages over traditional approaches to rape counselling:

• Relief of distress –starts immediately
• Fast reduction of debilitating symptoms(such as anxiety)-you can expect improvement from the first session
• Non-voyeuristic-we talk you through a process that happens in your own head. We don’t need to know the details.
• A comfortable process-you are in relaxed state throughout. This is achieved using a combination of relaxation techniques.
• Effective –often a few sessions is sufficient to give you the relief that you are seeking.

If you have experienced rape or sexual abuse and are looking for caring, confidential and effective help all counsellors – psychotherapists in the MindFully Well network are all fully trained and qualified in the approach outlined in this article. Call us- we can help!

by Ann Marie Taylor, Psychotherapist based in Greystones & Dublin.