{"id":14361,"date":"2016-03-24T11:00:59","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=14361"},"modified":"2023-03-10T18:25:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T18:25:26","slug":"sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know.htm","title":{"rendered":"Sexual Assault \u2013 the Psychological Effects We Need to Recognise"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_14366\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14366\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14366\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5166706887_e5cb692d25-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"surviving sexual assault\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5166706887_e5cb692d25-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5166706887_e5cb692d25.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14366\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/wenews\/5166706887\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Women&#8217;s eNews<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to the Office of National Statistics, a staggering 85,000 women and 12,000 men are raped in England and Wales every year, and<strong> almost half a million adults are assaulted sexually annually<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>With only around 15% actually reporting their experience to the police, how many are finding the support they need to deal with the psychological aftermath?<\/p>\n<p><strong>To be sexually assaulted is undoubtedly a traumatic event, regardless if it was unwanted sexual touching, harassment, or an attempted or completed rape.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What are the long-term affects of sexual assault exactly? And how can you manage them?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/ptsd-in-children.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)<\/span><\/a> involves ongoing symptoms of anxiety and stress after a terrifying or overwhelming experience, and<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0111136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> one study found that<\/a> <strong>two in five women who experienced sexual violence will develop PTSD.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even more concerning,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/15325020903373151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> another study<\/a> showed that <strong>those who experienced sexual abuse were more likely to develop PTSD than those who had lost a loved one or been in a major traffic accident<\/strong>. Symptoms can include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>intrusive or disturbing memories of the event<\/li>\n<li>avoiding persons or situations that cause anxiety<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/flashback-vs-hallucination-vs-delusion.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">flashbacks<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Recurrent dreams and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/sleep-help-guide.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">difficulty sleeping<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li>Feelings of detachment from your own body<\/li>\n<li>Experiencing the world in a dreamlike or distorted way<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/why-am-i-so-distracted.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Difficulty concentrating<\/span><\/a> an being easily startled<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(See our guide to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/ptsd-asd-help-guide.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">post-traumatic stress disorder<\/a><\/span> for more information).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Guilt and Self-Blame<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Sadly many sufferers of sexual asssault then turn the experience on themselves in the form of self-blame, haunted by questions like, \u201cWhat if I hadn\u2019t gone to that place that day? Was I too reckless? What if I fought harder?\u201d <strong>When the responsibility lies with the person who carried out the attack, not you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Low Moods and Depression<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_14367\" style=\"width: 369px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/14784550755_a40ba554fe.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14367\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14367\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/14784550755_a40ba554fe-359x400.jpg\" alt=\"sexual assault\" width=\"359\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/14784550755_a40ba554fe-359x400.jpg 359w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/14784550755_a40ba554fe.jpg 449w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-14367\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/internetarchivebookimages\/14784550755\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Internet Archive Book Images<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Are you experiencing low or flat moods, or have you lost interest in the hobbies and activities you used to enjoy? Have you stopped planning your future even? And do you feel detached from everyone around you, as if you can no longer connect?<\/p>\n<p>These are all symptoms of depression, a common side effect of sexual assault. The <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0111136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">same study<\/a> that looked at post-traumatic stress disorder found that a good half of the participants were suffering severe depression even six months after they experienced an assault.<\/p>\n<p>[Read our comprehensive <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/depression-help-guide.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guide to Depression<\/a><\/span> for more symptoms and for treatment advice.]<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Reckless or Self-Destructive Behaviours<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It is not unusual to turn to coping strategies after an ordeal. Although such activities might feel like they ease your emotional distress, they do not address the source of the problem and can just cause more damage, both emotionally and physically.<\/p>\n<p>Destructive coping strategies you might find you turn to can include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/alcohol-and-depression.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">alcohol<\/span> <\/a>and substance abuse<\/li>\n<li>starting smoking or smoking more than usual<\/li>\n<li>disordered eating (<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/truth-about-overeating-case-study.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">overeating<\/a><\/span>, under eating, binge eating, purging)<\/li>\n<li>unsafe sex<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>5. Pain and Other Physical Symptoms<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One unexpected but common consequence of sexual assault is the onset of chronic pain and other <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/medically-unexplained-symptoms-counselling.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unexplained medical symptoms<\/a><\/span>. A <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/j.1532-2149.2013.00395.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2013 study <\/a>at the University of North Carolina showed that even 3 months after assault sufferers of sexual assault were prone to suffering physical pain in areas of their body that had nothing to do with the attacks they suffered, and also suffered \u2018somatic\u2019 symptoms like <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/sleep-help-guide.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">insomnia<\/a><\/span>, headaches, and nausea.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Relationship Difficulties <\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_14368\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5829107262_05f90a1487.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14368\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14368\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5829107262_05f90a1487-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"sexual assault\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5829107262_05f90a1487-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5829107262_05f90a1487.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-14368\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/garryknight\/5829107262\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Garry Knight<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>It may be difficult to participate in consensual sexual activity after an assault. You may experience some of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/healthy-sex-life-normal.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">low libido<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li>decreased sexual pleasure<\/li>\n<li>flashbacks<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/panic-attack-vs-anxiety-attack.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">panic attacks<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li>pain during sex<\/li>\n<li>inability to tolerate penetration<\/li>\n<li>fear of having sex<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[You might find our <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/sexual-problems-help-guide.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guide to Sexual Problems<\/a><\/span> useful.]<\/p>\n<p>But sexual issues are not the only obstacle you might encounter in the aftermath of a sexual assault.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Many individuals find that a sexual assault negatively impacts on their trust and connections with others. And this is not limited to partners but can be friends, family members, and colleagues too. <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In<a href=\"https:\/\/psycnet.apa.org\/record\/2014-41512-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> one study<\/a>, all participants reported difficulties in emotionally engaging and being vulnerable with their partner.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><a style=\"color: #800080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/15325020903373151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Another study<\/a> found that survivors of sexual assault had lower levels of growth in their interpersonal relationships compared to individuals who had experienced other traumas.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>So what can I do?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you thought you could just \u2018get over\u2019 an experience of sexual assault or harassment, it\u2019s time to see that <strong>such an event can cause ongoing effects that nobody should have to deal with alone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s important to turn to friends and family for support, but if reading the above you find you recognise yourself in many symptoms, don\u2019t overlook professional help as well.<\/strong> You can talk to your GP, or if that feels too intimidating, consider the support of a<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/trauma-counselling-london.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> private counsellor or psychotherapist<\/a><\/span> (if finances are an issue, there is also<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/low-cost-therapy-free-counselling-services.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> low-cost counselling<\/span> <\/a>options available in the UK).<\/p>\n<p><strong>You might also find there are support groups in your local area<\/strong> where you can find the understanding of others who have experienced something similar.<\/p>\n<p>The following charities can provide useful information for you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/rapecrisis.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rape Crisis England &amp; Wales<\/a>: This site will also direct you to your local rape crisis centre in England or Wales<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rape Crisis Scotland<\/a>: This site will also direct you to your local rape crisis centre in Scotland<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcni.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rape Crisis Network Ireland<\/a>: This site will also direct you to your local rape crisis centre in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/rightsofwomen.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rights of Women<\/a>: Legal advice on women\u2019s rights issues<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/survivorsnetwork.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Survivors Network<\/a>: Information and support for survivors of sexual violence<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sosaa.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Survivors of Sexual Abuse Anon<\/a>: a peer support group based on an adapted version of the 12 step program<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.survivorsuk.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Survivors UK<\/a>: Support for those affected by male sexual abuse<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sv2.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SV2<\/a>: Information and support for survivors of sexual violence<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thesurvivorstrust.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Survivors Trust<\/a>: Information and support for survivors of sexual violence<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.victimsupport.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victim Support<\/a>: Support for victims of crime, including sexual assault<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.womensaid.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Women\u2019s Aid<\/span><\/a>: Providing services for victims of domestic violence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>Would you like to share your experience of surviving sexual assault with our community? Or share a useful resource we&#8217;ve missed? Do so belo<\/strong><\/em>w.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the Office of National Statistics, a staggering 85,000 women and 12,000 men are raped in England and Wales every year, and almost half a million adults are assaulted sexually annually. With only around 15% actually reporting their experience to the police, how many are finding the support they need to deal with the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[394],"class_list":["post-14361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sex-problems","tag-abuse","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sexual Assault - the Psychological Effects You Should Know<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Think not talking about the sexual assault or harassment you experienced will make it go away? Think again. 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The psychological effects to assault are serious\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapylondon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-24T11:00:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-10T18:25:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/5166706887_e5cb692d25.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sheri Jacobson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/drsherijacobson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HarleyTherapy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sheri Jacobson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know.htm\",\"name\":\"Sexual Assault - the Psychological Effects You Should Know\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/5166706887_e5cb692d25.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-24T11:00:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-10T18:25:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Think not talking about the sexual assault or harassment you experienced will make it go away? 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