IndexTraumaSexual Violence and MythsPosttraumatic Stress DisorderWhy Victims Don't Report Sexual AssaultTherapy and AdvocacyResearch and Future Practice as a DoctorConclusionReferencesTraumaThere is a word that most people refer to doesn't like to talk. For some, it's because they just don't want to talk about it, and for others, it's because they've experienced some type of trauma, which has had such a large impact on their life that it causes great stress in bringing it up. The person may feel vulnerable if they open up. They may feel judged. They may feel sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and a lack of control over the situation. Whatever they are experiencing, those emotions are valid, they might just be telling a story that doesn't exactly match the reality of their current circumstances. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay A trauma is an injury that occurs to tissue caused by a force external to the body or a psychological behavioral state of mind resulting from severe mental or emotional stress (DSM). Nowadays, women are still subject to many stereotypes regarding sexuality. The victimization and objectification of women continued to be glorified by the media and by large social projects (American Psychological Association, 2007). Many media outlets will claim that sexual violence is wrong and will want victims to come forward to provide help and relief. supports and prosecutes transgressors. While some women come forward, many women will not do so out of fear of rejection, fear of not being taken seriously, guilt about what happened to them, or shame. There are many myths about sexual violence and in today's society, unfortunately, people continue to believe them. Some women will seek counseling, while others will try to manage emotional stress on their own. It is important for trauma victims to seek help as repressing those emotions for long periods of time can have negative effects on their quality of life (Jacques-Tiura, Tkatch, Abbey, & Wegner, 2010). What are the most common symptoms shown after trauma? sexual violence and how is it affecting one's life? The information gathered for this article was gathered by researching exactly what sexual assault is, the signs and symptoms shown after the assault, what trauma includes, why some sexual assaults go unreported, and why therapy should be used to aid in healing process. All resources were collected from academic journals, articles and books. Sexual Violence and Myths Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual activity such as rape or unwanted touching, an offender using force, or taking advantage of a target who has not given consent. Reactions to sexual assault can include shock, fear, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (American Psychological Association, 2020). A myth is something that is not real. Many times there are myths about women and sexual violence. In some cases, if a woman is raped while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, then she is responsible for what happens to her; women discover that being forced to have a sexual encounter really enjoys it; someone who reports rape usually wants to have sex, but then changes their mind; only women who sleep around and hang out in bars are attacked; women overexaggerate what happens to them and how it has affected their lives; a woman who dresses provocatively and puts herself in a situation deserves what happens to her; if a woman doesn't react, then it can't be called rape, and if awoman does not bleed immediately due to cuts or bruises, then she should not be taken seriously (Ullman, 2010). Sometimes victims of sexual violence can feel removed. -victimized because someone else questions their account of what happened. This can cause the victim to doubt themselves, but also to relive the traumatic incident over and over again. Unfortunately, blame is often placed on the victim (Ullman, 2010). PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental health condition that follows a traumatic event. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or DSM, provides diagnostic criteria for many mental health conditions. PTSD has several criteria that must be present for a diagnosis to be made. PTSD symptoms are including but not limited to; dissociative properties, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, anger outbursts, concentration problems, shame, fear, nightmares, avoidance, protective mechanisms, depression and anxiety, hypervigilance, exaggerated and startled responses and self-destructive behavior including suicide/suicidal ideation. The duration of some criteria must be one month or more: recurring painful memories of the traumatic event, recurring dreams related to the traumatic event, repetition of the traumatic event over and over again, and internal or external factors that resemble the event and trigger psychological distress (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual). Persistent avoidance of provocations related to the upsetting incident, avoidance of memories, thoughts, and feelings associated with the event, and avoidance of people, places, or activities that may elicit emotional responses are often observed in trauma victims. When victims are asked about the accident, the negative changes in their mind often worsen and they may acquire what is called dissociative amnesia. Dissociative amnesia occurs when a victim suppresses memories of the incident, which can cause them to "forget" parts of the traumatic event. Victims will also believe that they did something wrong to deserve what happened to them and develop trust issues. When dealing with the diagnosis of PTSD, specify whether the individual has dissociative symptoms such as depersonalization, which is the sensation of being in a dream or the experience of feeling detached from something, and derealization, which is recurring experiences of the unreality of a thing. People's environment, like the world around them, is one-sided. Signs and symptoms occurring after a period of six months or later after the accident manifest as delayed expression (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual). Why Victims Don't Report Sexual Assaults According to Ullman (2010), forty-two percent of women feel ashamed and afraid to report the assault that happened to them. There are four main reasons why women do not report sexual violence: they do not want family members or others to know what happened, lack of evidence that it occurred; fear of retaliation or punishment from the perpetrator or others and fear of being mistreated by the criminal justice system. Most women do not immediately report an assault because they fear not being taken seriously, receiving negative reactions or comments and they do not want to recognize themselves as a victim. Victims are sometimes asked to relive the incident repeatedly due to others' doubts that it occurred, and this can make victims feel illegitimate (Ullman, 2010). 28% of women believe that sexual violence is their fault (Resick, 1983). Unfortunately, in some cases where the victim is madeforward to report the violence, the perpetrator is never convicted. This causes many sexual assaults to never be reported (Ullman, 2010). People are encouraged to try seeking some form of therapy to learn to talk about and process their trauma-related emotions. Some women have said they try to seek counseling but then decide not to because they are afraid of what the therapist will think of them. The victim will essentially try to deal with the sexual assault on their own because they want to feel like they are in control. They feel like it's too personal to share, or they feel extremely guilty for burdening someone else with their problems. Some women find that if they talk about the trauma, the memories will remain more concentrated in their mind, causing them to remember the incident vividly, whereas, if they avoid talking about the incident and suppress those emotions, then they can recover (Resick, 1983). A large amount of psychological distress is believed to make an assault victim more likely to seek help, but Jacques-Tiura, Tkatch, Abbey, & Wegner, 2010, states that victims who blame themselves for the incident tend not to seek help because they feel that it's his fault, that no one can or will help him, or that he doesn't deserve help. Therapy and Advocacy When someone holds on to a traumatic event and does not talk about what they feel by suppressing their emotions, this means they cannot process them on a cognitive or emotional level. Cognitive appraisal such as feelings or thoughts about the assault, including self-labeling or recognition of one's experiences, can influence PTSD symptoms (Dunmore, Clark, & Ehlers, 2001). Mental health professionals are trained to ask sensitive questions. Individuals who voluntarily give up information about the traumatic experience they have experienced depend on the type of positive and empathetic response they can receive. Lepore, Ragan, and Jones (2000) state that individuals who talk to someone in a supportive role after facing a traumatic situation and being vulnerable to a stressful stimulus may facilitate adaptation and initiate healing compared to someone who does not. opens up about their own experiences. As people think about clients and their traumatic experiences, it's important to remember clinicians as well. Clinicians hear repeated stories of sexual assault and other trauma being told to them, and sometimes there is a negative ripple effect from client to therapist (Figley, 2005). Clinicians provide support to survivors of sexual violence and can provide resources for them, give them empathy, help them reestablish some type of control that victims desire, and help minimize the effects of trauma (Najavits, 2002). Mental health professionals want to make a difference in people's lives. Sometimes a “thank you for helping me,” “thank you for being there,” and an “I appreciate you” go a long way in encouraging a therapist. Therapists enjoy being able to see their clients grow and see them heal and progress, and to be bigger in life than the trauma they experienced (Ullman, 2010). Research and Future Practice as a Clinician While conducting research on topics that were found to be of interest to the student, one topic that stood out was sexual assault and trauma. The researcher wanted to find out the different reasons why some sexual assaults are not reported to the authorities, the effects of trauma and how this can affect someone's quality of life and how they get help. Further research was conducted, the topic did not change due to the researcher's personal experience. In an open system, organisms adapt to their owncurrent situation and hope to achieve desired outcomes by sending and receiving information from environmental factors (Smith-Acuna, 2011). The student was able to maintain an open system by keeping topic and question boundaries flexible while allowing for input. The student kept an open mind while conducting research on her chosen topic in case the research took her down a different path to explore. The most important resource that the student found useful in conducting this research was the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) , the American Psychological Association. While researching the topic, the future doctor came across symptoms from trauma victims that became personal. The therapist began to see different things that she herself had experienced and suppressed. The researcher was able to delve deeper and explore the different aspects of sexual violence and traumatic events. The student was able to see that she is not alone and that everything she was feeling is a normal reaction to the trauma and that she no longer needs to blame herself. He realizes that he has the power to change his thought process and embrace therapeutic systems in an effort to improve healing. The most confusing part of the research experience was trying to fit all the information together into the format planned in the student's resume. mind. As the research progressed, different ideas would appear in the researcher's mind and this would leave room for expanding the previously decided research question. The most frustrating part was having the whole idea prepared and then changing your whole perspective because of a personal experience. Frustration comes from wanting to have control over situations and, in reality, this is not always the case. When conducting research in the future, the student will change the way research is conducted. The student can try to establish a topic on a personal level to ensure that the research is interesting. The student will also need to make sure that the sources have authors and years included in the articles, because some of them did not have them, which made it difficult to cite. The only benefit to conducting research is keeping the topic close to you. Make sure it's something that will grab the searcher's attention, and make sure you have enough information to move forward with what you want answered. Conclusion A trauma is an event that happens to someone that can have negative effects on their overall well-being. being. Sexual violence can cause post-traumatic stress disorder in individuals. Diagnostic criteria for PTSD can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or DSM. Common symptoms of PTSD are flashbacks, mood changes, dissociative properties, hypervigilance, nightmares, avoidance, depression and anxiety, unhealthy coping mechanisms, exaggerated startle responses, and suicidal ideation/self-destructive behaviors ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ). Forty-two percent of women feel shame and fear in reporting sexual violence. Victims may feel guilty about sharing their problems with others, feel that it is their fault, fear that they do not have sufficient evidence that the assault occurred, and fear that they will be mistreated by the criminal justice system. Victims are encouraged to seek therapy to aid in the healing process by learning to speak and express the emotions they feel. Evidence shows that it is beneficial to do so instead of suppressing and avoiding those emotions. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Journaling often helps trauma victims because it offers them/10.1037/12083-003