.png)
This isn't a post about how to avoid being SA. This is a tip on recovery and healing in the aftermath.
During my dissertation into SA recovery, I found several studies that looked into the different kinds of coping mechanisms, PTSD symptoms and even lifestyle shifts that might happen in the aftermath of a SA. There are a ridiculously low number of studies on this topic, btw. Especially considering how prevalent a global problem this is.
One interesting fact that popped up in the studies is that recovery is significantly boosted if one talks about the assault within three months after it happens. Most interesting is that even negative discussions filled with victim blaming are healthier than not talking about it at all. Wild, right?
Recovery is obviously still possible for those of us who missed that three month window, but it's more difficult and takes longer.
So yeah... anyone out there who needs this. Talking about it is one of the freaking hardest things that you can do, especially in such a tight time-frame, but it's the best tactic for healing and recovery.
Big kudos to your research. I also wrote a thesis on a related topic and the literature review was sadly/annoyingly sparse.
But yes, I'm lucky to have had friends where if I'm not ready to come to them for vulnerable support we can at least have some dark humor about it. That oddly helps.
I didn't realize how comfortable I had gotten talking about my various rapes until last week actually. I'm part of a women's volunteer organization that works with a variety of charities and in planning our next fiscal year I realized the calendar was lacking anything in that orbit. So I mentioned running a class for young women on "non physical self defense" (like Lundy stuff), which is actually a thing in Canada apparently but not in the US yet. The President and I had talked about it previously and she knows the Canada program so I knew she'd be on board.
Anyway, every single woman besides me contributing ideas got all nervous and started with "yeah a friend, well actually a friend of a friend, told me she knew someone...". Like yeah, I highly doubt none of the 30 women in this room have closer experience than that.
does writing help with the processing? it took me years, but i started a blog and wrote about my assault. of course one of the only responses was an older woman who told me it sounded like i was just complaining 🙄