Rape Trauma Syndrome
(People Opposing Women Abuse, June 1998)

What is Rape Trauma Syndrome?

Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is a form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that often affects rape survivors.

Do all rape survivors experience RTS?

Not necessarily. Different women respond to the trauma of rape in different ways. Some women will experience many severe RTS symptoms; others may have few or none at all. ALL rape survivors need to be believed, taken seriously and supported, regardless of whether they experience RTS or not.

Does having RTS make you crazy?

NO! The symptoms of RTS can be very powerful and distressing. If you are a survivor, you may fear that you are going mad. If you are supporting a friend or family member who has been raped, you may find the survivor's behaviour puzzling or upsetting. HOWEVER, the fact is that the symptoms of RTSare a NORMAL reaction to a traumatic experience, and that they will fade over time with care and support.

What influences how you react to rape?

A survivor's individual response to rape, including whether and how she experiences RTS, depends on many factors, including:
  • Whether she knew or trusted the rapist
  • Whether her family and friends are supportive and patient or blaming and unhelpful
  • How the police and justice system treat her, should she choose to report the rape
  • Her age and previous life experiences
  • Her cultural and religious background
  • The degree of violence used by the rapist
  • Whether any injuries, illnesses or disabilities result from the rape
  • Whether the rape brings up memories of past trauma she has experienced
  • Her emotional state prior to the rape
  • Her practical and material resources
  • Every rape situation is unique and it is thus very important to treat each rape survivor individually.

Is it possible to forget about a rape?

Many rape survivors may lose or suppress their memory of part or all of a rape. Some women find that they can remember before and after, but not the rape itself. The memories will almost always resurface later, and the survivor will need to face them.

If the rape survivor is very young, or experiences the rape as especially traumatic, she may block the memory of the rape even as it is occurring. She may not consciously recognise that she has been raped or experience any symptoms until months or years later, usually when another event in her life, such as a new sexual relationship or another trauma, triggers the memories.

Once she has her memories, the survivor will never forget what has happened, but she can learn how to live with it. Recovery from rape takes time. The survivor must allow herself to remember the rape, and feel whatever feelings it brings up, even though this is often very difficult. She needs to work through the experience, and integrate it into her life so that she can move on.

Physical Symptoms of RTS

  • Shock: usually a more immediate response; may include numbness, chills, faintness, confusion, disorientation, trembling, nausea and sometimes vomiting
  • Sleeping problems: unable to sleep, sleeping more than usual, or other changes in sleeping patterns
  • Eating problems: no appetite and subsequent weight loss, or compulsive eating and subsequent weight gain No energy or too much energy
  • Physical illness: the stress may weaken her immune system and make her more vulnerable to sickness, she may have caught a sickness from the rapist, or she may simply feel sick
  • Pain in her body: this may be as a result of injuries inflicted by the rapist, or a physical reaction to her emotional pain
  • Cardiovascular problems: heart palpitations, breathlessness, tightness or pain in the chest, high blood pressure
  • Gastrointestinal problems: loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, dryness in mouth, butterflies in stomach, feelings of emptiness in stomach, etc.
  • Exaggerated startle response: over-reacting to sudden noise or movement
  • Oversensitivity to noise

Cognitive Symptoms of RTS

"As if" feelings or flashbacks: re-experiencing sensations that she felt during the rape, or actually reliving parts of the experience in her head

  • Intrusive thoughts: sudden or forceful "intrusive" memories of aspects of the rape Thinking about the rape all the time
  • Memory loss: the survivor may be unable to remember the rape or parts of it; this is usually temporary, although it can last for many years
  • Poor concentration
  • Increased alertness
  • Speech problems: stuttering, stammering or other difficulty talking
  • Indecisiveness
  • Difficulty problem solving
  • Nightmares
  • Violent fantasies
  • Revenge fantasies
  • Behavioural Symptoms of RTS
  • Crying
  • Avoiding reminders of the rape
  • Pretending that it never happened
  • Neglecting herself or other people
  • Increased washing or bathing
  • Self-blame
  • Fear of being alone
  • Not socialising or socialising more than before the rape
  • Relationship problems: the survivor may be irritable, argumentative or easily upset; she may withdraw from people that she felt close to before the rape or form sudden new connections; she may grow overly dependent on others or too independent.

Sexual problems:

The survivor may not want sex or be able to enjoy it - this may become worse if her partner blames her or is impatient with her recovery; alternatively, she might become more sexually active than before

Lifestyle changes:

The survivor may make drastic changes in her home, work, school or relationships; this can be an important part of helping her feel safe and in control again.
  • Substance abuse
  • Emotional Symptoms of RTS
  • Denial
  • Numbness or lack of emotion
  • Rapid, inexplicable mood changes
  • Shame
  • Guilt
  • Feeling dirty
  • Anger or desire for revenge
  • Fear
  • Nervousness and worry
  • Being easily upset
  • Powerlessness and loss of control
  • Grief and loss
  • Feeling "different" from other people
  • Loss of Self-esteem
  • Losing interest in life
  • Depression
  • Suicidal feelings

Does RTS change over time?

Yes. In the first days after the rape, the survivor usually experiences shock. She may be visibly upset, or she may appear calm and reluctant to talk. Once the shock has passed she may behave as if nothing has happened. This is called denial or apparent adjustment and helps the survivor block painful memories and feelings that she may not yet be strong enough to deal with. This phase can last for weeks or months or even years, but is almost always followed by a long phase of active healing, during which the survivor will probably experience other RTS symptoms. With care, attention and time, the symptoms will decrease and finally disappear completely.

Does having RTS mean you have to see a counsellor?

Not necessarily. However, a survivor may find it helpful to talk to a counsellor trained in working with rape survivors to help her deal with the strongest symptoms, or to work through memory loss. Other survivors may find that the rape brings up other underlying problems, and in these cases, more help may be needed. If you would like to find a capable counsellor, contact POWA or another women's organisation.

For more information or assistance, contact POWA: People Opposing Women Abuse

We offer telephonic, face-to-face and correspondence counselling to rape survivors, and family and friends of survivors. We also offer training, education and information about rape and other forms of violence against women. Services are offered in clients' home languages whenever possible.

Phone: (011) 642-4345
FAX: (011) 484-3195
Mail: POWA, PO Box 93416, Yeoville 2143  

 
 

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