Regaining Sexual Enjoyment After Sexual Trauma

Studies of violence toward women tell us that one in every four women will be the victim of rape during her lifetime. Whether perpetrated by a stranger or by someone known to her, the emotional consequences of sexual assault usually persist long after the victim’s physical traumas have healed.

Rape is not a sex act. It is an act of violent criminal assault during which a sexual organ is used as a weapon to humiliate, degrade, and inflict pain. This unusual weapon of choice, combined with the intimate nature of the violation, oftentimes leads to a post-traumatic stress disorder known as Rape Trauma Syndrome. Symptoms of RTS are profound because rape is not only a crime of life-threatening terror, but it’s a devastating violation of one’s personal power and dignity. Effects of RTS may include altered concentration and unexplained illness; sleep disturbances and eating disorders; depression and anxiety. One especially common expression of RTS surrounds changes in a victim’s perception of her sexuality and her ability to feel pleasure.

In talking about rape, it’s very important to underscore the fact that rape has nothing to do with consensual sex. It doesnt feel like sex; it feels like being battered. Nevertheless, the experience of rape is sometimes emotionally internalized and then generalized to cloud future sexual experiences. A survivor may feel persistently on guard or may find that any sexual contact rekindles the anger, fear and shame associated with her rape trauma. In the worst situations, all sexual partners and sexual interludes seem like further violations. When rape trauma affects a woman’s capacity to desire or enjoy sex with her partner, then their relationship is a victim of violence, too...

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Joy Davidson @'Love & Health'