Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Program Advocate Office

Common Reactions To Sexual Assualt

Students, staff, and faculty who have experienced sexual assault, relationship violence, or stalking have experienced a traumatic event. As human beings, each of us is equipped to deal with traumatic events in different ways. No two people will process any traumatic event in the same way. What is important to remember is that there is no “normal” reaction to trauma and there is no “wrong” reaction to trauma. Further, immediate reactions to trauma may be very different from the victim's long-term reaction to trauma.

Common immediate reactions to trauma

In the immediate aftermath of victimization, the victim may act or feel:

• Confused
• Scared
• Disoriented
• Angry
• Numb
• Hurt
• As if the event never happened (denial)
• Avoidant, choosing not to talk to or about anything that happened
• Betrayed
• Disorganized
• Sadness
• Depression
• Anxiety/panic
• Withdrawn
• Hysterical

However, as the victim begins to process the traumatic event or victimization, the victim will also do that differently from other people. Victims who do not immediately confront what has happened to him or her tend to have a difficult time regaining a sense of normalcy. In helping victims of traumatic events recover, there are two key points to remember:

The victim will never again be “normal” or “back to the way he or she was before” the traumatic incident took place. No matter how small that you may perceive the victimization to be or that the victim perceives the victimization to be, the traumatic event has changed the victim's perception of the way the world was before. The victim may live a healthy and normal life, but it is not with the same perceptions of the world that the victim had before. Never tell a victim that you want them to “go back to normal.”

Whatever the victim is using to cope with the traumatic event (healthy or unhealthy) is keeping him or her alive and functional. It is never our place to take away someone's coping mechanisms (no matter how much that person's coping mechanisms may scare us) without helping them find new ones that work for them.

Common long term reactions to trauma

As human beings, we naturally find ways to cope with trauma. Our ways are not always healthy but our methods are keeping us alive and functional. In the aftermath of trauma, while there is no normal reaction, there are several reactions that are very common in the college-aged population. In the aftermath of trauma, the victim may:

• Develop an anxiety disorder. There are several forms of anxiety disorders that are common to victims of trauma, the most common being Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD results in the victim becoming hyper vigilant, recognizing signs of and reminders of the trauma in all areas of his or her life. PTSD can result in insomnia, depression, avoidant behaviors, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation.
• Develop an eating disorder. Victims of trauma need to regain control of his or her life. Controlling your eating is a great way for victims to control one piece of his or her life. And, the excessive control of food intake and exercise can result in the development of anorexia, bulimia, exercise bulimia, or other disordered eating.
• Develop a substance abuse problem. Victims of trauma are desperate after a traumatic event to numb the pain, avoid all reminders of the incident, and regain a sense of normalcy. Alcohol and other drugs are a good vehicle to help the victim function—either by numbing the pain or by keeping them awake and functional.
• Become depressed. Some victims become unable after trauma to stabilize their life or face their previous social group. As a result, the victim may become clinically depressed.
• Self-harm. The pain of trauma for many victims can be overwhelming and for many people, there is no ability to express that pain. There are no words that the victim feels are appropriate and there is no way for the victim to release the pain. Self-harm, or “cutting”, allows the victim to feel the pain in a physical way, which temporarily allows him or her to release the intense and overwhelming hurt.
• Consider suicide. Confronting a changed life can be scary, confusing, and overwhelming and many victims of trauma may consider committing suicide to avoid facing that challenge.