![]() ![]() In other words, anything which remind you of the assault may serve as a trigger for a fear response. It might be related to the situation or the setting in which the assault took place, such as dark nights, country roads, or even your own home. #Remind me of your gender again skinThe triggers or stimuli might be certain features of the man who assaulted you, such as skin color, facial hair, body build, type of dress, and so forth. Long after the assault, victims may continue to experience a fear response triggered by any number of reminders of the sexual assault. Victims of sexual assault may experience both fear and anxiety. For example, weeks, even months, after the assault, it is not uncommon for victims to describe a feeling of general uneasiness or jitteriness- a feeling that something bad is going to happen. Anxiety (worry, uneasiness, distress, etc.) on the other hand, is usually vaguer. In general, fear usually has a specific object (person, place, situation, etc.) that is identified as the feared object. We want to emphasize, in fact, that all of the nine reactions listed here are normal responses to experiencing a traumatic event (whether or not the traumatic event is a sexual assault).įear and anxiety are difficult to distinguish from each other. For this reason, this handout will focus on this very normal and very predictable response to being sexually assaulted. Of these nine categories of reactions, fear is the most common and appears to be the most debilitating. In other words, the responses to being sexually assaulted often interact with one another and may cause the overall response to become more intense. For some women, having flashbacks, for example, may increase their concern about losing control of their lives and may even intensify the fear responses. Some of these reactions are connected with each other. For instance, it is very common for people who are depressed to experience a decrease in libido or sexual drive. There may be other factors involved, however. ![]() It is understandable that sexual assault trauma would lead to an avoidance of sexual activity. After an assault it is not unusual for the victim to experience a significant loss of interest in sexual relations. ![]()
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