R E S P O N D, E D U C AT E & A D VO C AT E TO EN D S E X UA L V I O L EN C E

TRAUMA AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Our Mission
To respond, educate, and
advocate to end sexual violence.
Sexual Violence
Sexual Violence
NON-TOUCH
 Voyeurism/ peeping
 Forcing someone to watch or
participate in pornography
 Verbal comments
 Exposing genitals
 Taking sexualized photographs
 Dissemination of intimate images
(revenge porn)
 Images of child sexual abuse (child
pornography)
TOUCH
 Touch/grab body parts
 Intercourse with penetration
(oral/anal/vaginal)
 Penetration with objects
 Survival sex
 Institutional & statutory sexual
assault
 Sexual Exploitation and
Trafficking
 Understanding the Landscape
60% of black girls will
experience childhood sexual
People with a disability are
abuse. 2
twice as likely to experience
sexual violence. 1

People are more likely

to blame the victim if
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys they are black or
are sexually abused by Latinx.5
age 18. 3

People who identify as

1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 transgender are
men have experienced significantly less likely
sexual violence.4 to seek help from
service providers. 2

All reference information (1-6) available on “resources” slide.

 Intersectionality

The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class,

and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent
systems of discrimination or disadvantage; a theoretical approach
based on such a premise.
(Oxford Dictionary)

12/12/2023
 Sexual Violence and Men

COMMON REACTIONS AMONG MALE-IDENTIFIED SURVIVORS

 Shame and self-doubt, believing men should be “strong enough” to

stop an assault
 Confusion about normal physiological responses during the incident
 Concerns or questions about sexual orientation
 Feeling like “less of a man” or that you no longer have control over
your own body
 Withdrawal from relationships or friendships and an increased sense
of isolation
 Worry about disclosing and the fear of judgement or disbelief
 Reporting Sexual Violence

“Sexual violence is one of For sexual assaults that

the most UNDER-REPORTED take place on college
CRIMES with 68% of assaults campuses, 93% remain
left unreported.” unreported.
U.S. Department of Justice – National Crime Victimization Survey White House Not Alone Report (2017).
(2008-2012).
 Barriers in Disclosure

College students cite a number of

reasons for not reporting –
 Not wanting others to know
Common barriers (non-age
 Lack of proof
specific) –
 Fear of retaliation  Shame and guilt
 Being unsure of whether what  Fear of not being believed
happened constitutes assault  Lack of support
 Not knowing how to report  Relationship to perpetrator
 Fear of being treated poorly by the  Unaware of options/resources
criminal justice system
 “Perfect victim” is the model against
which all other (normal, flawed,
human) victims are judged.
“The perfect victim says no clearly and often, fights
off her attacker like a honey badger, and if she can’t
get away, she continues to profess her non-consent
throughout the encounter, ideally by shouting “no”
and continuing to fight as best she can.”

The Sydney Morning Herald- Schetzer, Alana: "The 'Perfect Victim" of Sexual Assault is a Muth That Needs To Go" (April 2017)
 "The myth of the perfect victim is just the opposite side
of the monster myth coin.
For years, women have been taught to be
careful walking alone at night, looking out
for the bogeyman who's going to jump out
of the dark and grab them and drag them
away. Yet most sexual crimes are
committed by people known by the victim,
and often in their own homes."

The Sydney Morning Herald- Schetzer, Alana: "The 'Perfect Victim" of Sexual Assault is a Muth That Needs To Go" (April 2017)
 Shame and Secrecy

“The intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are

flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging – something
we’ve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of
connection.” (Dr. Brene Brown)

 Shame and secrecy are central to sexual trauma

 Victims might feel responsible for the abuse, and feel shame as a
result: “I was assaulted because I am (…)”

Rita Abadi, LMHC – Mt. Sinai Hospital (2017)

Research Shows

“The FIRST RESPONSE to victims

is critical in determining how
victims cope.”
U.S. Department of Justice, the Office
of Victims of Crime
 R E S P O N D, E D U C AT E & A D VO C AT E TO EN D S E X UA L V I O L EN C E

TRAUMA THEORY
 Understanding Trauma

DSM-5 AND TRAUMA

I. The person experienced, witnessed or was confronted
with an event(s) that involved actual or threatened death
or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of
self or others.
II. The person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness
or horror.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) – 309.81 PTSD (2013)
 Understanding Trauma

I. One single, overwhelming event.

ACUTE
TRAUMA

II. Extended exposure to trauma and experiences that are

linked to development and/or relationships.
COMPLEX TRAUMA

“The experience of multiple, chronic and prolonged,

developmentally adverse traumatic events, most often of an
interpersonal nature.. and an early life onset.”
(Besel van der Kolk, 2005)

Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. – The Body Keeps the Score (2014).
 Understanding Trauma

TRAUMA COULD LOOK LIKE –

 Inability to regulate emotions (anger and aggression)

 Emotional numbing
 Feeling isolated or unable to form connections
 Unhealthy coping skills
 “Survival mode” and automated brain response –
 Fight / Flight/ Freeze / Fawn
 Lack of language to attach to the experience
 Memory gaps and/or non-linear progression
 The Brain & Trauma

TRAUMA OVERWHELMS OUR ABILITLY TO

 Have a sense of control
 Make meaning of our experience
 Maintain connection to others

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT OUR BRAIN

FUNCTIONS DIFFERENTLY WHEN WE
EXPERIENCE TRAUMA.

Judith Herman, M.D. – Trauma and Recovery (1997).

The Brain & Trauma
 TRAUMA RESPONSES
FIGHT FLIGHT
Crying
Hands and jaw clenched, grinding teeth
Fight in eyes, glaring, fight in voice
Desire to stomp, kick, punch
Feelings of anger/rage
Homicidal/suicidal feelings
Knotted stomach/nausea, burning stomach
FREEZE FAWN
Feeling stuck in some part of body
Feeling frozen/numb/cold
Sense of stiffness, heaviness
Holding breath/restricted breathing
Sense of dread, heart pounding
Decreased heart rate
Feeling of tolerating the stress
Restless legs/feet
Numbness in extremities
Anxiety/shallow breathing
Big/daring eyes
Leg/foot movement
Feeling fidgety, trapped, tense or restless
Sense of running for life, activity focused
People pleasing
Complying with other's wishes or demands
Caring for others over your own detriment
Unable to say how you really think or feel
Flattering others
Avoiding conflict
Feelings of being taken advantage of
Overly concerned with others
 R E S P O N D, E D U C AT E & A D VO C AT E TO EN D S E X UA L V I O L EN C E

COMMON RESPONSES AND EXPERIENCES

NIH – Dworkin, Menon, Bystrynski and Allen: "Sexual Assault victimization and psychopathology: A review and meta-analysis“ (2017).
 R E S P O N D, E D U C AT E & A D VO C AT E TO EN D S E X UA L V I O L EN C E

DEVELOPING A RESPONSE
 Mitigating Trauma

PROMOTE SAFETY –
 Create areas that are calm and comfortable
 Acknowledge the difficulty of talking about the incident
 Preface sensitive questions with why the question is being asked

PROVIDE CHOICE –
 Provide choices and control – spectrum of participation
 Explain purpose and what will happen next
Mitigating Trauma

COLLABORATION AND TRUST –

 Check in with yourself: are they informed and involved
 Provide clear, consistent information
 Be mindful of language and implications

EMPOWER –
 Look to their capabilities and strengths
 Promote access to resources and opportunities to heal
BELIEVE AND EMPOWER
NORMALIZE AND VALIDATE
 PAAR Services

The Helpline
Confidential information and support, available in (3) ways:

Call the Helpline, 24/7 1-866-END-RAPE

CHAT PORTAL* TEXT MESSAGE*

Live chat with a Helpline worker by clicking Information and support, available by
the Chat Portal on the PAAR website ( sending a text message to the PAAR
www.paar.net): Helpline.
 PAAR Services

VICTIM RESPONSE TEAM

 MEDICAL ADVOCACY
 LEGAL ADVOCACY AND ACCOMPANIMENT
 CRISIS COUNSELING IN VARIOUS SETTINGS

CLINICAL SERVICES
PAAR provides individual and group trauma therapy at no cost.
PAAR’s comprehensive evidence-based treatment approaches can
help survivors manage their emotions and begin the healing process:
 INDIVIDUAL TRAUMA THERAPY
 GROUPS
 CHILD AND FAMILY COUNSELING CENTER

1-866-END-RAPE
CITED MATERIAL Resources
Intersectionality statistics:
1. VERA Institute – Nancy Smith and Sandra Harrell, Sexual abuse of children with
disabilities: A national snapshot (March 2013).
2. YWCA: Gender-based Violence Fact Sheet
3. Stotzer, R. (2009)
4. National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
5. UNICEF – Sexual and gender-based violence against refugees, returnees and internally
displaced persons (May 2003).
6. CALCASA

Sexual Violence on Campus statistics:

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
CITED MATERIAL Resources

Tea and Consent Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGoWLWS4-kU

The Guardian: Male rape survivors suffer in silence. We need to help them talk
(2020).

Judith Herman, M.D. – Trauma and Recovery: The aftermath of violence, from
domestic abuse to political terror (2015).

Jim Hopper, Ph.D. – Sexual Assault and the Brain (2019).

NIH – Dworkin, Menon, Bystrynski and Allen: "Sexual Assault victimization and
psychopathology: A review and meta-analysis“ (2017).

Brene Brown on Empathy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw&feature=youtu.be
Resources

Additional reading:
The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel Van der Kolk)

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity (Dr.
Nadine Burke Harris)

Marissa Korbel in Harpers Bazaar: Sometimes you make your rapist breakfast
(2018).
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a19158567/what-is-rape/

Juliette Virzi in The Mighty: Fawning: The fourth trauma response we don’t talk
about (2020).
https://themighty.com/2020/01/fight-flight-freeze-fawn-trauma-responses/

Sammy Caiola in CapRadio: Sexual Assault Survivors Want Less Police, More
Trauma-Informed Professionals – Especially for Black Victims (2020).

https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/07/28/sexual-assault-survivors-want-less-police-m
R E S P O N D, E D U C AT E & A D VO C AT E TO EN D S E X UA L V I O L EN C E

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