Tag Archives: post-traumatic stress disorder

Anger and Sexual Abuse (3)

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So far in this series on the anger associated with sexual abuse, we have covered the areas of guilt and internalized anger. Today we will examine the phenomena of “anger at the world”, a behavioral trait that is often exhibited by victims of sexual abuse. Jenna had been sexually abused by her stepfather from the ages of 8 to twelve. Her own natural father had died when she was 3, and her mother relied on her stepfather for a decent standard of living. Now 35, Jenna was consumed with rage at anything and everything. She had never told her mother … Continue reading →

Sexual Assault Victims Protecting Others

I read in the weekend paper about a 45-year-old woman who had been repeatedly molested by a minister when she was a small girl. As an adult she reported the matter to the relevant church. It was covered up. Nothing was done about it. Yet this woman hesitated to go to the police. She considered it but decided not to because the minister who assaulted her was a family member and she was concerned that if it went to the police, it would become a public issue and would have an adverse effect on other members of her family. A … Continue reading →

The Guilt of Sexual Assault

I don’t think I have ever encountered a client with a history of sexual assault who has not had issues with guilt. Whether the assault happened during the adult years or in childhood, the specter of guilt is never far from the surface. Why is this? I have spoken with women who were assaulted from as young as three years of age, yet they will tell me that it was their fault. It is the same with adult women who have undergone sexual trauma. Why do we as a gender condemn ourselves for a violent act undertaken by someone else? … Continue reading →

Music Therapy

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Music as a form of therapy is a powerful aid to stress release and is useful for a number of conditions including anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, even autistic spectrum disorders. The value of music therapy was first documented after WWII when doctors serving at medical outposts noticed that shell-shocked soldiers recovered more quickly and to a greater degree when exposed to the calming sounds of music. Researchers have also used music to help the developmental progress of autistic children, but the field of music therapy has expanded from its initial narrow application to include many forms of mental … Continue reading →

Soldier’s Heart – Gary Paulsen

I’ve always been fascinated by the Civil War, and so was very excited to read “Soldier’s Heart” by Gary Paulsen. This is the true story of Charley Goddard who joined up with the First Minnesota Volunteers when he was just fifteen years old, after walking a distance from his hometown so no one would know him and then lying about his age. Charley was the oldest in his family. His father died some years before, leaving Charley, his mother, and his little brother to fend for themselves. There had been rumors of war for some time, but they didn’t think … Continue reading →

Childhood schizophrenia

Any parent would be concerned if their child was experiencing voices or seeing objects or people that weren’t really there. Where there is disturbed social interaction, the presence of a voice or voices speaking in negative terms to and about the child, in conjunction with evidence of the child talking to him or herself, there could be cause for a diagnosis of childhood schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can be difficult to positively diagnose in adolescence and young adulthood. It is even more fraught with difficulties when dealing with young children. The age of the child and stage of development must be considered … Continue reading →

Coping with Sexual Harassment and Assault (4)

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Jane was a victim of date rape. Sian was sexually assaulted by her boss. Both women suffered enormously from their ordeal, but the way in which they dealt with the event differed in one significant way. In this hypothetical account of two victims of sexual assault, we can learn how to deal with this ugly crime in such a way as to minimize long term negative effects. Both Jane and Sian knew the men who assaulted them. Jane had been dating her perpetrator for two months; Sian had known her boss for four years. Neither woman suspected that these men … Continue reading →

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Treatment Options

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an emotional disorder which occurs after the experience of a physical trauma: commonly war, physical assault (particularly rape), car accidents, natural catastrophes, and even the unexpected death of a loved one. For the disorder to manifest the victim of the event must feel intense fear and helplessness, coupled with an expectancy of dying or being seriously injured themselves. Sufferers of this debilitating condition will do anything to avoid places, people, or circumstances that remind them of the original traumatic event. Loss of memory surrounding many of the details of the actual event may also occur, … Continue reading →

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnostic Criteria

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As we saw in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What causes it?, this condition is a relative newcomer to the list of registered psychological disorders, yet it has existed under a variety of names, including “shell-shock”, since time began. It was first termed “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” in 1980. But as far back as the 1600s, the great English diarist, Samuel Pepys, described the Great Fire of London and documented symptoms in the population of what we would now term PTSD. Apart from natural disasters and wartime experiences, women who experience rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and robbery are particularly prone to the … Continue reading →

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What causes it?

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Most people have heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was the Vietnam War that really put PTSD on the psychological map of the average person in the street. Veterans of that war became increasingly vocal about the aftereffects of the war, not only physical, but psychological. The disorder slowly became recognized, both by the health community and the general public alike. It was given a name: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Of course, PTSD has existed from the time humans first roamed the earth. After the First and Second World Wars, it was referred to as “shell-shock” and most people are … Continue reading →