PSYCHOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

Sexual assault is a crime of violence in which the rapist's anger and need for power are served through a sexual act. The psychodynamics of the assailant become interwoven with the psychodynamics of the victim's stress response. The victim experiences a breakdown of the existential denial of environmental threat and the belief that the world is benign. Terror of being killed results in intense fear, helplessness and psychological regression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. There is loss of the integrity of body boundaries as personal space is invaded, particularly those areas directly connected to sexuality. Previously unresolved anxieties and conflicts may be evoked. The victim must resolve the psychic trauma, rework the body image and body boundaries to regain a sense of autonomy over one's body and a valued sense of self. When a woman is the victim of sexual assault, she must come to terms with the relationship with the men in her life. Lastly, by working through the feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability, a sense of safety, together with the existential denial of environmental threat is restored. The goal of treatment has been well-stated by Bassuk (47): ''to regain a sense of safety, a valued sense of self and re-establish sharing altruistic, mutually satisfying relationships with men, women and society, where sexual assault remains a threat.''