Recovering from sexual assault is not easy. It takes time, and the process of healing and moving on can be a painful journey.
How far is it possible for you to gain your sense of control back, rebuild your self-worth and confidence, learn to heal and find happiness once more?
The word “sexual assault” means behaviour that involves unwanted, forceful sexual contact.
Source: DW The 77 Percent
In simple terms, it means forcefully taking advantage of another person sexually without their consent. Any form of unwanted sexual contact or touch is referred to as sexual assault.
Survivors of sexual assault process their experiences differently and require a unique approach to healing; they heal in their own will.
The thing is, sexual assault leaves a person physically, emotionally, and psychologically damaged, and it takes a lot of work to regain their sense of stability and trust again.
The trauma of being assaulted leaves them feeling angry, scared, guilty and extremely sad. Let’s not forget the stigma that is associated with sexual assault, which has made some people not talk about their experiences out of embarrassment and shame.
How can you recover from sexual assault and find your balance again in the world?
Make sure you’re safe.
The first and most significant thing after the experience of sexual trauma is your own safety and well-being. Most people’s first responses after an assault are shock, fear, feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
Once an assault occurs, the part of the brain called the limbic system, which is responsible for processing emotions, triggers fight or flight reactions to recognise threats are raging all over and your brain doesn’t know how to respond to the experience yet.
As a survivor, use any coping mechanisms that would help you feel comfortable and address the incident.
Ensure you are safe by reporting the predator and reaching out to loved ones immediately. Do whatever will help you feel safe in your own body.
Seek help
This means you have to reach out to your closest friends or family members and tell them about your experience.
Find a community that helps survivors of sexual assault. A small group would go a long way towards helping you achieve your recovery journey.
Seek professional help too. Go for counselling (individual therapy). Not all therapists are trained to help deal with sexual assault. A professional will help you deal with the experience and support you through the process.
Self-care
Self-care can never be overrated. One way you can regain control and start feeling comfortable in your own skin again is to commit to self-care after a sexual assault has happened.
This will help you cope with the experience. Self-care includes emotional and physical self-care. Get enough sleep, eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, and create a daily routine for yourself.
You may also want to write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. This way, you can keep track of your emotions.
All this will not only improve your body during your recovery process, but it will also help you feel safe. Spend time with friends and family, and try to engage in activities you enjoyed before the assault.
Don’t force your healing.
It’s true that time heals all things. It’s important that you know that you should not force the healing process, as this may lead to you putting so much pressure on yourself.
This can make the journey become overbearing and exhausting for you. The first step to healing is for you to accept that what happened wasn’t your fault.
Once you are stable enough to acknowledge that you are not to blame, the next thing is to start trusting people again so they can help and stand by you through your journey.
You may never fully forget the experience, but you will heal. Healing is all about decreasing the amount of time you spend thinking about what happened.
Just so you know, you can’t control what happened in the past, but one thing you can control is how you move forward from that experience.
In conclusion,
Recovering from sexual assault is not something you can do alone. You need help and support from people around you.
You can also seek professional help to support you as you learn to manage the physical, emotional, and behavioural effects of surviving a sexual assault.
I would end on this note: know that what happened wasn’t your fault, and you did absolutely nothing to cause what happened. It is their fault, not yours.
