Sexual violence, shock, and post-traumatic stress
- victimepasseule
- Oct 26, 2022
- 3 min read
Up to 70% of sexual assault victims could not resist due to a state of shock. What exactly does this entail? Eva Zimmermann, a psychologist specialising in psychotherapy and psychotraumatology, discusses this phenomenon and the post-traumatic stress that often follows acts of violence.
Anesthetized, disconnected from their bodies, unable to react: many survivors of sexual violence describe being in a state of shock during the assault. How does this happen?
This is a natural, normal reaction in mammals – including humans – when facing threats. There are different forms of responses that follow one another. First, a state of freezing occurs when danger is perceived: staying still might save us if we manage to go unnoticed. Then, if we are spotted and the threat approaches, fleeing becomes the next step. If fleeing isn’t possible, or if the attacker catches up to us, we may then fight to avoid capture. However, if our strength wanes, if the attacker strikes us, inflicts too much pain, or the struggle drags on, we may submit and let go, as resistance becomes ineffective.
Shock, therefore, is the initial reaction (the victim doesn’t react). The victim remains ready to flee or fight if necessary, unless the attacker is immediately overwhelming in size or strength, in which case freezing persists. Another way to “protect oneself” by not reacting further is to let it happen, hoping it will be over faster and with less harm than if one fought back.
Another way to “protect oneself” by not reacting further is to let it happen, hoping it will be over faster and with less harm than if one fought back. Not moving, therefore, is also a protective measure to minimise harm if fleeing or fighting isn’t an option.
The revision of sexual offence legislation, passed on June 7, 2022, which adopts the “no means no” approach, still does not account for the state of shock, which prevents many sexual assault victims from expressing their refusal. Why is this reality so hard to acknowledge?
This is an issue where legal experts focus on laws rather than reality, and politicians, like legal experts, fail to understand victims’ responses, with the mistaken belief that simply saying “no” should be enough for the attacker to stop.
However, we know that many victims cannot say “no” (which would be equivalent to fighting back in defensive language) because doing so could provoke retaliation, with the attacker becoming even more violent, hitting, strangling, etc. Not moving, therefore, is also a protective measure to minimise harm if fleeing or fighting isn’t an option.
I’ve dealt with court cases where extremely violent attackers were acquitted because the victim hadn’t explicitly said “no,” even though they were too terrified (submissive, according to animal responses) by someone who had physically abused them previously. This is almost incomprehensible and unacceptable from a psycho traumatological perspective!
Victims of violence may experience post-traumatic stress reactions, both physical and psychological. Can you tell us more?
The most common reactions are post-traumatic stress symptoms, including intrusions (such as persistent nightmares or intrusive images of the event), avoidance (such as avoiding triggers like specific places, people, activities), neurovegetative activation (such as irritability, hypersensitivity to stressors, difficulty managing emotions), and significant changes in cognition (bleak, catastrophic views of the world, people, and oneself) and emotions (persistent depression, feelings of hopelessness, guilt, shame, etc.).
Ideally, these reactions should fade within a few weeks. Initially, they are considered normal, natural responses to extreme events. However, if they persist, trauma-focused psychotherapy, such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) or CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), is recommended.
Court cases where extremely violent attackers were acquitted because the victim hadn’t explicitly said “no” are incomprehensible and unacceptable from a psycho traumatological perspective!
In cases where victims have been in complete submission during the assault, peritraumatic dissociation (dissociation during the trauma) often occurs, often taking the form of an out-of-body experience. It is common to hear people describe how they felt they were no longer in their body during the assault but instead “floating on the ceiling,” for example. This is referred to as out-of-body dissociation.
When this phenomenon occurs, post-traumatic suffering is usually more intense. Out-of-body dissociation can also occur during other stressful moments, where victims may feel disconnected from reality or feel detached from their bodies.
What kind of support do you offer victims of violence, particularly sexual violence?
Trauma-focused psychotherapy, specifically EMDR therapy, has proven highly effective in supporting victims of assault.
