Effects + Healing

This can be handy to read if you have experienced something yourself or if you are trying to support someone who has experienced this sort of thing.

The impact of sexual violence

There are a range of feelings and issues that can come up after someone has been sexually disrespected or has experienced sexual violenceSexual Violence
Is a general term that covers any sexual stuff a person does not consent to..

We are all different, so this means that people react or feel differently to a similar situation.

Below is a list of things people might feel after experiencing sexual violenceSexual Violence
Is a general term that covers any sexual stuff a person does not consent to.. It may be that they feel none or one of these things, they might feel a few and others might feel a lot. However they feel is right for them, so it’s ok.
Of course people can have these feelings and issues even if they haven’t experienced sexual violenceSexual Violence
Is a general term that covers any sexual stuff a person does not consent to..

Either way, if you’ve got a mate who is feeling or experiencing some of these things, they are probably going through some tough times. It’s best to ask them how they are doing, listen to how they are feeling and do what you can to be a good friend and support them. Read on for more info on supporting a friend through this sort of thing.

Feelings might include:

(You can also read the list as a PDF).

• Fear
• No confidence
• Increased shyness
• Anxiety
• PhobiasPhobias
  Having a phobia is when a person has a really intense fear of a thing or situation that actually is unlikely to be of any real danger to them.
• Zoning outZoning Out
  This is when someone ‘exits’ a situation and goes into their own head like they’re not present anymore. They’re not very aware of what’s going on around them - the flash word for this is ‘dissociation’. If you zone out a lot this may be because zoning out was a really good survival strategy when some bad stuff was happening to you in the past, but if it’s now stopped happening, zoning out heaps can have a not-so-good impact on you and your life. Further down in this section we talk about some ideas that might help with this.
• No trust
• Anger
• Self-hatred
• Low self-esteem
• Sadness
• Grief
• Depression
• FlashbacksFlashbacks
  These can be pretty rough. It’s like the horrible stuff that went on is happening again, but in reality, it’s just a person’s mind playing tricks on them. If you’re getting flashbacks these can feel very real and very scary. Further down in this section we talk about some ideas that might help with this.
• Sleeplessness
• Embarrassment
• Shame
• Disgust
• Guilt
• Loneliness
• Isolation
• Nightmares
• Health problems
• Self-harm
• Risky sexual behavioursRisky Sexual Behaviours
  Sometimes after experiencing sexual violence, people lose any sexual respect they had for themselves. Which, when you think about it, makes sense - someone has treated them badly, which has led them to think they got what they deserved, or it was how it ‘should’ be. So they do risky sexual things; sleeping with lots of people, getting into dodgy situations, not using protection when they know it’s needed or whatever. If you’re doing risky sexual stuff, you deserve better. Further down in this section we talk about some ideas that might help with this and places to get help.
• Suicidal thoughts - click here for a PDF about how to deal with suicidal thoughts
• Drug/Alcohol abuse
• Eating disorders
• Problems with school work
• Problems with relationships
  

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