When I think PTSD I automatically think soldiers and the aftermath of war. But how can you quantify someone's trauma? We all have different levels of resilience based on our life experiences, and the same incident won't necessarily affect those that lived through it in the same way. That's because any traumatic event that happens in our lives, moving on from that is all about the meaning (words and pictures) attached by us to that episode in our lives.
Unfortunately statistics tell us that 1 in 4 women will be raped by the time they reach 20. The impact of that occurrence can depend on the victim's age, the level of violence, if the perpetrator is known to them, support received afterwards etc. Some victims will blame themselves, some will place the blame entirely where it should go - on the predator - and some might blame others who they felt didn't protect them. And moving beyond that it can result in a fear of sex, men, pregnancy, safety. The ensuing emotional pain can become greater than the original event. Recovery is often about eliminating the feeling of powerlessness that comes with the experience.
Marisa Peer has developed some fabulous tools and techniques as part of RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy) that hone in on giving back to someone the voice or power they feel they lost through a traumatic time in their life. Having watched her utilize her original ideas and methods for a range of clients and variety of reasons, it is a very successful procedure for releasing long held resentment, fear, anger or disappointment that has been holding that person back.
You can never change the past, but you can change the way you view it.
