PTSD After Rape

Sexual assault is one of the most traumatic and underreported crimes in the United States. There are studies to suggest that there is asexual assault every 9 minutes. In addition to physical injury, pregnancy, and venereal disease, It is not uncommon for rape victims to experience post-traumatic stress disorder after this traumatic event. 

Rape survivors, victims of childhood sexual abuse, and survivors of other types of sexual assault may need treatment for PTSD. In addition to individual and group therapy, a person may need medication. PTSD Group offers a revolutionary injection that can help you to overcome PTSD symptoms.

What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder occurs when a person has a physical and mental response to a traumatic event. 

A person who has PTSD may experience everything from nightmares to flashbacks and extreme anxiety.  PTSD was identified in the 1970s. At first, it was primarily used in association with military veterans who had experienced the condition after combat. Prior to that, it had been called combat fatigue or shell shock. However, it was soon discovered that a person could experience PTSD from a variety of harrowing events. 

According to the American Psychiatry Association, about 1 in 11 people will experience PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely to suffer from this debilitating condition as men. Almost a third of rape victims will experience PTSD.

Flight or Fight

When something traumatic such as a sexual assault happens, a person’s body will have a natural flight or fight response. When a person feels threatened, they will have a sympathetic nerve response, and the body will start to run or fight. This is a normal and necessary characteristic that can help a person survive a dangerous situation.

A person who has PTSD after a sexual assault will experience the feelings of terror and vulnerability they felt during their attack repeatedly. The flight or fight response will be activated each time they experience it. 

When the brain’s fear center is repeatedly activated, it will become more and more challenging to shut off. Eventually, it may not shut off at all. 

PTSD Symptoms for Sexual Assault Victims 

A person may experience many different symptoms when they have PTSD, and they will differ from person to person. There are a few symptoms that are often experienced by 

sexual assault victims.

Nightmares

A person who has been raped may have repeated nightmares about the event itself or about their assailant attacking them again. They may experience this several times a night in some severe cases. This can lead to fatigue, and it can make people afraid to fall asleep at night. 

Insomnia 

Dread of nightmares and the inability to shut down the fear response can cause a person to have insomnia. This can affect a person’s ability to work, operate a vehicle, or parent effectively.  A person with insomnia may experience depression, headaches, and a loss of concentration. 

Flashbacks

A sexual assault victim who has PTSD may relive their rape repeatedly. A flashback is similar to a nightmare, but you have it when you are awake. It is an uncontrollable feeling, and you may have it at any time.

In addition to reliving the sexual assault itself, a person may have flashbacks to the anxiety, fear, and anger they felt during and after the attack. 

In some severe cases, a person may not be able to distinguish a flashback from reality. A flashback to a sexual assault is an intense and realistic sensory experience.

A survivor of sexual assault may be able to feel their attacker’s hands and smell their cologne. They might relive the feeling of physical restraint that they felt during the assault, and they are likely to feel the same level of terror and stress that they felt during the actual incident.

Severe Anxiety 

Severe anxiety takes place when a person worries more than a particular situation warrants. An individual with severe anxiety may feel irritable all of the time. All of that worrying can cause a person to experience fatigue. A survivor of rape may appear unusually jumpy because anxiety can cause a person to startle more easily.

Hyper-Vigilance

An offshoot of the anxiety caused by PTSD may be hyper-vigilance. This is a state of increased alertness. It is only natural for a person in a dangerous situation to be more aware of their surroundings than they might otherwise be. When a person has survived an attack, they may be in this state of alertness all of the time, even if there is no real danger. 

Over-Reactions.

When someone has survived rape and has not received treatment, they may overreact to situations that would normally only be somewhat stressful or mildly annoying. Someone who has been assaulted may react very strongly if someone romantically interested in them asks them out more than once or if someone unexpectedly puts a hand on their shoulder. 

Our Treatment Program

If you suffer from PTSD symptoms after rape, we can help you with therapy and injection treatment. 

One of the results of PTSD is extreme levels of norepinephrine in the brain. 

Norepinephrine is a chemical that occurs naturally in the body. It is a stress hormone and neurotransmitter. 

A neurotransmitter sends signals between different nerve cells. When it is activated, norepinephrine enters the blood. When a person is constantly stressed out, they will have higher levels of norepinephrine in their bloodstream. This can lead to heart problems and ulcers. 

The fear center of the brain, which is called the amygdala, can also be over-stimulated. It may eventually lose its ability to shut down and relax. The amygdala is attached to a group of nerves in your neck that is called the stellate ganglion. Studies have shown that survivors of sexual assault may grow extra nerves in the stellate ganglion.

We offer an injection treatment for people living with PTSD that manipulates the stellate ganglion. We inject a patient with a stellate ganglion block that anesthetizes those nerves. Once the treatment takes effect, the amygdala will function normally again. Symptoms of PTSD are likely to be greatly reduced after the injection. 

FAQ

Before you get this revolutionary new treatment, you are likely to have some questions.

Q: How many injections will I need?

A: Most people only need one injection to start feeling better, and a single injection can last for years. However, PTSD symptoms can return, and multiple injections may be necessary. 

Q: How long will the injection take to start working? 

A: We start to see a reduction in symptoms of PTSD in as little as 30 minutes after the injection.

Q; What are the chances that the injection will work for me?

A:  Our most recent studies have shown that 80 to 90% of people living with PTSD who had the injection had a reduction in symptoms for up to 9 years.

Q: Will I still need therapy?

A: Yes. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a complex disease, and it is essential to discuss the traumatic event that triggered it with a licensed mental health professional. You may also need to continue taking medications for a while after the injection.

Our injections control PTSD symptoms so that a person will have more clarity and be able to respond better to PTSD treatments.

Q: Is it dangerous?

A: It is only natural to be cautious of an injection to the neck. However, our trained professionals use an x-ray guide when they are performing this procedure. Side effects are minor, and the risks are low.

Sexual assault is a horrible crime that is often misunderstood. Law enforcement may not do enough to stop rape and sexual abuse, and society does not take it nearly seriously enough. However, we in the psychiatric profession have tirelessly studied the effect of sexual assault on the human psyche. We feel confident that our injections can help people with PTSD.

If you have PTSD as a result of sexual assault, call us today.