Any rape victims experience periods of disassociation years later?
Question:
Periods where you feel almost robotic
Limited cognitive functioning in terms of remembering things particularly in the evenings
Answers:
I did for a long time but not so much anymore.I blamed myself & to this very day I have a difficult time in trusting anybody.Although I am an extremely sociable person I very very rarely let anybody get too close to me which has caused relationship problems.The guilt & shame will probably always be there if you don't learn to forgive yourself : )
yes...if you would like to real talk email me butterflyfrills@YAHOO I know what it feels like first hand
It is perfectly normal! it is your body/brain's way of dealing with the fear ect. I think you should ask your dr. about the possiblity of having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I had that after I was raped.. and it was also years later. I dealt with my p.t.s.d through cognitive therapy, and I feel 100% better now. I mean there will always be memories, but now I don't get the fear of the rape anymore. I hope you find the right answer. I would ask your dr. though about the possiblity of having p.t.s.d it is very comon in these situations.
Good Luck and Very Sorry to hear about this.
Also, if it makes you feel any better at all, you could try taking a self defence course, I took Kickboxing and I felt like I was more in control, and more powerful, less affraid.
yes ive been there personally. you submerge things to the back of your brain because you dont want to remember, you dont want to hurt anymore,you dont want to blame yourself any more either.you feel as though your just there and your being controlled please do me a favor get counseling i did it really helped i got so bad over the years i wouldnt even go out of my house and if i did someone had to check my car .it was horrible it took me 15 years of counseling cuz i waited 15 or 20 years to go
It sounds like post-traumatic stress syndrome. I'm not an expert, most of what I know about it is what I have read after a friend was diagnosed, but it can be brought on years after the original trauma by some meaningful event. Although the trigger event may not seem like much to the person experiencing it, it is something that clicks with the subconcious and the PTSS symptoms start.
My friend had the "robotic" feeling and periods where she was functioning in public but felt totally removed from the emotions or stress of whatever was going on. Most people couldn't tell there was anything wrong with her at the time. She also had weird sleep disturbances and would occasionally drift off during conversations - just go totally blank like she was asleep but her eyes were open. Then she would snap out of it and not realize what had happened.
She also tended to be hyper-reactive to mildly bad situations - i.e. - for her it was a total crisis but for me - not so much.
Hope this helps...
More Questions & Answers...