Courgi1

AngelaCourgi

Mrs.Butorac
HonorsEnglishFoundationsI
4May2016
TheJourneytoFullRecovery
Manyeventsthattakeplaceinapersonslifeimpactswhothatpersonwillbeforever.
But,dontletthosesingleeventsdefinewhotobe,persevereandovercomethosedarktimesin
lifethatmakeexistenceseemquestionable.Forthereisagreaterlightinlivingthanstandingin
theshadowscontemplatingwhatifs.JayceeLeeDugardfacedthisexistentialcrisis.Inher
book,
AStolenLife
,shetellsthestoryofhercorruptionandhowshemanagedtocontinuetruly
livingherlife.Dugardwasabductedatage11,shewasrapedbyPhillipGarridocontinuously
andheldcaptivetherefor18yearsofherlife.Shefellintoadeepspiralofdepression,she
longedtoseehermothereveryday.Atage14and18shebecamepregnantandgavebirthtoher
littlemiracles.Onceshewasrescuedfromthehellshehadbeenlivingin,herlifebecameeven
morefrightening.Buttheonethingthathelpedherremainpositivewastheloveforherkids.
Theysavedherfromwastingherlifeaway,theygaveherapurpose.Inmanycasesvictimsof
rapearelefttraumatized,scared,developselfhatred,feelselfconscious.Manyofthesevictims
donthavechildrenlikeJayceeorabooktowritetogetthosefeelingsofftheirchests,butmany
formsofhelpareoffered.But,inorderforrecoveryprocessestowork,avictimmusttell
someonewhathashappenedtothem.
Aftersexualassaultandorrapevictimsoftenfeeltraumatizedandhauntedbythehorrific
event,causingthemtoforgethowtoregularlytakecareofthemselves.Accordingto
The

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UniversityofSheffield,
womenwhohavebeenassaultedfeelfrightened,guilty,powerless,
angry,ashamed,depressed,numb,lackingselfconfidence(TheUniversityofSheffield).Jaycee
LeeDugardfeltthesame,shewasonly11andfrightenedforherlife,shecouldbarelygrasp
whatdepressionwas,andyetshefeltitconsumeher(Dugard32).Butaswomenfeelthis
depression,theyforgetthephysicalattributestohelpingthemrecoverfromrape.Inorderfor
anyonetomoveonfromanotchinthepast,istolookatthepresent.Themostimportantthinga
victimshoulddoisreporttothepolice,itsnotefficienttryingtofixaproblemwhenitsstilla
secret.Accordingto
PTSDResourcesforSurvivorsandCaregivers,
theresthisgirlnamedElla.
Ellawasrapedattheageof17bysomeoneshethoughtshetrusted.ButwhenEllagothome,she
neversaidawordaboutittoherparents,notevenherfriends.Shestartedarguingwithher
parentsmore,sheneverwantedtogotoschool.Butthatsbecauseshenevergotanysleepat
night,keptupbyhernightmares.Soon,shebecameanalcoholicandgotintoaveryabusive
relationship.Herparentsdecidedtogetheranothertherapistbecausetheoneinthepasthad
neverhelped.Finally,thistherapistaskedhertheonequestionshednevertoldasoulabout
haveyoueverbeensexuallyassaultedorraped.Ella,forthefirsttimetoldsomeoneabout
whathappenedonthewayhomefromschool.Sayingitoutloudwasherfirststepinher
journeytohealing(Menna).Thatistheveryandutmostimportantfirststepinordertorecover
fromthistraumaticevent.Thesecondstepintoreallygettingbetteristakingcareofoneself.In
thearticleby
AmericasMentalHealthChannel
,itisstatedthatAlargepartofcopingwith
beingrapedislearningtoagaincareforonselfafterthetraumaticevent.Rapesurvivorsoften
feeldirtyorguilty,andwhilerapesurvivorsshouldneverfeelthesethings,thesefeelingsarereal
andcanpreventsomeonefromtakinggoodcareofthemselves(Tracy).Takingcareofoneself

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istechnicallyaformoftherapy,andleadsthevictimonabetterroadtocopingwithrape.During
thisprocesswomenshoulddiet,exercise,andsleep(Tracy).Awoman'sselfimagechangesafter
rapeorassault,tendenciestostarvethemselvescausethevictimtofeelevenworse.Therefore,
dietingisamajorcontributortowardsgettingbetter.Italsohelpsmentallywhenawomanknows
sheishealthy,sheisbeautiful,andnothingless.Thenextstepinrecoveryisexercising,thisone
tiesinwithdietingaswell.Ithelpswomenfeelpowerandcontrolovertheirownbodieswhich
makesthemfeelstrongerandregainthissmallbitofconfidenceback.Thelaststepistosleep,
havinganormalsleepingpatternwillmakethevictimprocessbetterandhavemoreenergytodo
thesesimplethings(Tracy).Thesethreestepsaresomethingonecandowithouttherapy,but
somepeoplehavedifferentneedsandmaybeafulltreatmentmayberequired.Buttheyalllead
tothesamegoalwhichistofullyrecoverfromrape.
Oneformoftherapyavailabletovictimsisgrouptherapy.Grouptherapyiswhere
patientsmeetanddiscusshowtheyfeelwhileatherapistsitsbyanalyzingeverything.According
tothe
NationalCenterForHealthResearch
,grouptherapyismoreeffectiveatreducingPTSD,
anxiety,anddepressionthanindividualtherapyforbothwarveteransandrapesurvivors
(Purmalek).Thistypeoftherapygivesvictimsachancetoreleasetheirinnerthoughtswithout
havinganyonejudgethem.Thistypeoftherapyisextremelyefficientbecausepeoplegoing
throughthesamethingshelpeachother,theyfeellessashamedandmoreaccepted.Aspecific
typeofgrouptherapyiscalledCognitiveProcessingTherapy.Duringthisprocess,victimsrecall
thepartsoftheirrapestoriesthatarethehardesttoremember.InCPT,survivorscanwriteabout
theeventandreaditasawaytounderstandthatthisdidhappentothemandthatthereareno
whatifsorIfonlys.AccordingtoNationalCenterforHealthResearch,thetherapistsin

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CognitiveTherapytrytohelpthesurvivorthinkabouttherapeinaconstructivewaythatwill
enablethemtocopewithit(Purmalek).Thisprocesshelpsdecreaseselfhatredandincreasethe
acceptanceofwhathappened.Thepointoftherapyistofinallyacceptwhathappenedandcome
torealizationthatitwasnotthevictimsfault.Throughopenlytalkingaboutthiswithother
peoplewhoaregoingthroughthesamethinghelpspeoplefeelmoreacceptingofthemselves
(Purmalek).JayceeLeeDugardfeltbetterafterwritingherbook,knowingthatsomeonewould
readorheardwhatshehadtosay,andalsotogetthesatisfactionofsinglingoutherpredator
(Dugard1).Manypeopleneedthesupportemotionallytorealizethatitwasn'ttheirfaultand
theyarenotbythemselves,andthatswhygrouptherapyhelpsleadvictimstorecovery.
Anotherformoftherapyisoneononesessionswithatherapist(psychotherapy).There
aremanyformsofthisspecifictypeoftherapysuchasStressInoculationTraining,and
ProlongedExposureTherapy.StressInoculationTrainingalsoknownasSITisamethodthat
helpsvictimspreparethemselvestohandlestressfuleventssuccessfully.Ithelpsthepatientgain
theirconfidenceandtheabilitytocopewiththeiranxietyandfearduetothetrauma.Duringthis
processthetherapistrepeatssituationsorplacesthattriggerthevictim'sfeartonormalizeand
understandthefearitself.Thelaststepoftheprocessisselfcalmingandcopingskillslikedeep
breathingandmusclerelaxationtomanagetheiranxiety(Purmalek).Anotherpsychotherapy
treatmentisProlongedExposureTherapy.Duringthistherapythevictimtellstheirrapestoryout
loudusingpresenttenseanddescribingitasvividlyastheycan.Speakingtheirstoriesoutloud
generallyhelpswithgettingtheangstandfearoutoftheirsystems.Whiletheyspeak,thereisa
tapethatrecordsthem.Thistapeistobelistenedtobythevictimseveraltimestoalmost
desensitizethestoryandhelpthemoveon(Purmalek).Psychotherapyisanotherwayoftelling

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someonewhoisquiteexperiencedonwhatthevictimhadbeenthrough.Thisprocessofopening
upandallowingpeopletohelpwillgreatlyaffecttheroadtorecovery.
Rapeisunpreventable,butlettingthatstopsomeonefromeverreallylivingtheirlife
againisonlyisgivingmorepowerandsatisfactiontotheabuser.Onecannevergetbetteron
theirown.Theymaythinktheycanhandlethisgreatburdenalone,buttheycant.Something
likethiscoulddriveapersoninsane.But,withthehelpofselfcare,therapistsandtherapies,that
onceterrifyingrapestorywillbenothingbutabumpinsomeone'slonghistoryoflife.

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WorksCited
Dugard,JayceeLee.
AStolenLife:AMemoir
.NewYork:Simon&Schuster,2011.Print.
Menna,Amy."GiftFromWithinArticle:"RapeTraumaSyndrome:TheJourneytoHealing
BelongstoEveryone""
GiftFromWithinArticle:"RapeTraumaSyndrome:The
JourneytoHealingBelongstoEveryone"
N.p.,27July2004.Web.07May2016.
Purmalek,Monica."HowDoYouRecoverfromRape?"
NationalCenterForHealthResearch
.
N.p.,30July2013.Web.07May2016.
Tracy,Natasha."RapeRecovery:HowDoIGetOverBeingRaped?HealthyPlace."
HealthyPlace
.N.p.,28July2012.Web.02May2016.
UniversityofSheffield."CopingwithRapeandSexualAssault."
CopingwithRapeandSexual
Assault
.N.p.,n.d.Web.07May2016.