Rape Trauma
Now that you're deeply and fully relaxed - Feeling comfortable, safe and secure - I want you to visualize yourself as if you are watching yourself on a picture screen. Can you see yourself? ... Good. Very good. Now, this picture screen in very unique because it not only is able to go forward and reverse in time - but it two other special features. The first feature is the "Fading" mechanism. For each and every time you view certain events on the screen, it will become much dimmer, and, in time will have faded away completely. The second feature is the "Emotional" mechanism. This feature enables you to experience emotionally the complete scene on the screen, yet allowing you to remain physically and emotionally safe with me.
Now, I want you to view the screen and go back to the time of your sexual assault. I want you to view this experience from the first moment of its occurrence ... try to feel the total experience in all its various elements. Be aware of certain sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. Sense the fear the event is bringing about. Express this fear ... express the thoughts going through your mind ... See rapidly the total event ... feel it ... live it. See the total event over and over again ... at least a total of six times ... Now stop! ... Stop viewing the event ... Bring your viewing screen back to the present.
I am going to place my wrist in your two hands. Grab my wrist and hold tight. I want you to view on the screen what images of the attacker you can as you squeeze my wrist ... squeeze it hard and verbally express your hatred and anger at the attacker ... yell, scream, say any words you want ... let out your feelings towards him ... more ... more ... louder ... louder ... Good ... Good. Now relax ... just relax.
Now I want you to feel the soft fleshy part of my forearm. I want you to gently squeeze my forearm with both hands ... massage my arm as though it were bread dough ... ever so gently ... and as you do I want you to forgive your attacker. Forgive him because HE has a problem ... not you. Forgive him because if you don't, you will never be able to be completely free from what he did to you. Forgive him ... free yourself ... Say it ... Say you forgive him ...
That's fine ... just fine. Just relax ... and go deeper and deeper into pleasant relaxation.
Now, by repeatedly viewing the attack scene as we have done, the problems in your life will decrease to the point where you won't be bothered by them, because each and every time you go back and experience the scene and express your anger, and then forward the picture back to the present and forgive your attacker, you will feel the marvelous emotions of well-being, inner-strength, and self-respect and happiness. Also, each and every time you go back and experience the scene you will find the scene has faded considerably. An with this fading will come the contentment and inner peace that has always been with you. You will feel positive control over your life with more of an inner strength and self worth than ever before. Each and every time you leave this office, you will leave with a stronger awareness of your self-respect and emotion security. Together we will work towards and obtain complete revitalness of that very special person that you are. The personal strength that has always been within you will again become a permanent part of your life. You will quickly discover that the unpleasant situation which brought you here was caused by the problems of another individual! Not yours! You are still the same person you were before this experience. In fact, you are even stronger, because being here proves you are a survivor! The experience was not directed at your personally.
Remember, you were only a victim of circumstance.
Watch the screen now. Feel an inner strength, control and self-respect re-surfacing and spreading within you. You see and feel yourself as a whole, complete individual in total control of your life. You have a desire to help others who have been victimized as you have ... to share your strength with them. To give them guidance. Doesn't that image on the screen look wonderful? Look closely at that image and feel the wonderful emotions flowing out of the picture screen and right into you. Do you see how easy that was? It was easy because what you see on the screen is how you really feel and how you deserve to feel. Each and every time you view and experience the situation on this screen the negative feelings will have diminished and in their place only positive ones will preside. The traumatic experience will become dimmer each time you experience it on the picture screen and will give way to only positive, happy and secure emotions. Each day you will become more aware that this experience robbed you of nothing except momentary grief. Only momentary. Every day you will look forward to the positive joys life still has for you, and you accept the experience by facing it squarely here with me. As I'm sure you can see, your image on the picture screen in one of happiness and self-worth and is becoming, right now,a permanent part of you life. You will keep this image with you always. Feel the wonderful emotions that come with this image. You feel contentment, self-worth, optimistic about your future and have a genuine desire and need to keep these wonderful feelings with you always. Now,feeling these happy, content, secure emotions flow completely through you, I m going to count from 0 to 5. With each number, these feelings will become a permanent part of you. When I reach 5, you will be completely awake, feeling refreshed, content and very aware of what we've talked about.
