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The effects of rape are a twisted weave of physical and emotional horror. Many people do not comprehend that physical force is not always present, yet it can still be rape. There are some who intend to rape and then commit murder. The reality is that the victim lives and looks as usual on the exterior. Unfortunately, the majority feel dead on the inside because of the trauma. It is something that remains a detailed memory no matter how hard you try to put it out of your mind. In fact most keep reliving it because the are in such disbelief that it actually happened.
Most people will suggest counseling for many emotional issues. As a victim of rape, it is overwhelming to talk about, especially to a stranger. Once you begin healing physical, you can gather up the strength to work on recovering emotionally. Sometimes the ones who should be your support system are the ones who may not believe you or become impatient with your reactions. If you have little physical wounds, they may down play your experience and even give you a hard time for changing your personality. They may even begin to treat you differently.
You must persevere, however. It could take a few months or many years to heal. It is important to begin your processing as soon as possible. You may be stubborn because you are thinking that there is no way you can erase this horrible image and some days you feel that you can never scrub hard enough to wash all of the slime off of you. How fortunate that we have theInternet to go to at any hour of the day or night. When you are feeling disoriented or having a flash back, you can remain anonymous if you like and find a kind word and a support group immediately.
