Re: Sex after rape :(

I am very sorry that you had these experiences, and what you are experiencing is a "normal" response to trauma. It sounds as if you are experiencing post traumatic stress symptoms.

BlueRose has offered some very sound suggestions, with the first being reporting the rape, and the second step being engaging in counseling therapy to process the events and feelings that are associated with such a devastating trauma. That your previous counselor didn't discuss these events with you are a concern, and the thing to remember about counseling therapists is that they are human beings as much as their clients are.

By contacting RAINN, as BlueRose suggested, you will be put into contact with a host of resources that are available to you. Advocates that will literally stand by you and accompany you when you're reporting the crimes and directing you to several counseling options that specialize in rape and sexual trauma.

You didn't deserve what happened to you and you are not responsible for the actions of another person. Sexual crimes carry a terrible, terrible stigma with them because people associate rape and sexual assault with.....SEX. Rape has NOTHING to do with "sex," and this is why most people (men AND women) do not, will not, and cannot report what was done to them. Instead, they carry the shame that the perpetrator has thrust upon them, as intended.

I strongly and gently urge you to take the steps that BlueRose outlined to process the dreadful experiences. You do not have to allow the actions of another person to define who you are for the rest of your life.

Best wishes to you.