Inner truth: The Trauma of Rape

There are some factors we take for granted. We have to, or we would go mad.

These include faith in the sanctity of our person. Faith that the other will not harm, rob or violate us. Faith that going out in public is safe. When these expectations are violently belied, our psyche undergoes a seismic shock. Even more than the physical injury, which, as we have seen in the case of the unfortunate Nirbhaya can be grievous, is the damage done to the mind. To be able to trust again, to be able to regain one’s independence and basic sense of safety, to be able to come to terms with being grossly violated, are all  extremely difficult tasks.

Unfortunately, most also end up carrying guilt and shame. It is my firm conviction that these at least must be eschewed. These emotions belong to the perpetrator not to her — and she should let him carry it. And society must support her to do so by freeing her of the stigma that clings to survivors. Difficult as the process is, I hope and pray, that each survivor regains her grit, fire and spirit, and learns to once again trust her fellow human beings. For we are worthy of trust. Human nature is essentially good and potentially divine. In our journey to divinity, we commit heinous acts because we have been invested with freedom of will. But that is not all we are. And may each survivor discover that for herself.

The author is editor of Life Positive, a spiritual magazine, and an avid truth seeker.