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Healing
and Recovery Resources for You
Develop Your Roadmap to Rape
Recovery: A Self-Help Approach
You’ve
given it a lot of thought and weighed your options for recovery from your
rape. You know it’s time to do something … life just isn’t, well, as easy as it should be. But your life is busy and time is a precious
asset so you’ve decided you’d like to try a self-help approach.
Whatever
your reasons, I’m glad you’re here and that you’d like to learn more. No matter whether your rape was ten weeks ago
or ten years ago, I know you’ll gain priceless knowledge and insight from one
of the many paths you can take in developing your own roadmap to recovery.
So, let me
share with you the most critical step to get you started right away:
Your 1st Step: Discover Your Learning Style
No matter
what “style” of learner you are, you’ll find a path to your recovery perfectly
suited to you. We all learn differently and
our individual style applies to all sorts of things we learn in life … even
recovering from something as complex as recovering from sexual assault.
Knowing
your learning style saves you both time and money because it gives you the
tools you need to apply laser-like focus exactly where you need help. I’ll show you what I mean in a moment, and
I’ll also give you the tools to begin.
Your
opportunities for self-help are nearly endless in the form of:
- CDs, DVDs, and books perfect
for learning in the comfort of your home and at your own pace
- Classes, workshops, and
retreats offered by therapy professionals requiring less investment of
time and money than traditional therapy
- Associations and organizations
offering information and self-assessment tools; and
- Rape Crisis Centers offering
opportunities for involvement
Now, just a
word about learning styles: They’re not
exclusive to one another; we all employ different styles at different times but
we gravitate to those that really “speak” to us
Let me show
what I mean: Let’s say you’re interested
in art therapy but you’re busy with your family and job or school so you’re
looking for something with a shorter time commitment and something that’s not
too expensive, plus you’d like a classroom setting because you do best when
learning with others.
You research
workshops and classes offered in your area and find one on art, imagery, and
trauma by an art therapist in your area.
Her workshop is only one day a week which fits perfectly with your
schedule and the cost is only $15 for all four weeks which is really perfect.
You like
this: it satisfies your interest in art
(Visual Learning) and your preference for a more social setting where you can
learn from others experiences (Social Learning). The price is right and you have the
opportunity to see if you like art therapy without the time and cost investment
of private therapy. Lastly, you can
evaluate this therapist to see if you’d like to work with her long term. So, as you can see, you’ve combined both
Visual and Social Learning into a win-win situation for you.
So, let’s
get started with the different Learning Styles and some of the areas you can
explore:
Visual Learning (Art, Photography, Movies)
If you’re a
visual learner, you employ pictures, diagrams, maps, and images in your
learning process. You learn by seeing
and are a creative individual. Art,
photography, and movies are perfect learning opportunities for you.
Verbal Learning (Writing, Drama,
Support Groups)
You prefer
using words to learn, and employ both speech and writing. As a verbal learner interested in speech, you
may benefit from drama therapy and support groups; and if you’re interested in
writing or reading, you may like to try creative journaling, memoirs, and
poetry.
Physical Learning (Dance)
As a
physical learner, you prefer using your body, hands, and your sense of touch to
learn. Dance may be the perfect for you
as it provides emotional healing and release of tension. No matter the style that appeals to you,
short term classes and workshops are available in belly dancing, tap, jazz,
contemporary, ballroom (which is fantastic for couples, by the way and
integrate touch again into the relationship) – whatever your pleasure, there’s
an appropriate class where you can learn, grow, and go on to study on your own.
Social Learning (Drama, Support
Groups)
You prefer learning
in groups and with other people. Both
drama and support groups may interest you as you get satisfaction from peer
support, both in terms of learning from others and providing compassion and
empathy to them so they don’t feel alone.
Logical Learning (Self-Directed Learning)
As a
logical learner, you use reasoning and logic in your approach to learning. You
appreciate facts and statistics and learning the foundation of a subject; this
is true even for rape recovery. You
understand the fact that you’re not alone in your pain, find comfort in that
fact, and at the same time are realistic that recovery is possible with time
and work.
Aural Learning (Music)
You love
using music and sound when learning something new. Music triggers certain brain functions, and
helps tremendously with specific functioning as well as overall well
being. It’s familiar and easily
attainable for us all – just turn on the radio!
Music therapy is particularly
effective for reducing stress and physical symptoms like anxiety. Now, you needn’t be a good singer or an
accomplished musician to get the benefit of music. For true benefit, you must only enjoy music –
whatever the style.
Your 2nd Step: Do a Bit of Research
As promised
earlier, I’m going to help you with research and help you find the perfect way
for you to approach your recovery based on your learning style.
As you can
see, no matter what your learning style, you have tons of options. Most of the DVD programs, the books, CDs, and
of course the retreats and workshops are offered by professional therapists
with advanced knowledge in a particular specialty.
For
instance, art therapists are artists in some medium, drama therapists may also
be actors or directors, and music therapists are often musicians or singers. They have a true love for the medium and
truly love to share their craft through workshops, etc.
The
professional associations I’ve listed below provide you with lists of
therapists who offer classes, workshops and retreats and just scratch the
surface of what’s available to you but you’ll begin to see opportunities and
think creatively. You needn’t sacrifice
quality assistance because of time or money constraints.
So, now
that you’ve got a good idea of your learning style, it’s time to do some
research. And, as a therapist in the
field for over a decade, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include several of my own
resources as well!
So let’s
not waste another moment; now armed with your knowledge of your own personal
learning style, you’ll be able to spot the resources perfect for you:
Books, CDs, DVDs
Resources for Therapists Offering Classes,
Workshops & Retreats
Great “Fact” Resources for Logical Learners
So, as you
can see, the whole world is open to you should you decide to take a self-help
approach to your recovery.
Your 3rd Step: Take the Next Step
Identify
just one small task for your next step – researching a retreat, buying a book,
listening to a CD to begin work on reducing your anxiety – identify something now
to begin working on your recovery.
This first
small step can take you into directions you never could have imagined. Please, start today; don’t let your recovery
wait another moment.
Teresa Lauer, M.A., www.TeresaLauer.com
is a behavioral therapist and consultant specializing in rape recovery and
related issues and is founder of www.RapeRecovery.com. She is the author of five books, numerous
articles and creator of a series of videos on rape and recovery. She lives in the beautiful Pacific
Northwest with her husband, Phil.
Teresa Lauer - Copyright 2010
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