Breaking the cycle of shame and silence.

The latest studies show that as many men as women have been sexually molested and raped by the enemy or other "friendly" soldiers. The shame, humiliation, guilt rape victims feel - regardless of gender is overwhelming. Rape is one of the basest forms the human power struggle can take. While women are disproportionally affected, in todays military it is said that as many men as women were raped or sexually abused and assaulted.

Trauma related to military sexual abuse can be treated!

Patients are asked to construct narratives about the worst traumatic events they can recall. With repeated therapist-guided exposure to such memories, they experience progressive reduction in distress levels and thereby achieve clinical remission (27, 28).

Men speak out against sexual abuse

Palo Alto Trauma Center

Nearly 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department have suffered sexual trauma, from harassment to rape, researchers reported October 2008. Rachel Kimerling of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California is quoted by Reuters:

"Iraq and Afghan veterans need mental health services1.5 times as likely as other veterans. We are, in fact, detecting men and women who seem to have a significant need for mental health services," The study was presented at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego. It raised many questions and partially explained the high suicide rate among returning Veterans.

Cognitive therapy and cognitive processing therapy focus on the trauma-related erroneous automatic thoughts associated with PTSD.

Typical erroneous cognitions include perceiving the world as dangerous, seeing oneself as powerless or inadequate, or feeling guilty for outcomes that could not have been prevented. Cognitive restructuring is the technique through which the therapist challenges such distorted beliefs, thereby enabling patients to overcome intolerable trauma-related emotions such as guilt and shame (28, 29).

Make sure you choose a therapist you like and trust, and one that has experience with PSTD. Since Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome is different from regular psychological issues since there is actual trauma involved.