How to Date a Rape Survivor

We've all got baggage. Adding an extra layer to the muddled waters of dating is the highly common and formidable post traumatic stress disorder that can arise from a sexual assault. For me, help came through medical cannabis and a partner down to go down on me while I watch Planet Earth and sip valerian root tea while listening to the calming voice of David Attenborough. RAINN estimates an average of 293,066 Americans (age 12 or older) are victims of sexual violence each year, so it could happen to you or your partner as well.

"Chances are very good that they will date a sexual assault survivor because the rates are so high," says psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg. "When you are dating or having sex with somebody, you're interacting with them on the same level which they were violated. So that makes it so tricky." While all relationships, individuals, and healing processes are different, there are certain general things one can do when dating a survivor of sexual assault.

First and foremost, believe them. "When people tell you their stories, believe them," says Dr. Greenberg. "The likelihood of someone making that up is probably very, very low. Listen and believe them, and don't feel like you have to fix things for them, or that you can fix things for then…Let them speak." In other words, shut the fuck up a bit and let them tell their story – in their own time. "If you love someone, or even if you don't love them and you're just trying to have a positive sexual experience with them, you need to let them really sort through it at a pace and level of detail that's comfortable for them," says Emily Lindin of The Unslut Project and UnSlut: A Documentary Film which explores sexual shaming, including interviews with the family and friends of Rehtaeh Parsons. Parsons was a 17-year-old Canadian student who reportedly hung herself after sexual bullying resulting from photos that surfaced of her alleged gang rape.

When it is appropriate to chime in, it's important to ask the right questions. "The right questions are not: 'What happened? Where did you get touched? Where were your parents? Were you drunk?' Not any accusatory or judgmental questions. Don't ask about details, ask about triggers," says Dr. Greenberg. It's important to go over triggers to prevent a survivor from having to relive an experience. A trigger is something that can remind you of the assault and cause flashbacks. It could be anything from seeing someone on the subway with a similar tattoo to your assaulter, or hearing a word or phrase they used during the attack, or being touched in an unintentionally similar way. It's shitty for everyone when during sex you're trying your hardest not to spiral into full panic attack because your boyfriend accidentally did something that surfaced flashbacks from your assault, and it's also really frustrating to have to listen to them whine about how usually they are so great at getting chicks off with the exact move that's causing your flashback.

When dating a sexual assault survivor, sometimes you just have to be patient and learn not to take things personally. "This is a tough one, but you really have to work on not taking it personally. Because it's due to the trauma and not you," says Dr. Greenberg. "You have to be patient. You're going to learn how to be gentle, to avoid the triggers, and how to make it a safe and lovely experience. And be forgiving… as they trust you more, things will become easier."

For some women (and yes – men can be sexual assault survivors too) you're dealing with persistent old scars that just don't want to fade. For others, like Kara*, who survived a rape in the past month, her and her boyfriend Jon* are having to navigate triggers bubbling up from a very fresh wound. "What's so disheartening is that she's blaming herself, and that she's responsible for it, or maybe she didn't do enough stuff," Jon told me. "I have to encourage her that it's not true." The root keeping Kara and Jon strong is that, when they discuss her rape, he remains respectful and reminds her of the number one rule – it wasn't your fault. Period. "He's been really helpful, because I'll sit here and get upset and blame myself and he actually reasons with me," says Kara.

"When we brought [Kara] to the emergency room, she was covered in bruises, like big hand print bruises," said Jon. "She [said] 'I don't know maybe I didn't do enough… I bruise easily,' and I was like, 'We wrestle, all the time. In bed.' I'll put my butt on her face to fart on her. And I was like, 'You try really hard not to let me fart on you, don't you?' And she goes, 'Yeah, I try my best.' And I'm like, 'Yeah every time we wrestle you're trying really hard, but you're not left with any bruises on you. So when you were in this struggle obviously you were fighting very hard not to leave these bruises."

As Boyfriend of the Year as Jon seems, he understands that to get through this, Kara will need to see a professional trained in treating assault victims. "He's been trying to get me to talk to a counselor, which, I will…" says Kara. In order to encourage her, Jon said, he "bribed her with a kitty." "He did, he's like you can get a kitten…but you can't talk to it like your counselor, you have to actually go. It's a really tiny kitty I think it will help just to take care of something. Putting the love and energy into it," said Kara.

"You're going to need to go to therapy and see a crisis counselor – as soon as possible. Because the sooner you see a crisis counselor the less likely you are to get post traumatic stress disorder. They found that with trauma victims are helped immediately they're much more likely to have a positive outcome," explains Dr. Greenberg. The healing from a sexual assault is a lifelong process. Even with patience, respect, and time, surviving a rape is something you have to carry with yourself for the rest of your life. Yet, you're still you. You still want to drink herbal tea while your boyfriend eats you out, or you're still are going to have to smell your boyfriend's smelly farts. Life stops for nothing.

"Acknowledge that it is a really important part of their history, [and let] them know that you're ready to listen when you're ready to talk, and that you respect them," says Lindin. "I think it's important to remember that sexual assault survivors don't stop being adult humans because they went through this."