Is it possible to forget/have no remebrance of being raped?

Question

like, is it possible to think your a virgin and find out your pregnant from a rape you dont remember or self-consiously deny remember?

Answer 1

There are natural defense mechanisms in the mind to "protect" you from certain traumatizing or harmful memories. You don't forget them, but if you don't remember them, that just means that they memory is just buried deep in your mind so that you won't be re-exposed to it.

Answer 2

I worked as a psych RN for 22 years. I talked to a number of credible patients that did not remember being sexually abused as children. These people had large blocks of time (years) that they didn't remember.

Later these memories came back when they were older and either got into therapy (all of that trauma in the sub-conscious causes a lot of problems in the present.) or had something remind them of the sexual abuse and it came into conscious awareness.

I have never heard of an adult being raped and forgeting it. There are some possibilities though. I have heard of some women who were given a "date rape" drug and the drug caused them to not remember what happened.

There is also the possibility that if the woman was hit in the head hard enough that even though she was conscious during the rape, she could have retrograde amnesia and not remember it.

I would think that with either the date rape drug or retrograde amnesia that the woman would feel some pain in the vaginal area. But as a man, I have no practical experience with that.

I don't know why you are asking this question but if you are in therapy and your therapist says that your symptoms indicate that you were raped and you don't remember that happening; you have to be very careful.

There are female therapists that have their own personal unresolved issues and try to convince women that they were raped and/or sexually abused when that was not the case. I have read about this, have had psychiatrists tell me this, and had some personal experience with this ( someone I knew successfully sued regarding this.)

I just read your additional information. If you and your boyfriend were "fooling around" and some fluids from his penis contacted your vaginal area ( the boy/man doesn't have to ejaculate and the girl can even have her panties on) you can get pregnant while still being a "virgin"

I hope this did not happen to you and I hope that something I wrote has helped. God bless you.

Answer 3

There are pills that will dilute the effect of traumatic experience. I was watching on the news about it. The get the person to go over the incident in their head and record it with audio. The following day they play the tape back after giving the person this pill. The pill prevents adrenaline from flowing and it dulls the effects of the memory.

Answer 4

maybe...

cause when u already accepted the fact that u have been raped you will step-by-step forget about it...

but even though you already finish the steps, you cant forget it all...

you will remember it cause if you'll see a thing or something that has connection on what happend to you,you would remember it...

you'll only forget it if you will have amnesia...

but that's harder...

Answer 5

I believe you will eventually forget the physical senses but you'll always remember the event happened.Hopefully one will become more aware of there surroundings. I also believe that you can teach someone not to drink and drive or not to steal,etc. but a rapist or molester should be executed..

Answer 6

it is possible ur mind truly denies it to a point where any memory is gone or locked awy which is probably of sever emotional disoreder and would be bad till the person pops

Answer 7

I think yes,it is very possible to mentally block out such a horrendous, traumatic experience.

Answer 8

yes you could have been drugged

Answer 9

First of all, if you think you have been raped, I am so sorry... I am a rape survivor and there are no words or acts to make what happened to you ok.

People who have been raped are VERY suseptable to Rape Trauma Syndrome and it is VERY possible for you not to remember the rape b/c of a condition known as psychogenic amnesia. It is one of the many psychological effects of rape. I am going to list a couple of website articles i foudn that might be helpful, but if you think you have been raped, please speak to a counselor or police officer. It is never too late to file a case and there are ways of helping you remember.

Blessings to you and your discovery!



What is Rape Trauma Syndrome?

By:
Desirée Hansson
(in collaboration with the Lawyers for Human Rights)

Occasional Paper 4-92


INTRODUCTION

Many people experience physical, psychological and behavioural problems after suffering a serious trauma like losing someone they love or being disabled in a car accident. These problems have been called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This condition is a normal reaction to abnormal stress. People who have not previously had a mental illness or psychological problems can suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Different kinds of traumas can produce different reactions. Take rape for example: Rape is not just unwanted sex, it is a highly traumatic experience and like other serious traumas, it has negative effects on those who survive it. Rape is usually experienced as life threatening and as an extreme violation of a person. It is not surprising then, that many rape survivors suffer from a particular kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, known as Rape Trauma Syndrome:

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF RAPE TRAUMA SYNDROME

Immediately after a rape, survivors often experience shock: they are likely to feel cold, faint, become mentally confused (disoriented), tremble, feel nauseous and sometimes vomit.
Pregnancy.
Gynaecological problems like: irregular, heavier and/or painful periods, vaginal discharges, bladder infections, sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, gonorrhoea and/or AIDS.
Bleeding and/or infections from tears or cuts in the vagina or rectum, depending on what happened during the rape.
A soreness of the body. There may also be bruising, grazes, cuts etc, depending on the kind of force used during a rape.
Nausea and/or vomiting.
Throat irritations and/or soreness due to forced oral sex.
Tension headaches.
Pain in the lower back and/or in the stomach.
Sleep disturbances like: difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the night, being woken by nightmares about the rape, getting less sleep than usual; or on the other hand feeling exhausted and needing to sleep more than usual.
Eating disturbances such as: not feeling like eating, eating less than usual and so losing weight; or on the other hand eating more than usual and so putting on weight.

BEHAVIOURAL SYMPTOMS OF RAPE TRAUMA SYNDROME

Crying more than usual.
Difficulty concentrating.
Being restless, agitated and unable to relax; or on the other hand just sitting around and moving very little.
Not wanting to go out and/or socialise; or on the other hand socialising more than usual.
Not wanting to be left alone.
Stuttering or stammering more than usual.
Trying to avoid anything that reminds the survivor of the rape. So for example, someone who was raped at a party may stop going to parties. Many rape survivors don't want to talk about what happened, because it makes them remember the rape.
Being more easily frightened or startled than usual. Rape survivors often get very scared when someone walks up behind them without warning.
Being very alert and watchful.
Getting very upset by minor things that didn't worry them before the rape.
Losing interest in things that used to be of interest to them before the rape.
Problems in relationships with people like family, friends, lovers and spouses. Rape survivors may become irritable and so may quarrel with others more easily; or they may withdraw from people with whom they had been close before the rape. They may also become very dependent on others, or on the other hand overly independent.
Sexual problems like a fear of sex, a loss of interest in sex or a loss of sexual pleasure.
Changes in work or school such as: dropping out of school, truanting from school, changing jobs, or stopping work altogether.
Moving house.
Increased use of substances like alcohol, cigarettes and/or drugs. A person who didn't use a substance before the rape may start to use it after a rape.
Increased washing and/or bathing, because of a feeling of being dirty from the rape.
Acting as if the rape never happened. It is quite common for rape survivors to try and carry on with their lives as if nothing has happened, because they don't want to face their feelings about the rape. This is called denial.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF RAPE TRAUMA SYNDROME

Intrusive thoughts about the rape that upset the rape survivor.
Intrusive thoughts and feelings about being dirty from (contaminated by) the rape. These feelings often make rape survivors wash or bath more frequently. These thoughts are known as obsessional thoughts.
Flashbacks - the sudden feeling that the rape is happening again, which makes the survivor very frightened and upset.
Nightmares about the rape.
Being very upset by anything that reminds the survivor of the rape.
Becoming extremely afraid of certain things that remind the survivor of the rape. Such extreme fears are called phobias. Rape survivors often develop extreme fears of men, of strangers, of being alone, of leaving their homes, of going to school or to work, and of sex. These phobias are called traumatophobias, because they are caused by a trauma.
A loss of memory for all or part of the rape, which is called psychogenic amnesia.
Being unable to feel certain feelings like happiness, or feeling very 'flat'. On the other hand, rape survivors can feel emotionally confused and have mood swings (quick changes of mood).
Feeling that they will not live for very long and/or feeling very negative about their future prospects.
Feeling depressed and/or sad, and sometimes having thoughts of suicide.
Feeling irritable and angry.
Feeling more fearful and anxious than usual. Rape survivors are often very afraid that their assailant/s will return, that they may be pregnant or have been infected with a disease from the rape.
Feelings of humiliation and shame.
Feeling different and/or distant from other people.
Feelings of guilt and self-blame about the rape. Rape survivors often feel that they were somehow responsible for being raped.
Feelings of helplessness and powerlessness.
A loss of self respect and self confidence. Many rape survivors feel that the rape has made them worth less than other people.
Human beings respond to trauma in different ways. Although many rape survivors suffer from the symptoms of Rape Trauma Syndrome, not all survivors respond to rape in the same way - some rape survivors may have none of these symptoms and others may suffer only a few. Therefore, if a person experiences many of the symptoms of Rape Trauma Syndrome, it is highly likely that s/he has been raped; but if a person claims to have been raped, yet experiences none of these symptoms, or only a few, it is not a sign that s/he has not actually been raped. Because most rape survivors are afraid to tell anyone that they have been raped, any person who claims to have been raped, should be treated as if they have been raped.

It is important to treat each rape survivor as an individual and to try and understand what the rape means to that particular person. A person's religion, culture, class, race and gender may affect how they feel about being raped. The impact of a rape may be worse if the victim is physically or mentally handicapped, if they were raped by more than one person, or on more than one occasion; and/or if they were raped by someone they knew. Coping with being rape may also be more difficult if family, friends and colleagues are not supportive and/or blame the survivor.

Rape survivors seem to experience different symptoms of Rape Trauma Syndrome over time. In the first couple of days immediately after a rape, a survivor usually experiences a state of shock. After this shock has passed, some survivors try to act as if nothing has happened. This is their way of trying to block out the rape, because they feel that they won't be able to cope if they let themselves remember what happened to them. So, they may look as if they have not been affected by the rape. This has been called the stage of denial or pseudo-adjustment.

However, if a rape survivor is going to recover well from the impact of a rape, s/he must let her/himself remember the rape and feel whatever s/he is feeling inside. When s/he does start remembering and feeling, s/he will also start suffering from symptoms, but these usually improve gradually over time. It often helps a survivor to have counselling if s/he is experiencing symptoms that upset her/him.

The effects of rape are long term. Rape survivors never forget being raped, but many learn how to deal with the memory. Studies have shown that the symptoms suffered by a rape survivor three months after a rape usually continue over the next three to four years, although they do seem to improve over time. Rape survivors who have strong self-esteem before being raped, those who have good relationships with people and those who have few major changes in their fives in the year, before a rape; seem to recover more quickly from the effects of rape.

Rape Trauma Syndrome has been introduced in court cases overseas in a number of ways: to corroborate a victim's claim that s/he did not consent to having sex; to explain a rape survivor's poor memory about a rape; and to help the court decide on a sentence for a rapist. The negative effects of rape are not yet widely known or recognised in South Africa. Many of our courts are still operating under the false impression that rape is merely unwanted sex and therefore, that it does not damage rape survivors especially in the long term. Rape Trauma Syndrome is only now being introduced as evidence in South African courts.


Psychogenic Amnesia is a form of amnesia popularized by popular culture, particularly film, related to trauma or general psychological disorientation. It is not the result of specific brain injury or disease.

In the most radical form, also called fugue state, people forget their name, family, and other identifying information. The rarity of cases leaves some doubt as to whether or not psychogenic amnesia is a real phenomenon. This is also called autobiographical amnesia.

A much more common form of psychogenic amnesia is dissociative amnesia, where a person cannot recall a particular event or period of time, such as events during a violent crime. In general the memory loss must be more extensive than ordinary "forgetting". It is theorized that the information is too difficult or painful to retain. Because dissociative amnesia is a psychological phenomenon (not physiological) therapy can help with retrieving the information.