New research indicates that many rape traumas can be healed in only one day. A new project is happening in Cape Town this week only.
Tuesday May 5th the second round of the research project “Healing Rape Traumas in One Day” is happening at the MediSpa, Kloof Street, Cape Town. The first round happened 6 years ago and since then the results have been analyzed and published. The results are promising as a majority of the participating women reported major improvement after only one day of healing work.
The principles of the one-day healing are well known from intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy: to confront all oppressed feelings from the trauma and explore the negative beliefs that are the learning of the trauma. When the negative learning from the rape-trauma is re-viewed and the whole episode is reinterpreted, the psychological damage from the trauma is reversed.
Short time span makes therapy affordable and available to more victims
What is new is the very short time span of the therapy, which aims to make therapy affordable and available for many more victims of sexual traumas.
“Intensive short-term psychotherapy is an immensely powerful technique,” says Dr. Søren Ventegodt who is leading the project, “and the results we have seen so far are amazing and most promising for our aim to develop a quick and effective therapy to heal rape and sexual traumas. The truth is that many women, especially young women, who experience rape are wounded for life; they never get back to having normal relationships with men. The cause is the beliefs that come from the traumas: beliefs that men in general are evil, primitive, heartless, exploitative, less respectful, and without human feelings, etc.”
The therapy makes the rape victim understand that while some men are like that, most men are good and reliable. Sometimes general weakness in the victim’s personality that enhances the negative effect of the trauma, like a tendency to live in a victim-role, that was there long before the rape incident happened, is also seen. If the therapy goes deep even these self-destructive traits of the women’s personality can be changed as an outcome of the therapy.
Paradoxical post-traumatic growth
International research has shown that after successful therapy many women appear stronger and happier than before the trauma; called “the paradox of sexual abuse”, or the scientific term is “paradoxical post-traumatic growth.”
The reason for this positive development is that suffering and terrible events like rape are unique occasions, where you are forced to work with yourself and come to know yourself better. And nothing is more beneficial for your long-term happiness and your quality of life than self-awareness and the understanding of who you truly are.
If you are interested in the project and would like to participate this is still possible; you can hear more about it at Medi Spa at 99 Kloof Street on Monday 7pm, where Dr. Ventegodt and his co-therapist Pavlina Kordova gives a free speech on “Healing and happiness”. Everybody is welcome, no booking needed.
If you are interested, come to a free talk at Medi Spa Monday 7 pm or contact Søren Ventegodt on e-mail: Ventegodt@livskvalitet.org or phone 021 789 2682 (Dr. Bernard Brom’s landline), Cell 082 7818144 (Bernard Brom’s Phone) – or send text to +45 20 666 766.
Colleen says
Why is this therapy not made free and mandatory? Statistically the highest affected demographic can’t afford private health care let alone psychologist fees.
I always say in general those who need therapy most cannot afford it. So sad and wrong, yes.