ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

When the news itself is a form of trauma

Just on Tuesday, there was a barrage of stories about the allegations of sexual misconduct against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court.

null

Just on Tuesday, there was a barrage of stories about the allegations of sexual misconduct against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. If you flipped the channel, there was wall-to-wall coverage of Bill Cosby’s prison sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in his home.

Victims of sexual violence, women and men included, are struggling to cope with the rapid pace of news that can provoke flashbacks to their own experiences, said Dr. Christine Nicholson, a clinical psychologist who works near Seattle.

Nicholson, who treats victims of sexual violence, said several of her clients had brought up the allegations against Kavanaugh in their sessions. Their emotional responses to events of the #MeToo era vacillate between extreme anger and helplessness, she said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s a very difficult time,” she said. “I’m having people call me after hours where they’re just feeling meltdowns and a sense of hopelessness.”

Nicholson had been practicing for 10 years by 1991, when Anita Hill brought allegations of sexual harassment against Judge Clarence Thomas. While the hearings transformed the national debate around sexism, Nicholson said she did not hear the same complaints of persistent anxiety from her clients, probably because they were not constantly seeing breaking news on multiple platforms.

“Times have changed,” she said. “We didn’t have the internet, there wasn’t social media, there weren’t iPhones.”

When survivors encounter a trigger that reminds them of their trauma, such as a news article about sexual violence, their response can include both emotional and physical pain, said Dr. Vaile Wright, the director of research at the American Psychological Association.

They often report headaches, stomach problems and an increased heart rate, on top of changes in appetite and sleep patterns, she said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Although therapists generally discourage avoidance in people with post-traumatic stress disorder, Wright said it is healthy for survivors to limit their news consumption or set boundaries for when and how they tune in.

“It gives us some control over what feels like an uncontrollable situation right now,” she said.

There are also more active ways to cope, Nicholson said, like engaging politically or telling a personal story to put rage into words, as so many have been doing on social media.

“It has to go somewhere, because if it doesn’t go somewhere, it will hurt you,” said Soraya Chemaly, a feminist writer and activist. “It can literally make you sick.”

Chemaly, who recently published a book titled “Rage Becomes Her,” said political movements powered by women’s anger were nothing new. During the temperance movement that began in the 1800s, many women pushed for bans on alcohol as a response to husbands who spent too much money on liquor and were violent while drunk.

ADVERTISEMENT

In more recent history, anger over the inauguration of Trump, who has also been accused of sexual assault, prompted millions of people to attend Women’s Marches, taking to the streets en masse.

On Monday, protesters gathered in New York and Washington to demonstrate their opposition to Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. By Wednesday, three women had publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault or misconduct.

“We are angry about the things that have happened to us,” said Aminatou Sow, a writer and podcast host. “We’re angry that it happens to other people. We’re angry that, for a long time, we weren’t able to talk about it.”

Sow, who is a survivor of sexual assault, said the way the news media handles stories about sexual violence can often cause harm. When journalists use flippant language to refer to sexual assault, or when news programs give outsize space to male commentators, it can feel both infuriating and exhausting, she said.

There are ways to make the news cycle less toxic. For example, Sow said, men who are not themselves survivors of sexual assault should take a step back and listen to what women have to say.

ADVERTISEMENT

Alicia Garza, a founder of the Black Lives Matter movement and the head of Black Futures Lab, said men can also be instrumental in changing the tenor of the discourse around sexual violence. The debate can often devolve into interrogating survivors and overemphasizing the impact on the accused, she said.

Along with the feminist group Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, Garza’s group helped organize a full-page advertisement signed by 1,600 men that appeared in The New York Times on Wednesday in support of Christine Blasey Ford. Blasey accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a high school party in the 1980s.

The advertisement echoed a similar one in 1991 showing support for Hill that was signed by the same number of black women.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Thursday to question Blasey and Kavanaugh, who has categorically denied all the accusations of sexual misconduct that have been made against him. Republican senators have retained a female sex-crimes prosecutor to question Blasey.

Chemaly said that she planned to watch the hearing, but that she worried it would take on a prosecutorial style that would only anger her further.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I anticipate really wanting to throw something,” Chemaly said. “We’re going to see a lot more tweets from women saying exactly how angry they are. I’m curious if that’s still surprising to men.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Julia Jacobs © 2018 The New York Times

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT