Sexual trauma, trust and betrayal
When I went to the psychologist, I remember telling her the story. And she looked at me and said, "These things are criminal. They’re not just stories, that’s criminal activity." And it was instantly, like… a huge sense of betrayal. I mean, we train to protect people and this happens? It isn’t right, you know. We shouldn’t have to feel that. - Military Veteran
High betrayal trauma
Survivors describe service-related sexual trauma as a “high betrayal trauma” because the sexual assault had been committed by someone from their “service family,” someone they would have to depend on for survival. This breaks a fundamental trust as well as being a physical violation.
I was in a training session for people who had recently had a diagnosis of PTSD, and somebody said, "I've got your six, I've got your back." And I was sitting next to a woman who heard that and you could just feel the change in her - she stiffened up, she looked down, and then she left the room. And the men in the room were nodding and like, "yeah, I've got your six, us together, there for each other." And for her that was just a devastating thing to hear because she didn't feel that was the case for her. - Military Therapist
Lack of safety and control
Service personnel may find themselves having to live and work with their perpetrator, who may be a co-worker, or supervisor, within their own chain of command.
Survivors may feel unable to come forward with their experiences due to:
- concerns about career advancement,
- lack of control over the justice process,
- lack of control over their working and living arrangements.
These can contribute to the feeling of betrayal by their service, which may put the sexual trauma survivor at higher risk of developing PTSD.
It feels like on one hand you’ve got something you’re super proud of, and on the other side you feel a sense of betrayal. And disgust. And it’s not even by the individuals, but by the entire institution. - Military Veteran