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Conceptualizing Sexual Trauma and PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Challenges of Teaching with Sexual Trauma as a Graduate Student Instructor
Integrating Trauma-Informed Pedagogy, Critical Disability Theory, and Networks of Care
Reframing Shame
Psychologist and activist Brene Brown believes that “shame is the feeling of, ‘If you knew all there was to know about me, you wouldn’t love me anymore’” (cited in Van Ness, 2019, p. 7). Shame is isolating, driven by intrinsic and extrinsic forces. It causes us to feel unworthy of our peers’ respect and like we don’t belong with “normal people,” intensifying the imposter syndrome that already plagues many graduate students (Collier & Blanchard, 2023; Gresham-Dolby, 2022). Shame thrives on secrecy and transforms assault from a horrific experience to a core element of the survivor’s identity (McElvaney et al., 2022).
Reframing shame begins with self-compassion (Robinson et al., 2024; Bhuptani & Messman, 2022; McElvaney et al., 2022). Granting yourself the compassion you would show another survivor is easier said than done: In general, most people judge themselves more harshly than they would another person. When, however, we work to understand that trauma responses and trauma’s effects are physiological and not a product of weakness, we can begin to show ourselves grace. Recognizing sexual assault as a shared experience allows us to move from self-blame and secrecy to connections to a broader community of survivors.
In the academy, reframing shame might take the shape of attributing academic struggles to trauma responses rather than personal failure. Access to mental health services is a privilege, but I have found it helpful to obtain a PTSD diagnosis, for it gave me a reason for the way I feel inside. I fully acknowledge that most graduate students don’t have access to adequate mental health resources (Miller, 2020), so I recommend learning more about trauma responses and connecting with other survivors.