The Aftermath of Silencing the Trauma : A Narrative Case Study

The association between silence and powerlessness is one reason behind rape victims’ decision to remain silent about the assault. Rape victims, who most often are traumatized, face a wide array of negative experiences as a consequence of the violence. At the heart of this trauma narrative is the case of a female patient, 70 years old, suffering from tinnitus, for which she was offered psychotherapy. During one of the last therapy sessions the patient disclosed that she was raped at the age of 22 by a man she met when searching for a job. This case study explores the complex relationship between sensory fragments (i.e., hallucinations and tinnitus) and the disclosure of a hidden trauma that occurred half a century earlier. It also illustrates how establishing a confidential therapeutic alliance can contribute to a sustained integration of fragmented experiences of the trauma into a personal history.