Prescription for severe family emotional problems

Author: Wei Yali
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features:
1. Full and realistic portrayal of psychological treatment for "rape phobia" in adolescent girls, with a reverse youth awakening. When Jiang Yun sat opposite me, she timidly occupied only the front half of the sofa, leaning forward with her eyes downcast—clearly a quiet, delicate girl. From the appointment call, I learned she was a freshman at a university of technology. I poured her a cup of hot tea and smiled, telling her that first-time female clients often feel a bit nervous. She managed a weak smile and gradually relaxed her body.
"It's really hard to bring this up," Jiang Yun said, lowering her gaze and staring straight at her own toes. After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath and finally began to narrate: "I've been terrified every night, especially when sleeping, often worrying without reason that someone might break in and rape me. When I calm down, I know this is unlikely to happen, as the campus is quite safe, and besides, there are eight girls in the dormitory! Everyone else sleeps peacefully, and my bed isn't near the door. Later, I even switched from the lower bunk to the upper one with my roommate, but the moment I lie down in bed, I can't help but tense up. My mind is filled with scenes from TV shows where girls are raped—feeling extremely terrifying. I can't sleep at night, have no energy during the day, and can't concentrate on my studies. I'm very worried that if this continues, I won't even be able to finish my degree, let alone fear that I might go crazy."
"How long has this been going on?" I guided her to delve deeper into the conversation.
"It's been a year and a half. Our school has more male students, and every time I attend a public class and see the classroom packed with boys, my nerves are on high alert. Even when male classmates walk past me, I get very tense and feel annoyed. Every day, I have to be accompanied by female classmates when going to or from evening classes. I dare not walk alone on campus, especially fearing male classmates sneaking up on me from behind."
From the preliminary information gathered, Jiang Yun's problem can be categorized as "rape phobia," a type of phobia. Phobias generally arise from personality traits, cognitive biases, life events, and psychological stress. Based on my initial impression of Jiang Yun, her personality is quite sensitive and introverted, which may be the psychological foundation for the issue. However, external factors, what psychology terms "life events," are likely the trigger.
"When I was just 13, a local TV station aired a report about a rape case in our city: a gang of thugs who frequently kidnapped and collectively raped teenage girls, leaving them severely traumatized. At the time, I had just started my period and had a mysterious feeling about 'sex,' but after watching the news report, I felt quite scared. My mom was even more anxious, saying that if something like that happened to me, our family would be ruined, and my whole life would be destroyed! To make sure I paid close attention, she kept telling me about similar reports in newspapers, repeatedly reminding me not to be alone with boys or go out alone at night. For the next one or two months, I was terrified every day, and even a slightly delayed walk home from school in the evening made me extremely tense. Fortunately, over time, I gradually forgot about these events, and the fear subsided."
I have treated several cases of "virginity anxiety" and "sexual assault phobia," all of which were closely related to similar family sexual education. Out of a protective instinct for their daughters, mothers often intentionally exaggerate the dangers of life, especially emphasizing the severe consequences of "losing virginity." This has a significant negative impact on the sexual psychological development of adolescent girls. Since teenage girls already have a limited and subjective understanding of issues related to "sex," exaggerating the dangers of sexual assault can easily lead them to generalize, mistaking imagined dangers for real ones, thus forming incorrect perceptions.
"Since middle school, many boys have pursued me, but I've never paid them any attention. Sometimes, I even resent them for wanting to get close to my body, feeling as if my innocence is being violated!" As she said this, I noticed Jiang Yun's face flushing, her tone sounding angry, but her eyes flickered, revealing an unnoticeable curiosity and excitement. I guessed that her "rape phobia" might also be related to a reverse psychological defense mechanism: she is at the age of first love and is bound to experience adolescent stirrings, but her mother's inappropriate sexual education has made her fearful of male emotions. Therefore, whenever her sexual instincts begin to awaken or sexual desires stir, she feels anxious and tense. To avoid this distress, she manifests excessive fear, which is the opposite of her subconscious motivations.
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