Incest and sexual violence.

Retrospective Presentations of Incest: Treatment Strategies for Use with Adult Women

“…Even as an adult, the victim may harbor an enormous amount of anger toward the parents and may alternate between feelings of helplessness and strong dependency, with rage and extreme needs for independence (Allen, 1980;McNaron & Morgan, 1982;Owens, 1984). Perhaps it is these negative self-feelings, in conjunction with the particular 'dynamics of the incestuous experience, that contribute to the tendency for incest victims to have difficulty trusting others and establishing close relationships (Authier, 1983;Browne & Finkelhor, 1986;Herman, 1981;Meiselman, 1978;Owens, 1984). Incidences of later adult sexual difficulties are also common in victims of incest (Hansen, Woody, & Woody, 1983;Renshaw, 1982).…”

“…In a delayed or retrospective presentation of an incest experience, it is important that the counselor assess why the incident surfaced at this particular time in the victim's life and whether there are any residual effects of the experience (Authier, 1983). In general, treatment goals when working with incest victims include:…”

“…One difficult aspect may be the dawning awareness of the client that the mother may have known of the incest (Mayer, 1983). In addition, the competitive aspects of the mother-daughter pair and the role reversal between mother and daughter need to be addressed when present (Authier, 1983).…”

“…Some researchers (Authier, 1983;Herman, 1981) have stated that a primary goal of counseling is to prepare the client for a confrontation and disclosure of the incest to the family members. In my opinion, however, extreme caution must be exercised in this preparation: I have often found the family response to be denial or perhaps an initial admission of the incest, followed by retraction and angry retaliation.…”

“…For some clients, even talking to an empty chair about the family experiences is too painful and overwhelming. In these cases writing "an unsent letter" (Authier, 1983;Mayer, 1983;Renshaw, 1982) can help the client begin to deal with the incest situation and put her feelings and experiences into words.…”