Community trauma needs community healing.
Of all the professions, medicine should be in the best position to manage the presence and impact of sexual trauma within its own community.
— Louise Stone, International Summit on Sexual Harassment in Medicine, 2023
Reducing the incidence and impact of sexual harassment in medicine
Our Summit on Sexual Harassment in Medicine brought together leaders from all levels of seniority and all relevant disciplines into one room to tackle this difficult question. We have summarised the findings into different stages of the health promotion trajectory.
What did survivors want?
Justice
Healing
Protection for others
The trajectory of trauma
“Women tread a very fine line, being just nice enough to everybody that you’re not a bitch, but not too nice so that you so-called ‘invite inappropriate attention.’”
The prelude describe the phase before the assault. Survivors have often experienced harms that made them vulnerable. Past trauma is an independent risk factor for future abuse.
“I remember wondering whether his behaviour was normal and if there was something wrong with me. I had difficulty believing that his behaviour was actually real ... Sometimes I felt like I was going mad and this made me feel even more unconfident and uncertain about myself.”
The assault can be one event, or a series of escalating events that cause sexual harm to the survivor. Survivors can also experience dissociation and cognitive dissonance, causing them to doubt their own experiences.
“I went through a big grieving process, because I thought I might have to leave the whole medical profession. But I couldn’t live with the guilt of somebody else being hurt”
In the limbo period, survivors try to make sense of what has happened and decide what response they will make. If they report, there are often prolonged periods waiting for the conclusion of investigations. Often they are still working in the institutions that have failed to protect them.
“I guess I felt the same shame that most victims feel. But I also felt afraid of being labelled a troublemaker…because my story was not the right story, I mean it wasn’t a dark alley”
At some point, the survivor’s name becomes known, in the courts, or in the media. Gossip and commentary are often painful, and can lead to isolation and further shame and stigma.
“After returning to work 5 years after the assault, I found myself hugging the walls because the floor no longer felt safe”
During the aftermath, survivors try to make sense of their experience and rebuild or regrow their sense of personal and professional identity. This can be a prolonged and painful process.
