Women and military sexual trauma, a resilience study

Women have served in the military for decades, playing integral roles in both war and peacetime operations. However, at no time in history have women service members sacrificed more than in the past decade, when the many counterinsurgency operations that the nation has fought have forced women to participate directly in combat. With the population of women veterans continuing to rapidly grow, it has become crucial to examine these women’s mental health needs. One of these needs includes addressing the epidemic of military sexual trauma. This Ed.S. research paper examines the nuances of military sexual trauma, including the implications that surviving a sexual assault may have within the military system. The purpose of the research is to familiarize mental health clinicians with, not only the military environment, but with what it means to be a woman serving in today’s armed forces. By examining a few therapeutic interventions, including “bottom-up” sensorimotor approaches, which utilize the body as an entry point to unlocking emotions, as well as complementary interventions like yoga, therapists should be able to gain a better understanding of the general practices associated with treating women veterans