ABSTRACT
This chapter tackles the important and timely topic of sexual trauma and assault. Sexual trauma is an unfortunate reality in the US Military. For traumatic sexual experiences occurring during times of military service, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) have coined the acronym Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Sexual trauma is more likely to result in diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than other types of trauma, including combat-related traumas. Recent approaches in the field of art therapy for PTSD have developed protocols based on the understanding of the underlying neurobiology of trauma, and the psychological and physiological responses that have evolved to help ensure survival in life-threatening situations. The VA has instituted an evidence-based treatment specifically for nightmares called imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT). Those who have suffered sexual trauma have a tendency to avoid people, places, and things that evoke a memory or feeling of the trauma.
