Demedicalizing the Aftermath of Sexual Assault: Toward a Radical Humanistic Approach

Abstract

An entrenched assumption in the mental health field is that if left “untreated” the aftermath of sexual assault will inevitably lead to some diagnosable form of emotional distress. This assumption has focused the search for pathology on individual survivors rather than systems and led to societal pressure for medical or psychotherapeutic treatment following unwanted sexual experiences in the United States and globally. Humanistic psychology is grounded in an existential phenomenological approach that privileges agency and a sociopolitical context of lived experience. As such, it has great overlap with the social justice mission of liberation psychology and is well equipped to respond to sexual assault survivors and the oppressive and patriarchal systems that perpetuate gender-based violence. This article explores the rising use of neoliberal medicalized frameworks to respond to sexual assault in therapy, analyzing both positive and negative aspects of medicalization. Implications for responses to the global prevalence of sexual violence are discussed. Suggestions for alternative epistemic and therapeutic approaches that can be used by humanistic psychologists and that aim to enhance an appreciation for the context of survivor’s experiences are provided.