drug rape - does regression help or harm?

[karen]

I was drug raped 4 years ago. Without giving all the details I was in the company of 4 or 5 men when I passed out, I recall being raped by one of them but there is a period of time which I cannot account for. I was raped in a lock-up with a mirrored ceiling and wonder if more men took part or if I was filmed.
I feel as though I have put the experience behind me but worry that I could be hiding memories that will hit me like a ton of bricks at a later date. I wonder whether regression therapy could help me remember and fully come to terms with what happened or if it would cause more mental damage. Can anyone shed any light on the subject?

[diana_holbourn]

I think people ought to be very, very cautious about doing that kind of thing. If you're referring to hypnosis, memories brought to mind under hypnosis aren't always reliable. They can be influenced by things worried/fantasized about or seen recently on television etc., as well as the suggestion of the therapist. So you could end up with the impression that things were different or worse than how they really were.

As for the kind of therapy where people are made to re-live traumatic experiences, they can end up feeling much worse, as if they've been traumatised all over again.

[diana_holbourn]

Another thing: If you do one day suddenly remember more detail, it'll no doubt be horrifying at first, but the more efficiently you can deal with flashbacks, the better and sooner you'll be able to cope if anything new does happen. It might be best to focus on finding more ways of dealing with them as efficiently as possible. It sounds from another thread as if you're doing quite well at it. So you already have the advantage of knowing what works to a certain extent, which might mean it's easier to think of more things than it would be if you didn't have much of an idea of what to do.

[karen]

Thanks for all your advice Diane. Maybe I'm better off leaving sleeping dogs lie.......