The psychotherapy experience of women who have been subjected to sexual violence: What are women asking us to know?

The main objective of this thesis is to gain an in-depth understanding of the psychotherapy experiences of women who have been subjected to sexual violence in adulthood. To achieve this goal, a qualitative study was conducted. The study sample consisted of five female participants aged 18 and over who had been subjected to sexual violence and had undergone at least five psychotherapy sessions. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with the women, and the data obtained were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The analysis revealed five themes. These are, in order: (1) The Path to Psychotherapy Is Full of Obstacles, (2) We Live in a Cave of Wounds, (3) The Space for Healing: Expectations from Therapy, (4) I Couldn't Tell Anyone: It Takes Courage to Talk About Sexual Violence, (5) Gains from Psychotherapy. These themes were discussed in light of the relevant literature.