YOUR SKIN.
IT BLANKS OUT OTHER PARTS OF THE
STORY THAT REALLY DON'T MATTER
MUCH.
DR. DARA BUSHMAN IS A
LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
AND SHE JOINS US NOW.
SO WELCOME.
THANK YOU.
AS YOU SAW THE PRESIDENT WAS
BLASTING DR. FORD AND SAYING IF
THIS WERE REALLY TRUE WHY DIDN'T
SHE FILE CHARGES, WHY WEREN'T
CHARGES FILED AND WHY DIDN'T SHE
REPORT THIS AT THE TIME WHEN SHE
WAS A TEENAGER.
CAN YOU HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND
WHY IT'S DIFFICULT FOR VICTIMS
TO COME OUT.
YES.
THEY'RE SCARED OF IF THEY ARE TO
REPORT, WHETHER PEOPLE WILL
BELIEVE THEM, WHETHER PEOPLE
WILL THINK THEY'RE TELLING THE
TRUTH, SCARED THAT THEY WILL BE
RIDICULED, SCARED THAT PEOPLE
WILL BELIEVE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
BECAUSE SO MANY WOMEN THAT I
WORK WITH CONSTANTLY GO THROUGH
THIS BATTLE, FEARFUL TO SPEAK
THEIR TRUTH BECAUSE THEY
EXPERIENCE THE TRAUMA, AND OFTEN
THE TRAUMA THAT THEY EXPERIENCE
BY TELLING PEOPLE IS EVEN
GREATER THAN THE ASSAULT.
AND THEY FEEL EVEN MORE OF A
VICTIM THAN WHAT HAPPENED FOR
THEM THE DAY THAT THEY WERE
ASSAULTED.
DOES THE FACT THAT SHE WAS A
MINOR WHEN THIS ALLEGED ASSAULT
OCCUR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH
HER NOT REMEMBERING DETAILS?
OF COURSE IT CAN PLAY A
FACTOR.
AND REALLY WHAT GOES ON DURING
AN INCIDENT LIKE THAT CAN BE
REPRESSED.
IT CAN BE PUT DOWN.
WHO WOULD WANT TO RECALL
INCIDENCES THAT ARE SO
UNCOMFORTABLE.
SO PEOPLE PROCESSING THINGS IN
THEIR BRAINS ALL DIFFERENTLY AND
HOW EVERYBODY EXPERIENCES A
SITUATION LIKE THIS IS
DIFFERENT.
ONE PERSON CAN GO THROUGH A
SIMILAR EXPERIENCE AND HAVE A
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT OUTCOME OR
HAVE DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS OR SIDE
EFFECTS OF HOW IT AFFECTS THEM
MOVING FORWARD INTO LIFE.
FOR SOME PEOPLE THEY DEMONSTRATE
SYMPTOMS RIGHT AWAY.
OTHER PEOPLE IT COMES UP TEN
YEARS, 15 YEARS LATER.
THIRTY-SIX YEARS.
WELL, IT BECOMES, IT'S A
RETRAUMIZATION.
SOMETHING HAPPENED FOR HER.
HER MIND COAT IT DID AND
CATEGORIZE IT DID AND PUT IT
INTO COMPARTMENTS AND KEPT IT
THERE WHERE SHE WAS COMFORTABLE
AND SAFE AND THEN CONTINUOUSLY
OTHER EVENTS HAPPENED AND
ENCLOSE SHE SEES THIS MAN IN
FRONT OF HER CONTINUOUSLY.
AND SHE FELT FEARFUL.
SHE FELT COMPLETELY
RETRAUMATIZED.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE A FIVE-YEAR-OLD
DAUGHTER, AND I NEED HER TO KNOW
THAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO
HER, SHE CAN GO AND REPORT IT
AND TELL PEOPLE WHAT HAS
HAPPENED FOR HER AND NOT BE IN
FEAR THAT TELLING WOULD BE WORSE
OR FEEL THAT PEOPLE WILL THINK
THAT SHE WAS WRONG OR CREATED
THE SITUATION TO HAPPEN.
SO SHE'S PROBABLY, IF SHE
DOESN'T TESTIFY, IS GOING TO BE
ASK DETAILS ABOUT WHAT LED UP TO
IT.
WE JUST SAW THAT ABOUT ANOTHER
ALLEGED VICTIM.
IS THAT A PLAUSIBLE KIND OF
EXPLANATION THAT PEOPLE BLOCK
SOME OF THE DETAILS OUT IN THE
TIMES LEADING UP TO IT AND EVEN
MAYBE THE ASSAULT ITSELF?
YES.
IT'S CALLED SURVIVAL.
YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO
SURVIVE.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU GUYS, BUT
FOR ME I DON'T ALWAYS REMEMBER
MEMORIES THAT ARE UNPLEASANT TO
ME.
YOU PUT THOSE IN A SPACE SO THAT
THERE'S AVAILABILITY FOR THINGS
THAT ARE GOING ON IN ORDER TO
STAY PRESENT.
ONCE AGAIN TO SURVIVE.
AND FOR HER APPEARING BEFORE
THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
WITH THE EYES OF THE NATION HAS
GOT TO BE SO DIFFICULT.
IN A WAY WILL IT BE CATHARTIC
FOR HER TO ONCE AND FOR ALL TELL
HER STORY?
WELL, AGAIN, EVERYBODY'S
EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT IN THE
WAY THAT THEY GO THROUGH IT.
YOU WOULD HOPE FOR HER IT WILL
BE A SENSE OF CATHARTIC FOR HER.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS
ITSELF MAY NOT BE ABOUT THAT FOR
HER.
IT MAY BE ABOUT SPEAKING OUT AND
HAVING A VOICE AND MAKING SURE
THAT THAT ENERGY AND WHAT
HAPPENED TO HER NO LONGER
HAPPENS FOR ANY OTHER YOUNG
WOMAN AND OPENS A DOOR THAT
OTHER WOMEN CAN COME OUT AND
SPEAK WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCES
ARE.
THE SHAME IS THAT SHE HAS NOT
FELT FREE TO DISCUSS THIS AS A
DOCTOR AND A WELL-EDUCATED WOMAN
AND A MOTHER.
SHE HAS NOT HAD THE SPACE TO BE
ABLE TO DO SO.
AND LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED.
SHE'S HAD THREATS UPON HER LIFE
TO HER AND HER FAMILY.
SO, THE REPERCUSSIONS OF EVEN
WHAT SHE HAS COME FORWARD IS
CREATING A RETRAUMATIZIZATION.
HER MIND IS READING OLD MEMORIES
AS IT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING
RIGHT NOW.
AND WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE
VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT WHO
ARE SEEING THIS WHOLE PROCESS
PLAY OUT AND SEEING THE SCRUTINY
THAT SHE'S COMING UNDER.
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO PEOPLE WHO
ARE VICTIM AND THINKING ABOUT
COMING OUT.
IT GIVES THEM A VOICE.
IT LETS THEM KNOW THAT THEY'RE
NOT ALONE.
IT LETS THEM KNOW THAT PEOPLE
CAN SPEAK UP AND MOVE FORWARD.
THE REAL SHAME IN ALL OF THIS IS
THAT THE COMMUNITY AND THE
SOCIETY IS STILL AT A PLACE THAT
WOMEN CANNOT SPEAK OUT ABOUT IT.
AND THE SHAME AS WELL AS THAT
MEN ARE SUFFERING AND DOING
THESE CRIMES AND CREATING THESE
SCENARIOS AND THESE ASSAULTS ON
WOMEN.
WELL, WE'VE COME A LONG WAY