I watched this movie as a young girl and it's partially my inspiration for becoming a therapist for rape and other trauma survivors. Besides illustrating the psychological impact of rape, the movie shows how survivors can be re-traumatized by others who assume survivors' perfectly normal emotional reactions to the trauma are really evidence they're lying.
I would hope today we know better, but this movie is still a powerful reminder of the psychological harm we can do to people when we fail to believe them and offer the support they need simply because their reactions don't gibe with what we think we would feel or do if we were in their shoes.
In a strange way, I'm indebted to the user who revealed the name of the real woman for whom this movie is based. It allowed me to learn more about the case and the woman behind it.
I can't speak to who this real woman was as a teacher, and I wouldn't dishonor anyone else's experience by questioning whether she or anyone else was a "true" victim. Whatever else the woman may have done or said in her life, no one deserves to be raped and denied the support she or he needs to heal. Certainly, no one deserves to be re-traumatized.
If any of the real woman's experiences were accurately depicted here, I am grateful to her and to others who helped her to tell her story. It has stayed with me for over 20 years and I will always remember what the film taught me about trauma and its effects, as well as how not to respond to someone who discloses any sort of trauma whenever I interact with people who are hurting.
Thank you Eckmann family for sharing this part of your history so that people like myself can learn from it and be inspired by it.
I would hope today we know better, but this movie is still a powerful reminder of the psychological harm we can do to people when we fail to believe them and offer the support they need simply because their reactions don't gibe with what we think we would feel or do if we were in their shoes.
In a strange way, I'm indebted to the user who revealed the name of the real woman for whom this movie is based. It allowed me to learn more about the case and the woman behind it.
I can't speak to who this real woman was as a teacher, and I wouldn't dishonor anyone else's experience by questioning whether she or anyone else was a "true" victim. Whatever else the woman may have done or said in her life, no one deserves to be raped and denied the support she or he needs to heal. Certainly, no one deserves to be re-traumatized.
If any of the real woman's experiences were accurately depicted here, I am grateful to her and to others who helped her to tell her story. It has stayed with me for over 20 years and I will always remember what the film taught me about trauma and its effects, as well as how not to respond to someone who discloses any sort of trauma whenever I interact with people who are hurting.
Thank you Eckmann family for sharing this part of your history so that people like myself can learn from it and be inspired by it.
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