Analysis: Why I will have these reactions
The human brain is driven by reason and intuition. When you encounter dangerous or traumatic events, your brain is mainly controlled by intuition. Your feeling will continuously send signals to one part of the brain called the amygdale. The amygdala find threats through these signals. Once a threat is found, the hypothalamus releases defense hormones. This will trigger one of the five instinctive reactions: fight hard, escape quickly, freeze, ask for help and obey completely.

The brain will choose the reaction with the greatest chance of survival and the least damage. In the case of sexual assault, the first two options are usually not possible because they may lead to further physical and mental harm. The last three options are very common because they expose survivors to the least real-time danger.

(2) Dealing with subconscious reactions
-Write down your ideas:
The process of writing ideas can distract ones from their traumatic memories. Even if these thoughts had not been shared with others, related memories and thoughts during the act of writing are no longer be seen as the burden of their own. Writing thoughts down will also allow the victims to sort out their thoughts later when they are relatively calm.

-Don't blame yourself:
If you find yourself thinking "Why don't I...", "It's my fault", "I should have...", ask yourself:
• If someone told me the same story, who would I blame
• Can I think about what happened from another perspective
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of this way of thinking
• What logical mistakes did I make
• How will my "best friend" tell me it's not my fault
Don't treat yourself cruelly because you don't think you have done well after the event, because you have overcome the difficulties and are in the process of healing.

-Look for elements that trigger anxiety/trauma:
Think about where, when, and who will make you feel a recurring wound. This kind of cognition can help you to be psychologically prepared when you come into contact with the above elements in the subsequent investigation. You can also tell the investigators about the elements that trigger anxiety/trauma, and let them be cautious when involving the above elements, or try to avoid directly mentioning the above elements to the victims during the investigation.

-Find the best person to talk to:
Is there a person you know (or have known before) who always supports and trusts you? Does anyone around you have relevant experience? Finding the best person to talk can reduce the difficulty of talking, and appropriate support can also speed up the healing of "wounds". If you feel that you don't have enough courage to talk to others at this moment, please tell yourself that "it's never too late to talk". You can wait until you are ready to talk with others.

- Distractions:
If the infringed memory and related thoughts are too painful, you can also choose some "escape methods" at the right time and make a list of distractions:
• Watch a favorite movie or TV program
• Do creative things
• Dancing
• Create a safe haven for yourself with quilts in bed
• Go to a place where you feel safe (such as a friend's or family's house, park or beauty salon
Shops, museums/galleries, cafes)
• Embrace or play with pets
• Volunteer (some people find that helping people, animals or the environment during the healing process can help them stay safe)

-Other support methods:
• Find relevant online groups and forums
• Psychological counseling, you can consult the school's psychological counseling center or hospital.
• Medications such as antidepressants (consult a psychologist)

(3) Pay attention to flashbacks

What is flashback?

Survivors often have vivid images of rape or sexual abuse in their minds, making you feel as if the incident is repeating itself. These lifelike images are called flaskback, which are active memories of past traumatic events. Flashback occur at any time, uncontrolled and difficult to get rid of.

Here are some ways to deal with pathological recurrence:
1. Recognize the existence of flashback:
Learn to recognize the body changes when flashback reappears. Recognize the signals sent by the body before flashback.
2. Comparison between the past and the present:
Remind yourself where you were in the past and where you are now. "I was in the living room then, and now I am in my own bed."
3. Remind yourself that the worst has passed:
Your feelings and touch now are just memories of the past. The actual event happened before, and you are safe now.
4. Steady implementation and focus on the present:
Use all your senses to focus on the moment and the present. Look around and notice the different colors and objects around you. Listen to different sounds: music, voices, or your own breathing. Feel your body, your clothes, your chair, or the floor that supports you. Stamping your feet on the ground can let you know where you are, and you will no longer be trapped in an unavoidable flashbacks.
5. Establish a safe boundary for yourself:
Sometimes, when flashback reappears, you may begin to lose your sense of the world: as if you had no skin. In such cases, wrap yourself with blankets, hold a pillow or sleep; Do something that makes you feel protected.
6. Tell your friends, partners or relatives about the occurence of flashbacks:
It is important for people around you to recognize your flaskbacks, so they know how to help you. During or after a flaskback, you may wish to be accompanied, or you may prefer to be alone. Choose the way you think is most helpful and let others know.
7. Give yourself time to recover:
Flashbacks is very powerful, so give yourself some time after it happens. Don't expect yourself to get involved in daily activities right away. Take a nap, take a hot bath or give yourself some quiet time. Be gentle and patient with yourself, and let your body be comforted.
8. Finally, remind yourself that you are not insane:
You are healing, you are dealing with the normal reaction after the traumatic event

reference: SARSAS self help guideto rape and sexual abuse
source: Erin M . Riley

As a witness or witness to sexual harassment, you can play an important role in supporting the victim. When you find sexual harassment in various environments, you can use the following intervention methods:

1. Direct intervention immediately: If you think it is safe and may be effective to deal with harassment directly, you can point out the harassment behavior of the harasser face to face, let them know that you find their behavior inappropriate, and ask them to stop. However, it should be noted that the harasser may overreact and do more serious harm. So consider whether you and the victim are safe, and whether you think the victim wants others to help him or her point out loudly.

2. Distraction: You can stop it by interrupting. For example, you can attract the target through dispersion - ask a question, start an irrelevant dialogue, or find a reason to call the victim out of the space.

3. Entrusting others: find a suitable third party to intervene, such as the head teacher, the teacher, or other students.

4. Report the case to the official

5. Delayed intervention: If you cannot intervene on the spot, you can still support the victim by following in afterwards. You can show empathy to the victims and ask them if they need additional support, resources, etc.

In addition to reporting cases, you can also be a source of support for victims and other witnesses. You can let them know what you see. If there is more than one witness, discussing your experience/witness content can make each witness feel less isolated. In terms of reporting, by joining forces in advance, you and other witnesses can help the victim establish a stronger charge against the harasser.

It should be noted that witnessing sexual harassment cases can also bring psychological pressure to people. Especially when you have your own trauma history, in this case, witnessing harassment will make you feel powerless or recall your bad experience. In the face of such psychological pressure, we should tell ourselves that this is a normal reaction.

Reference:
https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/sexual-harassment/know-your-rights-witnessing-sexual-harassment-work.pdf
https://gen.medium.com/what-to-do-when-you-witness-sexual-harassment-at-work-869df5c0e1e3

This page lists some resources nationally to offer aids to victims after sexual harassment. This page will continuously update helpful resources. If you want to contribute to this page, feel free to contact us!