text: why would a rapist tramitize a persons entire life just for 30 seconds of pleasure?   any event that challenges someone's view of reality can be traumatizing. if a person is in a place she thought was safe, her sense of safety is threatened. if she is with someone she trusted, her sense of trust is threatened. rape is very personal and painful for a woman. it is terrifying to have absolutely no control over a situation. a man who is dominating her is frightening. maybe the worst thing is that rape can affect a woman's (and even more so a girl's) ability to engage in pleasurable sex. furthermore, the act of telling someone (the police) about it can be embarrassing and frightening. suddenly everything is out of the hands of the woman (again, even worse for a girl). rape isn't really about pleasure - a rapist is often compensating for a lot of real serious problems. date rape can often be the worst for the loss of trust - not only in the other person, but also in the woman's faith in her ability to judge the character of a person.