Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing<\/p>\n
For survivors of sexual violence, even routine medical procedures can feel anything but routine. Smear tests – designed to protect – can instead retraumatise. To change that, a clinic in east London, now marking its 10-year anniversary, was created with rape and sexual assault survivors in mind.<\/p>\n
Natalie was nervous about the prospect of cervical screening as her relationship with her body changed after she was raped in August 2021.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0When people say it changes your life, it really is true,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0For me, it kind of felt like dying which is also why I feel the link to surviving is so important, to draw that out.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
She said while it gets easier over time, it is still hard to talk about and live with.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0You might see a trigger that you weren’t expecting and then it might give you nightmares.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
The attack had made her hesitant about going for cervical screening.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0My fear was that accessing this healthcare would feel like being raped again.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I was really nervous that it might lead to self-harm or really poor mental health, and I wanted to help mitigate that.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Natalie’s hesitancy was eased when she found out about My Body Back, a health clinic in Mile End Hospital specifically for people who have experienced sexual violence.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0At My Body Back, there were options we discussed,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0For example, I could administer the speculum for the cervical screening myself, which meant that nobody touched me.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I also did the appointment in the dark, which was helpful for me as I find light can sometimes be over-stimulating when I feel particularly vulnerable.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Ahead of the appointment, a psychologist spoke with Natalie to find out what she needed in order to be comfortable during the procedure.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I was fully supported in saying what I wanted. It meant the experience wasn’t re-traumatising,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
The experience also supported her broader journey of recovery.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0It helps you by reconnecting you with your body after you experience sexual violence.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0It was almost a trigger just seeing my body because it was like a reminder of where he’d been so when you access services like this, it can help you remind yourself that your body is yours.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
The clinic was the first of its kind in the UK when it opened in 2015.<\/p>\n
It was set up by Pavan Amara, who was raped as a teenager.<\/p>\n
Other than cervical screening, it also offers tests for sexual transmitted infections and some maternity care.<\/p>\n
It runs once a month and is open to survivors across the country.<\/p>\n
Its funding comes primarily from NHS England but also from donations to the My Body Back charity.<\/p>\n
A second clinic in Glasgow was established in 2018, and the hope is for additional clinics to be established in the future.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Cervical screening is really important in helping to prevent cervical cancer,\u00a0\u00bb says Dr Rebecca Lissmann, a clinician at My Body Back.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0The screening test is an intimate examination and, for some survivors of sexual violence, that can be really re-traumatising and that’s why it’s vital for this service to exist.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Dr Felicity Saunders, lead clinical psychologist, said: \u00ab\u00a0At My Body Back we think, even from the moment that that person comes in, ‘how can we make this a safe place for them, giving them the time and attention they need’.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.<\/p>\n
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing For survivors of sexual violence, even routine medical procedures can feel anything but routine. Smear tests – designed to protect – can instead retraumatise. To change that, a clinic in east London, now marking its 10-year anniversary, was created with rape and sexual assault […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9350","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}