You can most commonly find dictionaries that define rape as a sexual act committed by force, especially on a woman (American Heritage). Until a few years ago it was limited to the penetration of the penis into the vagina. Penal Code two hundred and sixty-one defines rape as "an act of sexual intercourse performed with a person who is not the wife of the offender without lawful consent" (Roberson). Penal Code 263 goes on to state that “the fundamental wrong against which rape law is aimed is… the violation of a woman's will and sexuality” (Roberson). All other sexual assaults are classified under different names, but the outcome is often the same. For most Americans, rape tends to be one of the cruelest forms of criminal violence. The victim can suffer incredible injuries and considerable embarrassment. Rendered helpless by physical force, threats or fear, after which forced to submit to sexual acts, including vaginal penetration, oral copulation, sodomy and opening penetration with a foreign object, the victim is left virtually alone. Rape is an intrusion into the most private and intimate parts of the body, as well as an assault on the core of the self. Regardless of whether or not the victim suffers physical injuries, the psychological impact of sexual assault is severe. Furthermore, the painful post-traumatic symptoms that usually always accompany rape are long-lasting. Even victims who appear to have managed to move on with their lives often find that an extreme feeling of helplessness and vulnerability remains nearby and can easily, and unexpectedly, be re-experienced. A very important aspect in the long term impact of rape is that the assault negatively changes the victim... middle of paper... if someone who has just been traumatized by rape or any crime for that matter The question is a very delicate process and should not be taken lightly. Works Cited Parad, Howard J. and Libbie G. Parad. Crisis Intervention, Book 2: The Practitioner's Manual for Brief Therapy. Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America, 1990. Print.The American Heritage College Dictionary. Boston [etc.: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Print.American Journal of Psychiatry. 1975. Print. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV. Washington, DC: AmericanPsychiatric Association, 1994. Print.Gallers, J., Grossman, R. The use of flooding with adult survivors of sexual trauma. 1990. Print. Jerabek, Ilona, ​​Behavioral and Cognitive Approaches to the Treatment of Rape Trauma (1998). Roberson, Cliff. California Penal Codes. Incline Village, NV: Copperhouse Pub., 2003. Print.