Teaching the Realities of Sexual Assault to First Responders

In “Using CNF to Teach the Realities of Sexual Assault to First Responders: An Annotated Bibliography," Christian Exoo and Sydney Fallone offer resources and a rationale for using creative nonfiction (CNF) in conjunction with academic research as a way for first responders to understand trauma, empathize with survivors of sexual violence, and deal with the emotions that arise when providing services to sexual assault survivors. Exoo and Fallone’s creative nonfiction examples illustrate:

1. Neurobiology of sexual assault: Almost no memory

2. “Why Didn’t She Fight Back?”: Toxic immobility

3. Self-defense: Disputing the myth that resisting an assault will incur additional injury

4. Vicarious trauma