Treating women incest survivors: a bridge between "cumulative trauma" and "post-traumatic stress".

While the concept of traumatic stress plays an intrinsic part in the diagnosis and treatment of adult incest survivors, the developmental framework within which the victimization has occurred may be overlooked. This paper presents a treatment model that integrates theories of post-traumatic stress and early environmental trauma. A profile of women incest survivors is given and an overview of treatment strategies utilizing the above theories is discussed.