The Story That Never Changes

October 9, 2026

Last week we learned the story of “Jane Doe,” a former Cornell University student, who recently initiated legal charges against seven alleged rapists and the university, saying she was drugged and repeatedly raped in October 2024.

Part of the controversy surrounding this case is why Jane Doe waited 2 years to bring these allegations to light, and the nature of how her story changed over time. As someone who has studied how the human brain processes trauma as well as working with trauma survivors for nearly 3 decades, Jane Doe’s behavior in the immediate aftermath of the traumatic event and her gradual recall and acceptance of the reality of the events are very familiar. Jane Doe’s experience of the trauma did not change – her brain’s natural capacity to allow that experience to be known by her changed over time – this is how the human brain processes trauma.

During an intensely traumatic event and in the immediate aftermath, our brain’s primary job is to protect us from the full reality of the trauma. This protection often manifests as denial of the event or attempts to rationalize, minimize, or even normalize the event. If the event wasn’t that bad, I won’t suffer long – it will just fade away – I can go on with my life. This is the brain’s way of keeping us from feeling the full force of the trauma, which would likely be unbearable. The accounts of the aftermath of Jane Doe’s trauma are consistent with this automatic and protective brain function.

Because traumatic memories are stored as fragmented, non-linear snapshots that fade in and out, trauma survivors are rarely able to report their story in a consistent manner in the immediate aftermath of the trauma. As the brain is allowed time to process the trauma, more memories may emerge as well as a more cohesive narrative of the event. This is not evidence of a story changing, it is evidence of a brain functioning as it is meant to do.

While it appears we may be a long way from the conclusion of a legal process to determine guilt or innocence of the accused and continue the unfounded questioning of the credibility of Jane Doe’s story, my deeper concern is about the story that never seems to change. The story that allows abuse to be swept under the rug, discounted, ridiculed, blamed on the victim, and flat out denied.  

The statistics are proof that this story doesn’t change: 26% of women who attended college report that they have been raped or sexually assaulted, understanding that the number is far greater than 26% as many women do not report. This is a startling and sobering statistic that confirms our systemic unwillingness to acknowledge the reality of sexual assault and take action to change this sadly life-altering story.

While denial of the event may be a way a traumatized brain protects itself, there is no justification for the kind of convenient and pervasive denial that allows rape and sexual assault to be ignored on college campuses or anywhere else. This is a story that needs to change, and in fact, must change.

If there is any good news in all of this, it’s that it is certainly possible to change the age-old story that protects abusers and punishes victims. Every time an individual or system refuses to turn a blind eye to abuse and assault, the story begins to change. Every college campus—and every other institution in our world—has the power and responsibility to change the story, to embrace and live out trauma-informed principles, to clearly articulate and publicly affirm a zero-tolerance policy for sexual violation, to hold perpetrators accountable, and, above all, to believe survivors.