It's not a case of "letting it" destroy your life. It's a case of IT destroying your life. And as for trauma caused by rape, it's possible for a small minority of people to completely get rid of it, but for most it's not. For some people it's possible to deal with it so that it doesn't feel SO bad any more, but, as evidenced by the "may trigger" warnings on stories related to rape, any number of things could trigger it (or panic attacks) again. As stated in this story: "scars heal and fade, but ALWAYS REMAIN". They don't go away:
http://www.safehaven-uk.org/aftermath/blub_city.shtml