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 They're really giving him a headache.
"Somewhere on Beta Colony there is an institution. In one room of the institution, there is a man who spends his days and nights screaming at things that only he can see. Things we planted in his mind. They have to keep him in a straitjacket twenty-four hours a day or he'll claw his own eyes out just to make it stop."
A character is attacked by a villain in the most painful non-physical way possible: Their mind and soul are assaulted with painful, horrifying visions, sensations, and/or memories, and their will and sanity broken until afterward they're powerless, hopeless and numb, but not dead, although they may wish they were. Minimal to no sexual contact actually occurs, but as the name indicates, everything else is there to resemble a rape - the ultimate violation of privacy and consent, extreme humiliation that annihilates all sense of self-esteem, near-absolute helplessness even against your very own mind and body, and the corrupt perversion of what could otherwise be a source of identity and joy.
The physical attacks won't go very far; all (or most) of the agony is inflicted mentally and emotionally, and it's chilling to see a villain be that cruel. The traumatized victim suffers all of the side-effects afterward almost immediately (such as Despair Event Horizon and Rape Leads to Insanity). May include further sexual symbolism for good measure, such as severe and unfunny Clothing Damage and sinister Double Entendres.
Comes in two variations: one is a completely "mundane" but no less horrifying brand of torture that nonetheless breaks a character's mind. The other is the above done via Mind Probe, Psychic Powers, Brown Note, illusions, or seeing something Man Was Not Meant To Know, like for example encountering an Eldritch Abomination; even so much as looking at one of them might cause permanent damage to sanity. Of course, Mind Rape can also involve forced exposure to mindscrews.
Just as Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil, a character indulging in the Mind Rape of another character primarily for their own pleasure or enjoyment is a good sign they have crossed the Moral Event Horizon. Doubly so if the sexual symbolism is present. A Well-Intentioned Extremist, Anti-Villain or even the heroes may resort to Mind Rape if circumstances force them to (and will probably regret it with all grief for the rest of their existence), but only the most disgusting lowest of the low shall take a sick enjoyment out of it.
The less said of the things that are created when this trope meets Rule 34, the better.
Can be a possible cause of I'm Having Soul Pains, and can function as a Stupidity Inducing Attack. Any character pulling this puts their Mind Over Manners. Heroes will try to protect themselves from these by entering Heroic Safe Mode or trying out some Brain Bleach.
Compare Fate Worse Than Death, Subtext, and Villainous BSOD. Logic Bomb is what happens when computers (or really rational people) experience this due to encountering and being confused with mindscrews. Contrast with the Care Bear Stare, which assaults the target with happy thoughts, like rainbows and stuff.
Not to be confused with More than Mind Control (though Mind Rape can have some elements of this). Also not to be confused with Mind Screw, although sometimes a Mind Screw might leave the audience feeling this way.
Examples
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alternative title(s): Mind Raped
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