82 Practising tools and exercises
TO THE TRAINER
PART II: THE TRAINING
Practising tools and exercises
Aim. To learn and practise tools and exercises that will make survivors feel stronger and help them to control their thoughts, body, breathing, feelings and heart.
This section focuses on how to explain and practise specific tools that make survivors feel stronger and help them control their thoughts, body, feelings and heart. The participants will learn their effects by doing the exercises themselves.
For further information, consult Section 4 of Part III( Communication skills).
Having pinpointed routes to healing after trauma, and provided motives for learning the tools and techniques, we enter a new and practical phase of the training. The participants will learn a variety of techniques that address different symptoms and experience for themselves how we can use our senses to regulate responses in the body, thoughts, breathing, feelings and heart.
Illustrate the Butterfly Woman’ s numbness and her responses to the trauma and to her flight by acting out her lethargy and lack of energy. Demonstrate to the group what lack of energy looks like.
Guiding questions
Write the guiding questions down on a flip chart so that the participants can recall them when they practise the next exercise.
• What happens in your body?
• What happens to your feelings?
• What happens to your breathing?
• What happens to your thoughts?
• What happens in your heart?
TEACHING INSTRUCTION. DEMONSTRATE ALL THE EXERCISES.
Do all the exercises with the participants. Show them how to do each one, and then let them practise in pairs. Because the Butterfly Woman’ s story is familiar by now, use it to demonstrate which technique is appropriate for different symptoms.
TEACHING INSTRUCTION.
After this session, take a short break. Let the participants stretch and walk around a little. Before the session starts again, allow time for a grounding and breathing exercise, to get the group back on track.
BREAK 15 – 20 MINUTES.