52 Day 2 . Life is turned upside down ( continued )
TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING
KEY POINT
The story illustrates
• How the Butterfly Woman tries to distance herself .
• Her avoidance and fear reactions after the traumatic event .
TEACHING INSTRUCTION .
Explain to the participants that when they tell this story to survivors , they should never include horrible details of the traumatic event . This is because the details of the rape may waken traumamemories . If this occurs , a victimised woman will not be able to listen any more . She will re-live her own experience and lose the feeling of safety that she had when she sat with you . In this manual we have included the horrible details from the traumatic event to illustrate how these events affect survivors . Helpers need to know these details as helpers , but survivors are so easily triggered that they need to be protected from such details .
Helpers should therefore speak of the rape in indirect terms , or use a term that the survivor agrees will be tolerable for her .
If they do so , the survivor will feel safer , will trust the helper , and will also feel strengthened , because she will understand that her own reactions and symptoms are to be expected . Women feel this way when terrible things happen to them . She may arrive at the knowledge that her responses were normal and natural . It is what was done to her that was insane and abnormal !
EXERCISE
Exercise 6 . Exploring different trauma reactions .
Explain that the different ways of reacting to traumas are natural and are automatic physiological reactions . Explain that these reactions may be understood as your body telling you how to survive . In the exercise , encourage the participants to experience the different kinds of reaction , to get a sensation of what these different ‘ states ’ feel like . Demonstrate them yourself , as well as you can .
Share these ideas and discuss them with the participants before starting the next exercise , in which the helpers familiarise themselves with the story of the Butterfly Woman by rehearsing it with each other .
TEACHING INSTRUCTION .
After the exercise , 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 .