Mental health and gender-based violence 2016 | Page 66

56 Practising the story

TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING

Practising the story

Aim . To show that a story becomes healing when it helps us understand our reactions .
Explain why we say this story is a healing story .
ROLE PLAY EXERCISE
Role Play 2 . Retelling the story .
Ask the participants to retell the story in pairs . If time is available , allow the pairs to swap roles so that each participant can experience being a teller and a listener . Give the person who plays the Survivor a scarf , to identify the role she is playing .
After each role play , make sure the participants come out of their roles . Ask them to brush off their role ( by physically taking off the scarf and brushing off their clothes and bodies ). Ask them to say : “ Now I ´ m no longer the Survivor ( or the Helper ). I am myself ”. They should say their names out loud .
After the role play , ask the Helpers to say what they learned when they told the story to the Survivor ; and what the Survivors felt when they listened .
Pay attention to the responses of the participants . If any have survived GBV , they may need to ground themselves during this exercise .
DISCUSSION
Discussion . Use of metaphor .
Reflect together with the participants . Ask them to tell you whether they find the metaphor of the story useful and valuable . If they do not , explore its weaknesses . Should the details of the environment be different ? Were the reactions of the Butterfly Woman convincing ?
Discuss how the participants would change , embellish and improve the story , if they used it as helpers .
Invite them to find effective ways to discuss the characteristics of the traumas that they come across in their own work , and identify problems that might occur if they used this story in their work context .
It is important to make sure that everyone understands that people react naturally in different ways when they cope with traumatic experiences .
TEACHING SUGGESTION .
After the discussion , take a lunch break . Let the participants stretch their bodies and walk around a little . Before the session restarts , allow time for a grounding and breathing exercise , to get the group back on track .