Topic Tuesday // Trauma and Recovery// Blue Knot Foundation // Tues 23rd February 2021, 8:00-9:00PM AEDT

@Daisydreamer It's a bit mixed. Often I forget to use them. Supposedly meant to practice when I'm ok but that's not often and also dissociation doesn't lend itself well to remembering things.

Then sometimes something that was good or helpful before is t the next time

hugs my @BlueBay

hello again @Daisydreamer , @Former-Member

There have been a lot of stories here of the retraumatisation of services, and I want to make sure we acknowledge just how wide spread this is There is a lot of pain caused by negative experiences with mental health services. One thing that really comes to mind is that there is a safety in this community, knowing there are others who understand and share similar experiences

This next question is about recovery, and we hope @Cathyblueknot can provide some answers to earlier questions about recovery and trauma.

Recovery is a journey and is non-linear, and living with the impact of trauma can feel like taking two steps forward, and one step back. We had some questions from members asking about coping with the ongoing impact of trauma, and the ways that it can come up again in future.

Question 4: In your role at Blue Knot, have you seen people recover from trauma and what are some of the things they do to support their recovery?

For those that want to share some of the things that you do to support recovery, you are also welcome to share these

Question 4: In your role at Blue Knot, have you seen people recover from trauma and what are some of the things they do to support their recovery?

It is important to understand that recovery is possible even from extreme early trauma but that just as each person is unique so is each person’s recovery journey. Healing is not a straight path and can take some time. At times it can be hard to believe it is possible but it is important to hold onto hope and possibility.

Recovery means different things for different people. For many it is not about forgetting one’s trauma history but getting to a place where trauma no longer dominates a person’s every day but becomes a part of them rather than overwhelming them.

Some people will never have the full picture of their trauma. It is more important to find ways to manage the impacts of that trauma and ways to cope better in the present. Digging into trauma memories is not recommended as this is often retraumatising and destabilising. It is about support and feeling safe, acquiring strategies for coping well, managing strong emotions and changes in level of arousal. Processing of trauma can only occur on a strong base of safety and stabilisation supported by internal resources as well as external support networks.

Hope you can do something nice for yourself BlueBay (won't tag you properly so you aren't drawn back but wanted to say I hope you're ok)

@Adge same here my sister has mental health issues and is totally unaware of them. For example she idolizes my father who was a monster.

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@cinaL wrote:

yes i agree. and i have seen people come out of the darkest darkest worst places that i never thought they would have come back from but they managed to. so miracles do happen in peoples lives every day and healing is something that can be attainable for everyone...

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My concern is that a lot of people don't get those miracles and wind up stuck, hoping and praying for a reprieve that's never coming.

It's easy to talk ourselves into seeing the lottery as something that blesses the occasional lucky punter with $1 million, if we focus only on the media images of the euphoric winners, and forget all about the poor compulsive gamblers who have played the game into abject poverty, you know?

IMHO, it's cruel and unfair to dwell overly on the odd occurances of miracles.

I know that's probably not a popular opinion.

“Recovery means different things for different people. For many it is not about forgetting one’s trauma history but getting to a place where trauma no longer dominates a person’s every day but becomes a part of them rather than overwhelming them.”

@Cathyblueknot It sounds like you have seen many journeys over recovery in your work, and it gives me so much hope to know that there is a way forward. There are times for me when seeing a way forward can be clouded by past experiences of trauma, so to hear recovery reframed in this way that it is not about absence of the event, but being able to live a fulfilling life with it having less impact on my present is helpful for me

I appreciate that we have a relatively short time frame for this event; unfortunately we can't go into a lot of individual support. Everyone deserves, though, the space to have their stories heard and validated. If you'd like a space to have a greater level of individual support, Blue Knot's helpline is open Mon-Sun 9am-5pm AEDT, or you can contact a counsellor at SANE via our helpline or online chat available Mon-Fri 10am-10pm AEDT

@chibam I so agree with your statement.

We'd all like to have a miracle of our own, not be told we can bask in the light of someone else's.

In my experience, you're correct, it's not a popular idea.