3 Stages Of Recovery Essay

The three stages that are necessary for recovery are establishment of safety, remembrance and mourning, and then, reconnection with ordinary life. In the second stage of recovery, the survivor has to remember the emotion associated with the traumatic event. The purpose of therapy is to provide the “music and words” for the story the survivor has to keep repeating until it becomes integrated in the survivor’s life. When the survivor understands and feels the emotions associated with the traumatic event, they can continue to empower themselves. However, sometimes when a survivor recalls their event to the extent of reliving and experiencing the trauma all over again, they need to be reassured of their current safety. Herman mentions that acknowledging
As strange as this was, it solidified the importance in retelling your story over and over again. She explained that the rape itself wasn’t boring, but truly terrifying. It was boring because she no longer got “worked up about it” because it had been many years and she was no longer interested in it. That shocked me but it also helped me understand a lot about this chapter. When the survivor tells their story so many times, the event itself becomes part of their past. After they have put the past behind them, then they can reconnect with life and time can move forward. Another part of the chapter that grabbed my attention had to do with the nonverbal communication that a survivor might resort to because certain details of their story are extremely painful. When the therapist has the victim draw or paint something, they express what words cannot. That explains why children are normally asked to draw a picture when they are getting questioned about an uncomfortable situation. I always thought children were just asked to draw or color because they were kids, and the interviewer was hoping the kid would just “spill the secret” after getting carried away by coloring. But now, I understand the importance and the different methods there are that help get a survivor to retell their story with all of the original emotion tied to