Trauma is the elephant in the room. It’s the thing we try our best to ignore. No matter how much we go about our daily lives trauma creeps up on us like a spider that can’t be killed. But to gain an understanding of trauma, it needs to be discussed. It’s never an easy conversation to have but it is without a doubt, the most vital one.
In the last five to ten years, the conversation of trauma, mental health and well-being has increased in society. From health professionals, charities, celebrities and social media personalities, our approach to talking about trauma and its offsets have widely been praised. But do we still have more to do?
In what is considered a fast demanding digital era, what further progressions do we need to consider when exploring trauma? Are we understanding trauma more and how it affects us? Are we allowing ourselves to explore it through our work practices?
“Troubled souls just want to be heard”
Anyone who’s spent time navigating through traumatic events knows what a cathartic experience it can be. Whether this navigation is with health professionals or family members, the escape from the everyday world to explore your feelings is considered to be the first steps in making a full recovery.
Recovery from traumatic experiences can take years and when we use our work practices to explore how post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects not just the individual but others around them, we have already ignited the need for discussion around trauma to be at the forefront of our minds.
“It pleases me that people can be interactive” – Tracey Emin, Artist
The examination of trauma speaks to us on a daily basis. We are very rightly becoming comfortable with the idea of discussing a wide range of issues that needs our attention. We handle these conversations with sensitivity, create safe spaces and offer our helping hands.
Nonetheless, the shape of trauma can vary day-to-day. Trauma that’s occurred never easily evaporates. However through our kindness, empathy and consideration to those experiencing trauma, we somehow lessen the burden.
Silence doesn’t have to always be filled with noise. Silence, in fact, can be the greatest tool we give to a person who is suffering from PTSD. We will always have the space to talk but now and then we might just need silence. Silence to rest our head on the shoulders of a loved one who knows exactly what we’re going through.
Acceptance
We are all the same. We go through life with battle wounds and scars, but we come out with this inept attitude to keep on going, to keep on persevering, to never give up. This will never be easy and at times we’ll feel like we’re putting too much pressure on ourselves to confront the monsters of trauma. But when we do, we give ourselves the permission and the acceptance to heal and to move forward, despite what the tragic traumatic experience may be.
Trauma is considered a ‘dirty’ word. Conversations with older generations about dealing with trauma would be regarded as a “there-is-nothing-wrong-with-you-now-get-on-with-it” attitude, whereas with today’s generation we are open to understanding trauma and having conversations that some today still consider taboo. But if the statistics are there in black and white about the rise of rape and sexual assaults amongst women, men and children, for instance, then unreservedly we should speak up.
Acceptance will always be the aim we reach from the experiences of trauma. Conversations will always be the language we look for commonality in. It’s a process that takes time. When we merge our healing of traumatic experiences through our work practices, we’re taking responsibility for keeping a very important conversation going.
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Written by Jade Moira Lawrence
Illustrated by Francesca Mariama
