40 The Butterfly Woman . Her good life .
TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING
The Butterfly Woman . Her good life .
Aim . To introduce the Butterfly Woman story and the five focus areas .
This will be the first mention of the Butterfly Woman . Signal that this story plays an important narrative part in the training . Invite the participants to engage with the story .
In addition , draw their attention to the five focus areas – her thoughts , her feelings , her breathing , her heart , and her body – because these are highlighted not only in the story but in many exercises and discussions during the training . They are ‘ points of entry ’ into problems and reactions that often emerge in the life of people who are traumatised .
Post the five focus areas on the wall where they are easily seen , and leave them there throughout the workshop . This will help you to use the flipchart for drawing as the story develops .
Emphasise that the story is a metaphor . It can be understood as a description of the course that a trauma takes . It shows what usually happens to a person after extreme stress . After describing her life before the event , it shows her survival reactions when the trauma happens , and her physical and mental reactions in the middle and longer term . These responses are described more formally in Part III .
Underline that people may react in different ways : the story provides a description of frequent patterns of reactions following trauma . Similarly , the interventions described are examples of possible approaches and tools for helping survivors to recover control and hopefully , after a while , some sense of dignity .
It is important throughout to emphasise that the story is used figuratively , to illustrate what happens after severe violations .
Begin with the good life the Butterfly Woman enjoys , because it is important to show she has good memories to reconnect to .
TEACHING INSTRUCTION .
The characteristics of the Butterfly Woman that are presented in the manual may not necessarily match expectations of appearance or behaviour in the region where the training occurs . If this is so , find locally appropriate descriptions . Your listeners will want to feel that the story is about real life , ‘ about us ’. To motivate and inspire , it should echo the culture and social norms and behaviour of those who are listening . Change and modify the story as you see fit , so that it makes sense to your audience .