61
Triggers ( trauma reminders ) and flashbacks ( continued )
SAID ALOUD
Aim . To understand how trauma memories , trauma reminders or triggers dysregulate survivors .
Trainer . I will continue .
Soon after she arrived at the health centre , the Butterfly Woman had to go to the hospital because she had suffered injuries during the rape . She knew that the nurses and doctors wanted to heal her but , as soon as she had to lie on the bed and spread her legs to be examined , horrible memories from the rape returned . Suddenly she thought the doctor was the soldier who had raped her . She tried to flee . The memories flooded her thoughts and body and she could not separate them from what was happening to her now at the hospital . A wise nurse repeated the Butterfly Woman ’ s name over and over again in a calm and strong voice . She said : “ You are in the hospital now ”, “ You are safe now ”, “ It is [ day , day of the month , year ]”, “ We are here to help you ”. The tone of her voice and what she said helped the Butterfly Woman to return to the present . She realised that she was at the hospital receiving help , and she managed to calm down .
PART II : THE TRAINING
The wise nurse understood that the Butterfly Woman ’ s memories of the rape were very close to the surface , and could be triggered during the care she would receive and the examinations she would have to undertake . She decided to prepare her for what would happen and explained to her how easily old rape memories can be triggered by reminders . They talked about the Woman ’ s reaction during her medical examination the day before . The nurse suggested exercises the Woman could do to prevent old memories from flooding her mind . She taught the Butterfly Woman to use her eyes to look at things around her , and to say aloud to herself what she was seeing . When she did this , the Woman noticed that she felt more present , more in the here and now . The wise nurse said : “ When you focus on the present the past stays in the past ”. The Butterfly Woman also learned to ground herself by using her sense of touch . She held a stone that just fitted in her hand and felt its weight , its coolness , its shape . The two women practised these exercises together and the nurse told the Butterfly Woman to do them whenever she felt her memories coming back . The nurse also said that she would remain during her operation , to reassure the Butterfly Woman and remind her that the hospital was safe .
Role Play 3 . Calming a survivor who has been triggered . ( 5-10 minutes .)
Form pairs . One of you is the Helper , the other the Survivor . Practise how you might calm a survivor who experiences flashbacks . Like the wise nurse , you might say things like :
• You are in the office ( or where you are at the present moment ) now .
• You are safe here in this room .
• You are here now and not where the traumatic event happened .
• You are strong and courageous .
• Remember to breathe .
• Look around , try to be present here and now .
ROLE PLAY EXERCISE
You might give the survivor a stone , or something else , to hold in her hand to keep her grounded . After a few minutes , change roles . At the end , remember to brush off your roles and be yourself .