PTSD
I read a bunch of books on long term recovery and set backs to do with trauma back when I was doing crisis line stuff, when researching Amel, and also one on false memories (or parts of it) suggested by my brother-in-law the prosecutor. Things that stuck with me included better recovery prospects for people who could manage to trust others again despite the experience and were outward focused, tendancy of boys/men to be more inclined than women to believe they somehow brought about the abuse - presumably because that gave them some control re: preventing it happening again, tendancy for victims in both cases to wind up in abusive situations again. Recently came across a book called Unspeakable Truths and Happy Endings by Rebecca Coffey which turned out to be too therapy, self-help (for care givers) oriented to hold me to the end, but I was pleased by the resonance struck in her first chapter, "The Helping Hand Strikes Again" with Amel's situation in Throne Price. She asserts that the very people who are supposed to be helping trauma victims tend to blame them, to protect themselves from identifying, or the down play the severity of the experience, again because that's psychologically easier. There's a bit I like a lot in Throne Price where a throne secretary asks Amel if his experiences were "like" those portrayed in the kill show, and when Amel confirms the misrepresentation, the secretary concludes at once with something along the lines of "Oh, so it wasn't so bad then". Amel agrees because that's easiest.
posted by Lynda at 18:27   comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments