213.-navigating-trauma.pdf
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NAVIGATING TRAUMA

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It is very difficult to do long periods of intense solidarity work without
feeling emotionally exhausted. It can be emotionally damaging to witness
the suffering of others. Injustice hits you in the face again with every new
case - each new personal tragedy. Since grassroots solidarity requires

a genuine emotional engagement with those we're supporting, it also
exposes us to their suffering. We may always dismiss it as trivial in
comparison, and while it’s true that we may not be the ones experiencing
the real violence or loss, we are susceptible to the cumulative effects of
exposure to story after story.

We have seen time and time again in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina,
doing human rights work in Palestine, refugee solidarity in Calais and in

so many other contexts, itis very common for people responding to suffer
from a complex mixture of guilt, shame and “low level accumulative”
trauma. On top of this, it is also common for there to be a state of denial
about people's own symptoms, and if they do recognize any symptoms
they do not think they should be “allowed” to have them. So many of these
people are our lovers, our friends, and our heroes — people who inspire us

~ but we know we need to do a better job integrating healing justice in our
‘movements,

For those of you who have responded, we know you may be feeling a
mixture of guilt or shame for “not having done enough”. You might think
or say something like: “How can I have fun and relax when people are
suffering?”

The guilt and shame of not having done enough is the bane of almost every
activists life and every campaign. This all comes into much sharper focus
when the person suffering is somebody you have met, somebody you know
and love. This might seem obvious, but it needs to be said over and over:
IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.

Catastrophes of climate chaos, war and exploitation will sadly continue
on. As solidarity-based relief and aid workers we need to practice mental
health awareness and caring for ourselves and each other in order to

be able to navigate through the trauma that working in these spaces

can induce. We ask that even in times of crisis, you take time to make
your physical and emotional well-being a priority. And please hold us
accountable to maintaining a sustainable, empowering, and supportive
organizational culture.

In movements for justice and liberation, we often talk about sustainability in
all things except ourselves. We can clear-cut our own “emotional reserves”,
or “burn the candle at both ends” and simply expect our bodies and minds
to deal with it. But everyone has a breaking point, and going beyond it can

take months or even years to recover. Some people have learned where
their limits are and try to work within them. However, in what can be an
intense atmosphere of a post-disaster zone, people may be tempted to
go well beyond their own limits or push other people to go beyond what
they feel able to do. Tragically, this can lead people to drop out of our
movements altogether

If this does happen in the heat of the moment, itis essential that you later
take the time and/or other steps to recover.



Trauma and Toxic Stress

The fight, flight or freeze defense mechanism is a very powerful reaction
that automatically kicks in during threatening situations. In the split second
of a tense situation it controls what a person does. The amygdala - the
part of the brain that controls your fear response - has to react so quickly
because such situations are interpreted as a matter of life and death,
leaving only a short list of possible reactions to choose from: fight, run or
freeze.

While this is often a very useful and natural process, it has the potential for
many harmful effects if fired too many times through repeated long-term
exposure to traumatic and/or highly stressful events. Traumatic events
often create life difficulties that make further traumatic reactions more likely,
resulting in what is called complex trauma, or the experience of multiple
traumatic events in one's lifetime. Toxic stress, similarly, is the experience
of living in an environment of prolonged and frequent adversity. In truth,
such conditions exist for the majority of the communities we are working
with, and as activists we are working within these communities, we are not
immune to this toxic process.

It is important to acknowledge here that what makes an event traumatic is
different for everyone; we all have unique emotional experiences and cope
with trauma differently. Our brain’s reactions to trauma play out in many
different ways. Through this disruptive process in our brains, particularly
when this process is prolonged and/or intensified as is the case in
environments of toxic stress, itis often as if a rupture is created between us
and our own sense of self -- trauma is both existential and physical.

Being in this constantly stressed state can be unhealthy and leave you
open to a multitude of negative neurological and physical reactions: from
infection and risk of illness as our immune systems shut down, short- and
long-term memory loss, digestive difficulties, etc. The mind and body are
trying to deal with what they believe to be a short-term crisis, by resorting
to focusing primarily on necessary survival functions.

Afterwards, our brain and body systems seek to regain control and make
sense of the experience to prevent it from happening again. The brain may
replay the experience in front of our inner eye to try and grasp it, while

at the same time we want to avoid anything connected with it. We can
become emotionally withdrawn because we do not feel safe and we feel
bad about what happened.


Itis true that we don’t have total control over our lives, but in understanding
the way trauma works and practices for dealing with it, we can work

to regain a sense of power, wholeness, and personal effectiveness. In
addition, it is also possible to help others through loss or crisis while
mitigating the risk of trauma and gain a new sense of what is possible
through the process.





Understanding Vicarious Trauma

Vicarious (or bystander) trauma is the process of change that happens
because you care about other people who have been hurt, and feel
committed or responsible to help them. The effects of vicarious trauma are
nearly identical to those experienced in trauma, as discussed above. Over
time this process can lead to changes in your psychological, physical, and
spiritual well-being. The only difference with vicarious trauma is that itis
not something you directly experience, but experience through another's
traumatic experience.

Vicarious trauma is cumulative. It is what happens when witnessing cruelty
and hearing stories of devastation, and can occur whether you hear one
story, or story after story, day after day, year after year. This process of
change is ongoing. Your experiences of vicarious trauma are continuously
being influenced by your life experiences.

Vicarious trauma happens because you care, you empathize with people
who are hurting. You have empathy - the abilty to relate to and understand
another person’s experiences, reactions, and feelings,

When you care about people who have endured terrible things, you bring
their grief, fear, anger, and despair into your awareness and experience and
feel it along with them in some way.

Vicarious trauma occurs because you feel committed or responsible
to help. This is a good thing! But can lead to very high (and sometimes
unrealistic) expectations of yoursetf, others, and the results you want to
see. Your commitment and sense of responsibility can eventually lead to
feeling burdened, overwhelmed, and hopeless in the face of great need
and suffering, as well as cause you to over-extend yourself beyond what is
reasonable for your own well-being or the best long-term interests of those
you are attempting to be in solidarity with. And it is important to note here
that, in repeated studies, this effect is felt by every individual regardless of
how long they have been doing the work.
How does your sense of committment & responsibility
to solidarity work help you? How might it hurt you?

Three Reactions to Trauma

There are generally three different reactions that commonly occur after
direct or indirect experiences of brutality and suffering. These reactions are
often referred to as “Post-Traumatic Stress”. People might experience one,
some, or all of them. These are:

1. Re-experiencing the traumatic event: nightmares, flashbacks,
intrusive memories, the feeling of not being able to let go of the
experience,

2. Avoidance / Suppression / Emotional numbing: losing

the memory, self-medication (alcohol / drugs), selt-isolation,
social withdrawal, avoidance of everything that may recall the
experience (known as avoidance behavior),

3. Increased arousal: Sleeplessness, irritation, rage, emotional
outbursts, panic attacks, fear, hyper-vigilance, difficulties
concentrating and performing normal tasks.



Possible Reactions after a Traumatic Experience

Flashbacks

+ Also called “trauma reenactments”

+ Pictures and memories of what happened keep coming back
+ Nightmares or other sleep difficulties

Depression-like symptoms

+ Feeling lonely and/or abandoned

+ Feeling numb or switched off

+ Becoming withdrawn, avoiding social interaction, self-isolation
+ Changes in eating, sleeping or sexual habits

+ Feeling that there is no point in living
Physical discomfort

+ Stomach pain

+ Nausea

+ Muscle tension

+ Fatigue, or illnesses

Emotional difficulties
+ Fear, anxiety, restlessness, hyper-vigilance, panic attacks

+ Guilt or shame surrounding your own survival or pleasure

+ Self-blame, regret

+ Inrtabilty, rage, fear, emotional outbursts, uncontrollable crying
+ Feeling unable to tolerate strong emotions

+ Inrtability, agitation, impatience, or moodiness

Interpersonal Difficulties
+ Doubting political activism and other activities you previously enjoyed
+ Tense or withdrawn relationships with friends and other loved ones.

+ Problems setting boundaries and separating work from personal life.

+ Difficulty feeling connected to what's going on around you and your
‘community

+ Bad group dynamics, arguments and guilt-tripping others over “not
doing enough”

Changes in beliefs about safety, control, trust, self-esteem, and intimacy



Increased (or decreased) sensitivity to violence

THESE ARE ALL COMMON REACTIONS TO EXTREME SITUATIONS!

What are some signs that you have experienced? Think
back about what may be the first signals that warn you
that you're beginning to struggle with trauma?

Your struggles with trauma can have a serious impact on those close to you
as well. Withdrawal, overusing alcohol, lack of sleep, diminished sexuality,
over-protectiveness, loss of compassion or hope all influence the way you.
interact with those you love.
Consider asking people you are close to “What have
you noticed about the way | behave and appear to feel
when I'm under pressure?" or a similar question.

People react differently and in different intensities to a traumatic
experience. They also have different needs in terms of support. You can

become traumatized by your personal experience, by witnessing, but also
outside the action by knowing the survivor or just through hearing about it

For most people, these symptoms slowly disappear after about 4-6 weeks.
But if they continue, this is typically diagnosed as a condition called
“PTSD” (post-traumatic stress “disorder” - though we disagree with using
the word “disorder” for something we see as a normal reaction).

In such a case, you may wish to seek “professional” help (which might be
helpful anyway if the reaction in the first weeks is strong). It may be that
post-traumatic stress occurs months or even years after the experience
because we don't intially process the experience. The experience is
blocked, so it keeps on hurting, There is never any shame in seeking

help from professionals when the feelings seem too big in the moment.
However, its also important that we, as a community of activists, practice
healing justice and community care within as well, creating spaces where
our collective empathy and grace can work to lessen the effects of
experiencing trauma, vicarious or otherwise.



Why Do Some People Recover From Trauma While Others Don

The following factors appear to make it more likely that a person will
develop Post-Traumatic Stress:
+ the more severe the trauma
+ the longer it lasted
+ the closer the person was to it
+ the more dangerous it seemed
+ ifthe trauma was inflicted deliberately by other people (eg., police and
prison officer brutality)
+ the more times the person has been traumatized
+ ifthe person gets negative reactions from friends and relatives - which
is why it's so important to support each other more effectively
+ the longer it took to get into safe/supported circumstances afterwards -
the first minutes and hours can make a massive difference.

All of this being said, however, everyone experiences and reacts to
traumatic situations in different ways, and there is no right or wrong way
to react to traumatic events. The most important thing to remember is: if it
feels like a traumatic experience to you, then itis.

Essential Components of Recovery

Stay in a calm place for some time, where you feel safe and you have
people around you who you can trust and who can care for you.

2. Work through the experience. Find words for what happened. Tell a
friend in detail. Write down what happened. Express it in whatever way
suits you.

3. Practice positive coping strategies. Positive coping strategies help you
take care of yourself - especially escape, rest, and play.

Examples of positive coping strategies may include: books, films, video
games, talking to friends about things other than work, taking time

off, lying on the grass, sipping tea, taking a nap, getting a massage,
being physically active, sharing jokes, being creative. It is important to
remember here to find whatever works best for you, and to not try
to emulate what works for someone else.

What are activities you enjoy doing
that help you cope with trauma?

We do not just want to cope, however. We want to heal and transform.
Transforming trauma means identifying ways to nurture a sense of meaning
and hope.

Examples include: reminding yourself of the importance of your work,
staying connected with friends and family, paying attention to the “ttle
things”, partaking in traditions or rituals, reading, writing, prayer or
‘meditation, challenging your cynical beliefs, learning, journaling, being
creative or artistic.
What are activities you enjoy doing that could help
you transform trauma on a deeper level?

‘Three important themes in an effective action plan for dealing with trauma
are awareness, balance, and connection.

‘Awareness. Understanding your responses and what might be
contributing to them can lead you to a sense of what you need, and
how to change what's happening or manage your own responses so
that things don’t get worse. Being aware of what you're doing while
you're doing it, deliberately keeping your mind and body in the same
place may help prevent or manage trauma.

Reflect on how you are feeling (physically, emotionally,
spiritually). Are you aware of anything out of the
ordinary? If so, what might that be related to?

Balance. Work towards balancing your personal needs with the needs
of the work you are doing and balancing really demanding work with
less challenging work. Make sure each work day includes breaks for
meals/physical activity/rest. Spend some time with people you don’t
have to take care of, or better yet, who take care of you. Understand
that exhausted activists and volunteers are prone to making mistakes,
and may do more harm than good.

Fill in the blanks: “| sometimes find it
difficult to balance with ?

Connection. Maintaining nurturing relationships and meaningful
contact with others is one of the best things we can do to address
vicarious trauma. Connection also means being connected with what
nurtures and anchors you. Whether that is nature, religion, or another
source of meaning, awe, joy, wonder, purpose, and hope. It is very
important as well.



What are some communities that help you
feel nurtured, supported, and connected?

How you think about your work plays a big role in keeping you balanced,
healthy, and able to prevent or manage trauma. Ask yourself:

+ Why do you do this work?

+ How does the work you do fit into the larger picture/mission of Mutual
Aid Disaster Relief or climate justice more broadly?

+ How do you measure success in your work?

+ What can you control in your work?

+ What are the costs and rewards of this work and how are you
personally changing?

+ In the midst of demanding situations, do you notice any examples of
determination, ingenuity, compassion, courage, resilience, heroism,
etc.?

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10
What We Can Do For You

We want to integrate healing justice in all aspects of our work and build
an organizational culture of care and compassion for each other. We
encourage all participants to take time to talk together about and reflect,
on disaster relief experiences. People in groups can go round, taking turns
to give everybody the space to talk about what happened, where they
were, what they saw and heard, what they felt and what they thought.
Participation is voluntary and it is more useful if people have the same
level of trauma. If you are no longer in a location with other participants,
we welcome you to use our Facebook group page to discuss, connect,
and reflect. When peer support isn’t enough, there is a 24/7, 365-day-
a-year, free, and multi-lingual Disaster Distress Helpline that provides
crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress
related to natural or human-caused disasters. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text
‘TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

What does Mutual Aid Disaster Relief do well to
support you and help reduce the risk or mitigate the
effects of trauma? What could it do better?

What You Can Do For Yourself

Get to safety - Immediately after the be
experience: get to a place where you feel ‘

safe and take care of yourself. This may Aras
mean allowing other people to take care \

of you. Don't isolate yourself. Turn to

your friends and tell them what you need. Lx

Family and friends often don't know how \

to help. Tell them what you need and don't 7
need.

Act - Get rid of the adrenaline that is still stored in your body: go for walks,
cycle or run, do exercises.

Remind yourself - You may feel guilty about what happened and blame
yourself. Remind yourself: it was not your fault! Your reactions are normal
and there is help available; this is a difficult phase but you will get better.
Find out more about trauma. The more you know, the easier itis to see your

"
reactions as normal reactions to “abnormal” events.

Beware unhealthy coping mechanisms - Avoidance and denial have
damaging effects in the long run and will restrict your life. Self-medication
with alcohol and drugs may seem to help for the moment but has.

negative effects in the long run. The same is true for staying in unhealthy
relationships.

CARING FOR
MYSELF IS NOT
SELF-INDULGENCE,
IT IS SELF-
PRESERVATION
AND THAT IS
AN ACT OF
POLITICAL
WARFARE.

AUDRE LORDE











Explore alternatives - Bach Flower Remedies and acupuncture can

help you deal with the emotions. Valerian is good for sleeplessness.
Massages and hot baths are always a good idea. Also, don't be afraid

to see a professional if that is what you need. Good therapists or other
professionals can help. Make sure to find someone who you feel safe and
‘comfortable enough with to open up to. It also helps if they are politically
‘sympathetic or at least neutral. You'd see a doctor if you had a broken leg.
Trauma is a very real emotional wound.

‘Acknowledge - What you have done, are doing, or intend to do. Even
if what you achieve in the short term does not seem to be enough, it
should be viewed as part of a much longer struggle. Unfortunately, for the
foreseeable future, there will be disasters and disaster capitalists who try to
take advantage of disasters to further entrench their power and privilege.
You burning out will not change that, neither will it help the people you are
2
trying to assist. We all need to look at ways to avoid burnout and blaming
ourselves.



Buddy up” - Go out there with someone you trust, or find someone there
that you can work, rest & play with. While buddying does not work for
everybody, many find deep solace in knowing someone is looking out for
them, Or, better yet, come with a whole squad, We encourage the affinity
group model of organizing, and one of the benefits of this is the microcosm
of care that hopefully will come with it.

Don't judge yourself against others - Listen to your inner-selves and be
aware of your physical health. There are very few people out there who

can work incredibly hard for many years under very stressful situations

and seem to suffer very litte ill effect from doing so. You might feel bad if
you think that others are dealing with an experience better than you are.
Remind yourself that people are different and react in different ways. There
is no “right” way to react. (If you have had a previous experience of trauma,
including childhood abuse, you may have more intense reactions.) Also,
more sensitive people often experience stronger reactions. It’s not a sign

of weakness to feel pain after being attacked. If you think: “I don’t have

the right to feel this bad - what happened to me is nothing compared to

X,” remind yourself that you have experienced something terrible and that
you have the right to feel as you do. If you feel bad, that’s because the
experience was bad for you. There is no point in comparing and contrasting
brutality. If you accept your condition, you will get better faster,



Get some R & R - rest AND recreation - let go, have a laugh, dance, do
some martial arts, get into the countryside, make love, or engage in BDSM,
eat well - do whatever you need to feel good and remind yourself that life
is worth living. And if/when those little/loud voices creep into your thoughts
allowing guilt in, acknowledge it, smile at it and tell it to mind its own
business. You are in this for the long haul and you will be back in the fray
s00n enough if you look after yourself.

Reduce other stresses in your life - if possible. Don't take anything else
‘on until you have recovered from the last escapade. For example, if you
find meetings difficult, and you don’t NEED to be there, then don't go.

Sleep! - What could be more anticapitalist, carbon friendly and
nonconsumerist? And it's FREE! Get as much of the lovely stuff as your
body demands.



Be patient - Take your own time to heal, be patient with yourself and don't
condemn yourself for your feelings and reactions. Inner wounds take time
and patience to heal, just like physical ones.
Ask - “Am | in this for the long haul?” If your answer is yes, then you need
to be honest and think whether or not the way your current actions are
likely to help or hinder that. Think long-term. This is a marathon, not a
sprint.

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How To Support Your Friend

‘The support of friends and families is enormously important, and cannot
be overstated. (Lack of support and understanding, on the other hand,
contributes to the persistence of trauma.) Lack of support can worsen

dhe reaction. This is called “secondary traumatization” and is to be taken
very seriously. It involves “shattered assumptions” - law enforcement
and perpetrators are known to be brutal, but if friends don’t support you
afterwards, you may feel as though the whole world is breaking down

This is where you come in! And here are some tips to help you be there for
your friend.

Be honest - Let your friend know, gently and wherever appropriate, in
private, that you have noticed some worrying changes in their behavior. If
itis affecting their ability to work effectively or get on with other people,
tell them. It might be useful to be specific. Make it clear it's their current
behavior that you are commenting on, not “the normal them’, and that itis
because you care so much about them that you are bringing this up. Take
them out and have a good time, if possible avoid talking shop. Consider
showing them this zine.

Be proactive - Traumatized people often find it hard to ask for help. Be
proactive but not pushy. Don't wait for them to ask for help. Be there for
them. The days immediately after the experience are crucial. This is when
all the emotions are easily accessible. It's good to talk then. Later on,
people often close up. Often traumatized people withdraw from social
activities and isolate themselves. You may not see your friend around
anymore. Go and find them.

Listen - The person may need to talk about the traumatic events over
and over again, and one of the best things friends can do is to be patient
and sympathetic listeners so the person feels less alone. Avoid talking too
's00n, too long and too much. We often long to give good advice rather
than be a good listener. Put yourself in their shoes. Try and understand

how they feel, not how you might have felt. Telling the story in the order in
which it happened, chronologically, helps the brain process the experience.
Carefully encourage your friend to talk about what happened, what they
saw, heard, felt and thought. But it may be the case that your friend doesn’t
want to talk about it, in which case don't force them.

Have realistic expectations - It is also important to have realistic
expectations while the person is recovering and not to expect too much or
too little from them. Don’t expect a traumatized person to recover quickly.
‘Some will, but some won't be able to. If someone is taking a long time to
recover from a crisis, offer your support repeatedly, so that they don't feel
alone.

Don't take things personally - A traumatized person may have symptoms
which are very hard for those around them to deal with, for example anger,
withdrawal, irritability, ungratefulness and being distant are all common
reactions. Bear in mind that the traumatized person is not deliberately
acting this way: itis the trauma which makes them behave like this. Don’t
take it personally, but recognize it as a symptom and as a sign that they

5
need your support.

Don’t minimize the trauma - People are tempted, time and time again, to
encourage the person to stop reliving and simply forget about the trauma
and get on with life. Unfortunately, this advice is usually not helpful in this
situation and is likely to make things worse, as it may make the person feel
even more isolated and hopeless.

Remind your friend - One of the most important things you can do is to
give the message: “You are not to blame - and you are not alone.”

Behave normally - Pity or self-indulgent “overcare” do not help. The most
important thing is that your friend feels safe and warm in your presence.



Educate yourself - You might feel insecure about how to help. Find out
more about trauma so you understand it better. Bear in mind that many.
people seem all right after traumatic experiences and that reactions may
come later. Ask what they need, don't impose your solutions.

‘Accompaniment - Traumatized people often struggle with the smallest
tasks. Cooking, shopping, and handling the chores for them can be
invaluable help, as long as you don't patronize them or undermine their
independence. Or maybe go with your friend when, for example, they try to
{go on demonstrations, actions or to other potentially triggering situations
again. Keep an eye on them, and check how they feel, before, during and
after. Also, when the symptoms of post-traumatic stress are over, itis
important to help your friend to reintegrate into an active life.

‘Seek support - Remember: a supporter needs support, too. Supporting
a supporter is essential. Helping and caring can be very hard for you, too.
‘Take care of yourself, do things that make you happy. Talk to someone.
else about how you feel. Getting support for yourself will help you support
others.

Going through traumatic experiences can often have positive outcomes in
the end. A lot of people have been through these experiences and many
6
have reported breakdowns turning into breakthroughs and opportunities
for self-growth. For example: conscious enjoyment of life and the beauty
around us, being grateful for every day.

Facing your fears and overcoming them is very empowering. Having a
broader understanding and humility can make you a more empathic and
understanding person. And having been through a traumatic experience
can give you valuable insight on how to help another person through
traumatic experiences as well. There is much of this world that needs to be
composted, and you have wisdom, heart-breaking, hard-earned, wisdom,
that is needed in these times of death, birth, and renewal. Never give

up. The world needs us more than it ever has before. Sometimes we are
broken, but i's the cracks that let the light come through. These cracks just,
‘mean something is being born inside, something green, something new.

Sometimes, it's only through disasters that we unearth a power within that
can't be measured or defined

‘Sometimes darkness is our candle.
Sometimes our wounds illuminate our path.

‘And sometimes healing happens, in roundabout ways, all around and deep,
inside us.



To heal, we must resist. To resist, we must heal.



”


"WE NEED TO BE WEAPONS OF
MASS GONSTRUGTION,
WEAPONS OF Wiss Love.

IT'S NOT ENOUGH OUST TO
CHANGE THE SYSTEM.

WE NEED TO CHANGE OURSELVES.”

— ASSATA SHAKUR