What we’re about
This group is a non-therapeutic support group for those who have experienced forms of moderate to severe trauma from early childhood and who are curious and/or willing to entertain the possibility of over time safely more openly sharing with others who have equally experienced and suffer moderate to severe emotional trauma and complex PTSD. There will be no pressure to participate but we do ask that you turn on your video at least for a minute at the start of the meeting if you are attending for the first time. This is an environment that emotionally-empathically completely supports open non-judgmental listening and dialogue with regards to our thoughts, feelings and emotions which arise in the course of our moment to moment interactions.
We have absolutely no agenda with regards to "achieving anything" or to "become anything" but simply be and share and in that process grow through our sharing in an environment of increased safety and self-embodiment with others through our presence, through our verbal and/or non-verbal sharing with others. The atmosphere will be one that encourages sharing or equally and respectfully if one chooses not to share but Always in the presence of being in the company of others without any criticism or evaluative judgement with regards to our thoughts, our feelings, our experiences, our suffering, etc.
One of the things that perhaps distinguishes us from some other groups is that with utmost awareness, sensitivity and respect we openly welcome and encourage the expected and natural process of being triggered which, as many of us know who have have histories of emotional trauma and complex PTSD, can occur for any reason and at any time.
We fully respect and understand people in the course of listening to others voice their own experiences, feelings and beliefs will naturally themselves be "triggered" at times. We consciously but quite gently embrace/encourage this process as it is only through being triggered that we have the possibility - in the company of perceived-registered-felt safety with others over time - of personally and interpersonally gaining insight, embodiment and courage. Gaining insight here means how can we as a group begin to cultivate the foundations of feeling safe over time to begin to safely reflect upon what we are non-verbally experiencing and/or verbally expressing in the company of others. This process must be handled with gentleness, caring and respect as each one of us without exception carry our own emotional psychic wounds and scars.
The only rule here that is absolute and incontrovertible is that there will be NO criticism or evaluative judgment of any member's personally shared feelings, experiences and stories as that lends itself to harmful and unnecessary triggering and reinforcing layers of shame and guilt! Moreover, there will be nothing less than complete acceptance and understanding if one is triggered during the course of group discussion and needs to leave the meeting for any particular reason, as this too is as much a welcomed and natural process! Again, this group is a non-therapeutic support group and is not intended to serve as a substitute or replacement for individual therapy.
