"Trauma is when your reality is neither seen nor acknowledged" - Bessel van der Kolk, from the movie "Cracked Up"
To us, post-traumatic stress is when the shame, isolation, and pain of past trauma are too intense for us to face and process. As a result, the past trauma 'lives' in a sense, and continues to affect our health, relationships, jobs, bodies, and day-to-day lives. Sharing our traumas in a supportive environment is one avenue for lessening that shame and isolation. Ideally we can continue to lessen the impact of our past traumas on our present-day lives.
Group details:
Peer support group for help in recovering from traumatic experience(s). All are welcome, safety of the group takes priority. Formal diagnosis of PTSD is not required. People with "non-traditional" causes of PTSD and/or "Complex PTSD" are also encouraged to join.
Our "meet and share" sessions start with the rules of the discussion, a brief (optional) share by each person, followed by cross-talk/discussion (for total of approximately ninety minutes). Members are asked not to get into material which may be triggering for others and use of "I statements" is encouraged.
Non "meet and share" sessions, which could be trauma related movies, painting, ... are less formally structured.
Please note that neither the Organizers nor the other members are acting as therapists. This is not a substitute for therapy, and the group is intended to support one's recovery not serve as its sole venue. No one will ever push you to "dig deeper" into your story.
We ask that all members abide by the rules/code of conduct linked below. Please note that these rules apply to meetups as well as to behavior on this website:
https://www.meetup.com/newyorkcity-ptsd/pages/29177561/Code_of_conduct/
"One must revisit the trauma but one need not relive it."
P.S. Friends and visitors are welcome but their presence is subject to all members present agreeing to it.
