This is a new community and we have yet to launch it properly.
We'd love this space to include other voices/perspectives (in addition to our own) on the themes of trauma, healing, coping, and other relevant topics from the perspective of both survivors and those who wish to serve as allies.
To that end, if anyone would like to share something here, please let us know. It can be original content, or if it's already posted elsewhere, we'd be happy to repost it with your permission and with credit and a link to the original location (e.g., your own blog site).
Contributions can be in the form of guest blog posts but can also be in any other format that technology permits. Artwork, creative writing, or any other forms of expression possible to post here are welcome. It can be credited or anonymous depending on your preference.
To "count" as a survivor here, you need not have a formal diagnosis of PTSD and/or cPTSD. Nor do we have a preconceived idea of what qualifies as "trauma." The discussion here won't be limited to diagnostic concepts. Forms of trauma that have yet to be widely recognized are very much welcome to be discussed here. If you're not sure that what you experienced counts as trauma, and/or are not sure if you yourself wish to view it as trauma, that's okay too. There's no pressure to identify in any particular way. This can be a space for gentle and safe exploration of these complex topics. As long as we're respectful of others' experiences and identity, all perspectives are welcome.
That said, to ensure that this remains a safe space for everyone, there will be some guidelines. We haven't fully developed them yet and would welcome input on those as well. Tentatively, I'm thinking something along the lines of the draft guidelines that are currently in place for the forum:
We ask that you all try to:
Respect each other. Please try to understand that these can be sensitive topics. It's to be expected that we will sometimes be triggered or feel hurt by some of each other's posts. There are a lot of highly emotionally charged and even paradoxical issues about which survivors understandably take different views. Please try to anticipate that sometimes we will disagree and hopefully we can try our best to find ways to move forward that respect the value of different perspectives.
Commit to making this a safe, comfortable and inclusive space for every one. This includes minoritized people, disabled people, people with differing sexual orientations, gender identities, disabilities, socio-economic circumstances, etc. Not only do we ask that we each commit to refrain from overtly discriminatory comments and conduct, we also ask that we each commit to thinking about and listening to feedback about any unintended impacts our conduct may have on others given the systemic racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, etc, that will often be at play. Ideally we will each do our best to educate ourselves to the extent we can about the lived experience of others, including minoritized and/or marginalized people.
People with professional credentials are welcome (including those with lived experience, who choose to speak from that perspective) but we each have equal standing here. No one should be talking over the others based on their privileged status within a system. Everyone's views are importnt.
Let's all feel free to share what does and doesn't work for us personally, things we may happen to know have or haven't worked for others we know, and what we think *may* or may not work for others too, but please no directions to other people about how they *must* feel, cope, survive, "heal," etc.
Let's all please recognize and honour the expertise each person has in their own life, needs, priorities, etc.
These guidelines will evolve because our aim is not to dictate in advance what a community should look like, and we still don't know exactly where this little journey will take us or what needs, difficulties and limitations will arise. We always welcome input.
-Crystal
