Psycho-educational Booklet-Series by the working group Trauma Surviving

Many young people suffer from the effects of traumatic experiences. To provide youth with an understanding of impacts accompanied by trauma, the booklet series “Trauma Surviving and Hope” addresses post-traumatic symptoms. In various picture stories, problems faced after emotional injuries like sleeplessness, lack of concentration, loss and grief, anxiety, anger and aggression and dark memories are described and strategies to alleviate them are suggested.

Young people can read the stories on their own. The booklets can also be used in various psycho-educational settings and as motivation for young people to seek psycho-therapeutic help in dealing with traumatic experiences.

About the booklet series

Booklets about sleeplessness, concentration problems, avoidance and loss and grief are already available in English, German, Arabic, Farsi/Dari and Kurdish. In total, 10 stories and further translations are planned. The stories are aimed at young people of 12 years and above from all over the world who are suffering from the effects of traumatic experiences. The booklets do not specify the traumatic experience that causes symptoms, in order to enable different possibilities for the reader to identify with the protagonist.

Working Group Trauma Surviving

The series was conceived and realised by the Working Group Trauma Surviving, an interdisciplinary and international group of experts in the field of trauma survival. The group thanks ACT NOW for all support to realize the booklets.

Cooperation

We are looking for cooperation partners to finalise the booklet series and support the printing and distribution process. With the booklet series we aim to reach as many people as possible and support traumatised young people in their trauma surviving process. For further information please get in contact with us.  

—> traumasurviving@gmail.com

How to use the booklets?

For parents / caregivers

My daughter/son is not doing well, I can see that. I too had a very difficult time and I'm not doing well either.

Living with the past can be very challenging. Many people find it helpful to talk about what they have experienced with someone they can trust. It is important for children of any age to see that their parents allow themselves to be helped so that they can feel better again.

I would like to help my son/daughter, I have tried many things, but nothing seems to work.

It takes a lot of time to process painful experiences and get back on track with everyday life. This requires a lot of patience from everyone who lives with those affected. Above all, young people need friends of the same age with whom they can talk and have fun together. Group sports and joint excursions can also be helpful.

My daughter/son has changed a lot.

After a very difficult time, the body reacts to the stress of that time. Some people cannot sleep well, others are very unconcentrated or remember little, strong feelings such as anger and fear appear, some people talk a lot about what they have experienced, others prefer to withdraw. And many suffer from physical pain. All of these reactions are completely normal. Our booklets tell about it and give ideas on how you can help yourself.

My son/daughter has little strength and energy. He/she has little contact and shows little interest.

Your daughter/son may be very sad after everything they have been through and have little hope. When we lose something important (such as home, a loved one, habits, or something else entirely), we all feel very sad. Every culture and every religion have rituals and rules that help us to cope with loss. Mourning rituals can also be repeated. You can also change or reinvent rituals to suit a new situation.

What can help my daughter/son?

We all need the feeling of safety and security. When you live together, you can give your child a lot of support. Here are some suggestions:

• Information and explanations help us to understand. Especially when people have had or are under a lot of stress, it can be necessary to repeat information and explanations over and over again. The most important is to accept that your son/daughter needs time and patience. The booklets explain why, after a terrible time, it's not easy to go back to the way it used to be. The booklets also contain ideas on how to help yourself.

• Clear timing and regularity provide good orientation. Some young people are quite good at organizing their own time, but some need a lot of support. For example, it can be helpful to set study and bedtimes together.

• Above all, people who have suffered through other people need healing relationships so that they can learn to trust again. Finding time to talk, listen to one another, eat and play together, show humor, and avoid punishment can be very healing, because every behavior has an explanation. You might find some ideas in one of the booklets.

For teachers/supervisors

How can I use the booklets?

Many young people prefer to read the booklets independently.

Young people who are not used to reading could benefit from reading the stories together, looking at the pictures together and talking about details in the pictures.

Creative approach

Some enjoy coloring the pictures.

Some want to act out a scene in a little play, a dance, a song...

You might observe the following reactions

Many young people are very quiet and withdrawn after reading. This is a good sign that an inner processing is taking place. After reading, give the youth time to be on their own.

After reading, some young people would like to share a little about their own experiences. Give the stories enough time.

When trust has been built, the need to tell about traumatic experiences and to be recognized with what has been suffered often grows.

Important: Don’t ask your students about details and don’t force them to tell something or to tell more.

Those who suffer must be allowed to have full control over what they want to share and what they want to keep to themselves!

It is important to acknowledge the life story and the suffering endured. This is best done by listening.

To listen means to engage

It can be quite shocking what traumatized people bring up. What is important for the listener is the willingness to endure what is being said. Since it is often about great injustice, suffering or death, many emotions are involved. So it can happen that the listener sheds tears. It should then be verbalized that these are tears of compassion (and not a sign of weakness).

In order to protect both conversation partners, the clearest possible framework should be created for such a conversation: limited in time and in an undisturbed room in which both feel comfortable.

At the end of the conversation, it takes a few minutes to come back to the "here and now". (e.g. open a window, move and shake arms and legs, have a cup of tea together, talk about plans for the rest of the day)