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Hi there,
It's been a while since I updated you as I've been very caught up in studies, running a charity and everything that goes with it. Amazingly, we are still here! 

I founded Recovery Code X in the UK two years ago (how time flies!) originally to run a local survivors F2F peer support group. We did that until lockdowns hit! 

We're now reviewing how to best run these groups in light of the restrictions on meeting up, and researching what kind of information and therapies would help survivors get through these difficult days. It would help us to hear your thoughts in our short 5 min online survey. It's anonymous. You are not asked for your name or any other identifying info. Your replies will help us design our next project and apply for funding to bring it to fruition.

Please do take a look and consider it, here's the link:

https://surveyhero.com/c/6edb94a5

The link is also featured on the front page of our website: www.recoverycodex.org

Please share to any UK contacts who you feel might be interested in participating.

If you have any questions, please post on OOTS as I will be checking in regularly now.

Thanks for your help.

Anna

Hi Kizzie and all, 

Pleased to announce that our trademark (logo) has been successfully registered and today we received our Registration Certificate from the Intellectual Property Office. 

Our beautiful new posters have been printed, and tomorrow two of us will display them in prominent places in town. 

The priority now is getting a few more people signed up to the Survivors Hub, people (age 18+ women to be precise) who are already on some kind of CPTSD recovery journey, who are looking to connect in a safe environment - the kind of people who could benefit from the kind of support we're offering.

We are in the midst of a PR push to get the word out and build our profile. What I am perceiving is that not enough people know about us, and when survivors do find us, they need to know they will be in safe hands.

Complex PTSD naturally makes people wary and fearful; the CPTSD brain functions differently, as we know, so this task of communicating is even more important. Today, we received an invitation to appear on local radio, not the BBC this time, but a community radio station. You have to be brave and step into the spotlight and assume people will be glad you did.  I have to admit, since forming Recovery Code X, I have had to put aside many of my own fears and insecurities in order to make things happen. Even with my training in marketing and journalism (while battling CPTSD) it's still a big leap. I probably wouldn't have been ready a year or two ago, but it seems that I am now.

This project is turning out to be quite life changing. Another development is that I am in my first term of a one year course in psychodynamic counselling, which is proving intensive but fascinating and rewarding. I am finding that all those CPTSD books I've been reading, eg Pete Walker, Bessel Van Der Kolk, Judith Herman, have given me an advantage. I chose the psychodynamic approach over the humanistic/person centred and cognitive behavioural approaches because it acknowledges the influence of the past on the present, notably the unconscious - originating from Freud's work. I am keeping an open mind on it as it's early days and could lead to the two-year diploma if I am successful and the psychodynamic approach feels right.

That's all for now. Hope to update you further in a few weeks time.

Thanks for all your interest and support for our project. OOTS 

Hi everyone,

I was talking about the Survivors Hub women's peer support group on OOTS back in January and it has taken us this long to establish a solid organisational structure, get funding, systems, policies and staff in place for our project. 

I now feel confident that we have a great team and are ready to progress with our Survivors Hub, build a community under the guidance of qualified peers.

If you live or work in or around Bedford, UK, there a few places left to join, and so we have set another date: Saturday 12th October 12pm-2pm, at the Premier Inn, Riverside Development, First floor bar/restaurant, when you'll be able to meet holistic therapist and teacher, Tracy Handley, who is the group's facilitator. See Tracy's website here to find out more:  https://www.tracyjoanneholistics.com  I am the group's co-ordinator, and I'll also be there offering cups of tea and coffee and answering any questions you might have.

If you are already working on your recovery and would like to connect with others on a similar journey, maybe pick up some new tools and ideas for better health in mind, body, and spirit, why not pop along?

I assume that if you are a member of the OOTS forum you know a little about CPTSD. However, if you're not sure, here's the link to OOTS' list of common symptoms:  https://www.outofthestorm.website/symptoms

Recovery Code X is the name of the organisation a small group of survivors set up to fill a gap in services and apply for funding for the Survivors Hub.

Our vision is of a trauma-informed society in which holistic healing methods are accessible to all survivors of prolonged abuse whether experienced in childhood or adulthood.

Compassion is balm to the soul.
Love overrides trauma.
Wounds can heal.
A better life is possible.

 

Please let us know you are coming in advance so that we can make time for a cup of tea/coffee and a chat with you.
Email: recoverycodex@hotmail.com or message us on Facebook: @RecoveryCodeX or Twitter @RecoveryCodeX

Pre-booking is essential.
A commitment to monthly attendance and feedback on the course is important.
Donation only.

Anna

Hi Kizzie 
Thank you for your understanding and support for what I'm trying to do.

I love your tagline suggestions  ....like this one:

"Your path to recovery is as unique as you; let the Survivors Hub help"

Going to run these by the others.

A decision needs to be made asap to get this moving. Group decision-making, with too much    can slow things down, stall progress.

I'm the one who makes the final decision, makes those ideas fly...  It's going to happen.

Hello all,



Sorry for being quiet for ages. You could be forgiven for thinking I have disappeared. Far from it. I'm working with a small group of people to set up an organisation that can raise funds for the Survivors Hub, so that we can operate independently.

We have been brainstorming ideas for a name. I came up with this one, no one has opposed it, and I wondered what OOTS thought: Recovery Code X

My blurb: It's the mystery solution to your recovery, the elusive equation. It's the map leading you to the treasure of inner peace and harmony in body, mind and soul. It's unique to you, you alone. So, we invite you to join us in the adventure, and help you map out a way to better health, vitality and happiness.

Implicit in the name is the idea of harm having been done, making an important distinction from personality disorders eg narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), paranoid personality disorder, psychopathy etc, and non-stigmatising.

It relates to our proposed mission:

Mission
Our mission is to inspire people who have experienced repetitive, ongoing abuse and trauma to find the keys to unlocking the codes of their recovery, and provide a safe environment with tools to support them on their journey to wholeness and harmony in mind, body and soul.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for making the amendment Kizzie. I'll be back to update you and add to the first post as soon as I have the details.

For everyone who's been following the development of the Survivors Hub in Bedford, I would like to inform you that we are no longer operating from ACCM UK.

The charity was hugely supportive of the project, and I'm grateful to them for their encouragement and for giving me the chance to run a survivors support group on their premises.

A couple of us (survivors) are now exploring the possibility of running the group from another location on our own, in a slightly different way. I will be back when I have further news on this.

Thank you Blueberry and Three Roses for your support and encouragement.

It's taken me a long time to get this far in my recovery, but I'm here now, and I'll keep taking up whatever opportunities I can in my new role. It's pushing me outside my comfort zone. 

Have to say, sharing a little more about myself is drawing lovely people towards me. Was close to tears later when I was talking to my friend (in private) and saw tears in his eyes. Not used to this kind of response, not used to talking about myself and receiving validation. 

Today I gave a 15 minute speech (it was supposed to be 10 mins) about the new Survivors Hub F2F group at ACCM UK. It was filmed by a friend, and I managed to hold my nerves with the help of a script I'd prepared earlier.

Hope that it reached out to victims and survivors and will draw more people into our group. There were speakers from leading national charities at the event, and I felt honoured to be standing alongside them. I hope I sounded OK. I think the charity was happy with my performance, commenting that I was 'a strong character' afterwards. 

I felt some of the language I was using was not familiar - or the norm - to other people present who work in the mental health field, people who deal with those in crisis for example.
CPTSD is definitely still a very new concept in the UK.

[Note: The location/dates/times of meetings are in the process of being changed so please check back. Updated information will be added ASAP. Kizzie - Nov 5, 2018]

The Survivors Hub is a new group in the UK for people looking to connect with others working on their recovery. It is a peer-to-peer support group in Bedford co-facilitated by a member of Out of the Storm for adults affected by Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder originating in childhood, whether that is emotional/physical/sexual/spiritual and/or the result of neglect/abandonment. We understand that buried memories can return later in life with devastating consequences. We aim to provide a safe place to chat and feel emotionally supported, and share knowledge on coping strategies and skills. We find strength in solidarity and social connection, hope in the midst of despair, frustration and hopelessness. You do not need a formal diagnosis to join. Sessions are free.

Let me know if you have any questions, and I will try and answer them here.

Note:  The location/dates/times of meetings are in the process of being changed so please check back.  Updated information will be added ASAP. Kizzie - Nov 5, 2018

Thank you Elphanigh and Radical 

I've taken the plunge now, and there's no going back as far as talking publicly about CPTSD is concerned.
It's all thanks to Kizzie for giving me this opportunity, and working with me to ensure I produced my best. 
Being published here has given me the confidence I needed. I'm sharing the link on my social media networks.
I really hope my article sets the right tone for a series that will draw more people to OOTS, get more people talking about CPTSD.




Anna

My copy is on its way Anna and I'm looking forward to reading it.  Hopefully we'll get some good discussion going after a few of us have read it.    

Kizzie

Great to hear you've ordered a copy Kizzie!

So far, not a single reviewer has mentioned CPTSD, PTSD or trauma, so I am wondering whether this is due to general public ignorance on the topic or does the book not make it apparent in the life of the main character? 

Blues Cruise and Ah...   Thank you 

Would love to know your thoughts, hope you enjoy 

I'll be here if you or anyone else has questions.

By the way, I forgot to say..........

   

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome.   It feels strange being here as Anna, so I expect it will take a little getting used to.

I want to thank Kizzie for all her support and giving me this chance to chat to you about my new book, my first work of fiction, called 'Fractured'. It's also the first volume in the Memories of a Survivor series I am planning to write.

Blueberry - you're right, it's no mean feat! A strange sequence of events, synchronicities, conspired to make this book happen with great speed. So I have just let it all unfold. It's been an amazing rollercoaster ride, and I'm still holding onto my seat 

Thank you Contessa and MelodieRose. I would love to hear your thoughts on the story, if you get around to reading it.