Why Join OOTS?

[Kizzie]

Dr. Judith Herman who was the first professional to identify Complex PTSD in her book "Trauma and Recovery" in the 1990's spoke about the power of community in the recovery of survivors.

Traumatic events destroy the sustaining bonds between individual and community. Those who have survived learn that their sense of self, of worth, of humanity, depends upon a feeling of connection with others. The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair, and the strongest antidote to traumatic experience. Trauma isolates; the group re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her. Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity.

Repeatedly in the testimony of survivors there comes a moment when a sense of connection is restored by another person's unaffected display of generosity. Something in herself that the victim believes to be irretrievably destroyed---faith, decency, courage---is reawakened by an example of common altruism. Mirrored in the actions of others, the survivor recognizes and reclaims a lost part of herself.

We believe this to be true, that we cannot recover or heal in isolation.  It is about belonging when we have never really belonged, of being understood, comforted, supported, all things absent from our lives that help us to deal with the impact of the trauma we experienced and know in the deepest parts of our selves that it was not us, it was what happened to us. 

Herman, J. (1997). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror. New York: Basic Books