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Recovery skills 1
SAID ALOUD
Recovery skills 1
Aim . To learn how to reconnect to the present moment through our senses .
Trainer . We will continue the story of the Butterfly Woman , and use it to develop some practical exercises that can assist recovery .
PART II : THE TRAINING
The Butterfly Woman was relieved that she had met good helpers among the nurses and workers and among the women who had also experienced trauma . She realised that her reactions were natural , and understood how her trauma memories were triggered , so that she lost touch with where she was and forgot she was safe .
The helper explained to the Butterfly Woman that she needed to find ways to reconnect herself , and relocate herself in the here and now . The helper said : “ If you focus on the present moment , memories of the past will remain in the past ”. The Butterfly Woman found it hard to understand what this meant . The helper said : “ Memory of the rape can invade the present , taking away your sense of time and place ”. She explained that trauma memories belong to time past . “ The secret is to experience the present through our senses : this anchors us to the here and now ”.
The helper put hot tea and two cups on the table in front of them . She said : “ Listen , what do you hear ?” Then she poured tea into the cups . The Butterfly Woman listened , paused , and said that she heard the sound of the water pouring , a bird singing , and the voices of some of the women outside . The helper replied : “ You have now focused your hearing . These sounds tell you what is happening right now . This is how you connect yourself to the present moment by using your ears . Now hold the cup and use your sense of touch . Feel the cup .”
The Butterfly Woman could feel its warmth . Then they used their sense of taste to savour the tea . The Butterfly Woman could taste and smell the tea . The helper asked : “ What happened to your memories when we concentrated on hearing sounds , touching the cup , and tasting the tea ?” The Butterfly Woman replied that they were absent .
The helper praised the Butterfly Woman ’ s good work . She said that our senses are gateways that connect us to the present . “ When we focus our senses on what we are seeing , hearing , tasting and touching , what we feel becomes our reality . So it is important to open our senses and focus our attention on things that remind us that we are safe – that now and here we are safe . We call this a grounding exercise because it gives us ways to ground ourselves in the present moment .”