Healing and Care Corner
"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."
- Oprah Winfrey
Here is a safe space that provides you with resources to help cope with the stress, anxiety, PTSD, fear, discomfort, anger, and a range of feelings that come up after experiencing gender-based violence of any kind. We welcome you to treat this space as a sandbox where you can rely on tools that can help you in the here and the now, to tide over episodes of feelings and discomfort.
Please know that this is not a substitute for wholesome and professional support. The Healing Corner is only an assistive space with resources that can complement professional trauma healing support. User discretion advised.
Let's BREATHE together!
Use this GIF to guide you into taking deep breaths.
Grounding Activity
This is a powerful technique that helps you root yourself in the here and the now, where you feel safe. All you need to do is to rely on your sensory organs. Take a deep breath and let it out, and then begin.
From the environment around you,
Name FIVE things you can see.
Name FOUR things you can feel.
Name THREE things you can hear.
Name TWO things you can smell.
Name ONE thing you can taste.
Let's Write Together!
Writing works as an effective tool to help address trauma associated with your triggers and to process all the feelings that come up in relation to what is going on. It doesn't need to be eloquent, literary writing at all. Even disjointed sentences, a few phrases or words, or even single sentences work just fine. It does not even need to be grammatically accurate. Writing down your trauma can help you reduce what happened to words - and in a dialogue with paper, you don't have to do the emotional labour of articulating it to a person.
This exercise is aimed at helping you respond to what has happened through writing.
Do not proceed with this activity if you are highly triggered.
Think about:
The thing that's worrying / hurting you. What comes to mind? Write out your responses as they emerge.
What are you feeling right now?
What's going on in your heart / mind / body?
Is there something you want to say that you haven't been able to?
Keep the writing going: do not judge yourself or self-censor. Let everything that comes to surface emerge without restriction. You may do this in a journal, or in a diary app, or even on loose sheets.
Let's Affirm Ourselves
Affirmations have a way of breaking self-talk - which is the constant conversation that unfolds in your mind that may seem tough to control or change. These affirmations are by Louise L. Hay, a pioneer in the field of using Affirmations to heal from trauma, and can help you shift toward leading peaceful, happy, and empowered futures.
Repeat After Me:
"I am strong, brave, and resilient."
"I am in charge, I now take my own power back."
"I have survived all of the bad days I've had."
"I am worthy of compassion and love."
"I am loved and I am at peace."
"I deserve all that is good."
"I honor who I am."
"The past is over."
Understanding Trauma, Resilience, & Wellness with Adriana Leigh
Adriana Leigh is a Canadian self-described "recovering lawyer” turned global gender consultant, facilitator and trainer, writer, and speaker. She builds safer, more respectful, caring, and inclusive workplaces and organizations, free of sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
She brings a human and heart-centred, rather than a merely compliance-centred approach to these issues, combined with her legal and subject matter expertise, her own survivor experience, and background in human rights education.
Adriana delivers global workshops, sexual harassment and violence policy and reporting processes development, implementation coaching to managers and human resources and thought leadership. She works cross-sector with UN agencies building the capacity of partner organizations, international human rights organizations, in addition to private sector clients and universities.
Her work has been showcased by Charity Village, Medium, UN Women, Sexual Violence Research Initiative, Mtavari Channel, Brainz Magazine and World Pulse, among others.
Adriana has been featured by World Pulse in the article: “Her Story Makes History: 21 Women Leaders to Watch in 2021” and in 2022, was included on the list of Brainz Magazine’s “7 Female Entrepreneurs and How they are Changing the World.” She is also the recipient of a BRAINZ CREA Global Award 2022, honouring individuals who are paving the way in sustainability and mental health, and of a Digital Changemaker Award as one of the World Pulse 50 Rising Voices, recognizing 50 leaders who are shaping our future.
You can read more about Adriana on the ALG website or in this recent interview with her.
Trauma Relevant Experiential Learnings and Practices with Dr. Swetha Turlapati
The Fundamentals
Masters of Counseling Psychology and a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) with a postgraduate degree. I am a trained and certified practitioner in mindfulness, narrative, and IMAGO (couple therapy) approaches. I’m informed by trauma in my sessions with clients. Other trainings I have engaged in throughout my practice have been queer affirmative counseling practice (QACP) and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), Community Mental Health.
Therapeutic Relationship
I believe that collaboration and presence are at the core of a therapeutic relationship. I consider it to be an essential part of the healing journey. When stories about culture and systemic oppression become present in my sessions, I lean toward sensitivity and curiosity. Vulnerability, making space for moment-to-moment emotions, and confronting the sneaky system are some key aspects that I hold in the therapy space. My Vitamins Co-learning spaces are what I look forward to in my journey as a therapist. I integrate ideas informed by the above approaches and client stories. To further ground them, I sit with them in my moments of reflection and supervision spaces. On the other hand, I use my learnings and experiences as a patient counselor to see the interactions between physical and mental health. I bring this knowledge to awareness when needed in my sessions with clients. I remind myself of being human enough to face adversities in life, make space for self-help, and ask for and receive help.
Calling Towards Communities
Community mental health has always been an integral part of my work. Community space strengthens and reassures people who come together in a group with similar thoughts and concerns. It's always been meaningful to address problems that are part of the system and share stories and experiences through workshops. In my experience working with groups, some populations have been NGOs, hospitals, schools, colleges, and corporates. Some of the possible topics in group settings were stress management, mental health awareness, women's mental health, mindful living, and addressing some clinical aspects like anxiety, depression, medically unexplained symptoms, etc.
I Wake Up To
Developing a connection to the client's inner world that extends to the mind and body has always brought a sense of calmness to my practice. My constant willingness to learn and grow, along with the ability to perceive emotions in depth, have helped me become more empathetic and genuine. I believe that conversation with oneself and connection to oneself lead to one’s authentic, higher self.
"The world "within" us is our compass; we might want to bring awareness to it as we continue navigating."
