“Body – Soul – Trauma and Ways of Healing” was the title of our international refresher and advanced seminar, which took place from July 15-19 at the Labenbachhof in Ruhpolding. As every year, we gathered trauma specialists from all over the world: from Brazil, Kurdistan-Iraq, Liberia, Palestine, Central America, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.
We spent a week exploring methods of trauma care, both theoretically and using examples from the participants’ practical work. Under the guidance of psychiatrist and trauma therapist Lutz-Ulrich Besser, we tried out exercises such as the so-called “rescue of the inner child”. A colleague from Central America traveled back to a violent situation in his childhood, made contact with his inner child and brought it to a safe place in his imagination. This method of confronting trauma can help you to feel that the threat lies in the past and is indeed really over.
“My experience is that a safe space is created here in which we can share our experiences and also our pain and learn from each other,” said one participant. “When you were working on your story, I was also working on mine. That’s how healing happens.”
In addition to deepening important specialist knowledge and learning together, the participants also underwent a very personal development process. They experienced that their topics are similar across cultures and countries. Violence against women through patriarchal structures, domestic violence and grief and loss are experiences that affect everyone. “What you have shown also exists here in Central America,” said Sandra from El Salvador in response to the work of a Palestinian woman. “In our country women are also exposed to a lot of violence.”
This created a healing community that transcended all boundaries of culture, language and religion. We started each day with body work exercises based on the Power Response guidelines and often ended it with singing and dancing together. A bond can grow even without a common language.
On the last day, everyone worked intensively once again with the four-field technique, in which traumatic experiences can be processed with the help of painting and bilateral stimulation. In the evaluation, one participant said: “I am so impressed by the energy of this group. Although everyone worked on an individual experience, it was also a collective effort. The group found a rhythm and carried me”.
Many of our international colleagues work under very difficult conditions. Conflicts, war and violence characterize their working environment. In addition to new knowledge and skills, the international community in the group is a resource that everyone takes home with them. The week at Labenbachhof is also a time for them to recharge their batteries for the difficult work in their home countries.
Martina Bock
