I find it interesting that Boyd-Webb do not consider group work as an ideal treatment for people who have experienced trauma, and specifically who exhibit PTSD symptoms. I understand how there might be limitations to the degree in which one can "reenact" their trauma in a group setting, but I believe there is another step of sharing/reintegrating after a traumatic experience, and groups seem ideal for this. Specifically within the context of an activity-oriented therapy, such as retelling the story of a traumatic experience, I think that the sharing of the story in a safe environment can go a long way in terms of making people feel seen and understood, and thus, effectively reintegrating socially following a traumatic experience. I cannot speak for reactions to all traumatic experiences, but the feeling that no one could understand what I'd been through after a car accident was greatly relieved when I felt I'd externalized the experience by writing a book that could be shared, and received feedback that people had read the book and understood what I'd gone through.
Thanks for sharing your experience and how writing a book helped you. That is very inspiring. I am also interested in how sharing stories can be healing. I taught creative writing in a Special Ed. school and we wrote poetry and journaled. Students came back later to thank me. It was a very satisfying experience.
Thank you for pointing out Boyd Webb's note about trauma-experienced people and groups. I'll go back and re-read. I guess it seemed to make sense to me at the time when I read it, but I agree with you there must be ways for effective use of groups and recoveries / integrations of the trauma experience, for group members. ...
A little bit of a blurb for a provider, so take this for what it's worth ... Phoenix Trauma Center, in Media, PA, has several groups they run for people who have experienced trauma(s) and are seeking to recover / integrate the experience(s) -- seeking to understand their trauma and put words to it.
I think the Phoenix team are talented -- two of the founders went to Bryn Mawr and one of the founders teaches courses here. I took part in a grief group at Phoenix, and I had a good experience.
(So I expect they've seen benefit in having groups for people who've experienced trauma.)
... I'll have to go back and re-read Webb to see what her issues were with trauma groups...
A little bit of a blurb for a provider, so take this for what it's worth ... Phoenix Trauma Center, in Media, PA, has several groups they run for people who have experienced trauma(s) and are seeking to recover / integrate the experience(s) -- seeking to understand their trauma and put words to it.
I think the Phoenix team are talented -- two of the founders went to Bryn Mawr and one of the founders teaches courses here. I took part in a grief group at Phoenix, and I had a good experience.
(So I expect they've seen benefit in having groups for people who've experienced trauma.)
... I'll have to go back and re-read Webb to see what her issues were with trauma groups...