Healing the Wounds of Trauma

D. Serious cases People who are very wounded may need more help than you are able to give them by listening to their pain. To evaluate how seriously a person has been wounded, look at: • How many problems they have in the way they behave (see Section 2B). • How frequently the problems occur. • How intense the problems are. • How many months the problems last. • If the problems keep them from taking care of themselves and their families. People who are seriously wounded need professional help. If a psy- chologist or psychiatrist is not available, an ordinary doctor or nurse may at least give them medicine to calm them down and help them sleep. Divide the participants into groups of two. Have each person in turn tell about one bad thing that has happened—a small event rather than something very big. The other person listens. Listeners must be careful to listen properly and to show they have understood and are sharing in the speaker’s pain. They should use the questions sug- gested in section 4C. After ten minutes, switch roles. In a large group discuss: • How did you feel during this exercise? • Was anything difficult? • Did you feel heard when you were listened to?Why or why not? • What did the listener do well? LISTENING EXERCISE

30

How Can the Wounds of Our Hearts Be Healed?