We know that connection is one of the keys to our mental health, so it should come as no surprise that feeling like someone is listening when we talk is also key to creating that connection.
People are yearning for the experience of being understood. Satisfying this need is key to healing an age of anger and isolation.
This cuts across all areas of society, but I know for survivors, this is one area of specific pain. Being a victim is hard. Surviving trauma is difficult, and healing from that trauma can be a tremendous challenge. Do you know what makes all of that infinitely more difficult?
Not being heard when we talk about it. That can look like someone dismissing our pain, not being believed, or simply ignoring the topic when we discuss it.
Maybe the most interesting aspect of meeting survivors is how many ways this happened to all of us. I’ve yet to meet a survivor who has said that they tell people about their trauma and are always believed, taken seriously, and encouraged to continue telling their story. It’s not that they don’t occasionally hear that from an individual, but it is always the exception instead of the rule.
Yet we will also still ask why survivors take so long to tell anyone. Make it make sense?