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Laceweb - Trauma Healing Program
Workshops Manual
Energising possibilities for evolving trauma healers
and voluntary self help trauma healing networks
among Indigenous and Disadvantaged Minorities
in the SE Asia Oceania Australasia Region
Copyright UN-Inma. May be copied and used with acknowledgement of UN-Inma and this webpage for non-profit purposes.
Last updated Feb 2007.
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The wisdom in this page has been drawn from the grassroots people of the East Asia Oceania Australasia Region. Consistent with their way, this wisdom is freely available on the Laceweb Internet site. Now a simple secure process has been set up, so people reading and downloading this wisdom may contribute financially if they so desire. You may send a tiny amount or as much as you desire.
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SE Asia, Oceania, Australasia Trauma Context
Many tens of thousands of indigenous and small minority people
suffer the continuing trauma of torture and trauma inflicted during
conflicts and man made disasters in the region. East Timor and
Bougainville are two examples of traumatised populations.
This program has the substantial aim of energising healing
processes that may lead to the healing of this massive and continuing
human tragedy. The program is based upon tapping the voluntary energy
of local nurturers and healers, most of whom are also traumatised, and
enabling them to expand their healing repetoire in culturally
appropriate ways.
The sheer size of the problem and a yearning to use local way
has lead to this Program being centred on using/evolving informal
networks of local self help healers.
Cultural Appropriateness:
This Workshop series has been expressly prepared to embody the following features.
Enabling:
- culturally appropriate workshops
- actual trauma healing during workshops
- the passing on of healing ways
- locals to culturally adapt healing ways
- voluntary self help networks within and between communities
- therapeutic community during the workshop series and beyond
Laceweb background
The Laceweb is an informal healing network of indigenous, small
minority and intercultural people evolving in the Oceania, SE Asia,
Australasia region for over 30 years. The Laceweb pioneered therapeutic
community in the region over forty years ago (refer the internet: ).
Acknowledgement
This Laceweb document and Laceweb facilitator(s) draw upon
streams of wisdom of indigenous and small minority people in the region
passed along Laceweb networks.
Sequencing
The workshop sequencing typically 'unfolds' in an open agenda
that is evolved by the local people to best meet their needs. For
example, in some contexts, people are fully aware of their issues and
needs and desire to move directly into experiencing some of the healing
ways in workshops six and seven.
Proviso
The approaches outlined in this Workshop series, when applied by
qualified, skilled, experienced enablers are extremely powerful.
However, if these processes are attempted to be facilitated by
unqualified, unskilled and inexperienced facilitators, not only could
they be completely ineffectual, they could result in people being
disillusioned. Skilled local facilitators may be evolved during
workshop facilitation by Laceweb enablers.
Time:
The program appears as 14 experiential modules (workshops).
While written as a seven day program, the timing of the program
delivery is very flexible and may be changed to fit local contexts.
Some groups may want to extend the time and vary the sequencing. For
example workshops may be extended to 10 and 14 day sharing gatherings.
Pre-requisites to being a Participant:
People:
- who are natural nurturers and typically 'wounded healers', and
- are of any age and sex, and
- who are, or have been, and are likely to be, involved in self-healing of self and others,
- and do this healing naturally in their social lifeworld, and
- are sought out by others to give nurturing support.
Aim:
This Workshop series is focusing on an extremely sensitive area
where the aim is healing in the very process of passing on healing
ways. It involves co-learning between participants, and between
participants and facilitator(s), in workshops enabled by facilitators. The workshop series meta-aim is 'meeting the healing needs and
wants of local people'. While a wide range of potential content has
been built into the program, workshops unfold in open agenda so that
local people may take from it and adapt it according to local need,
rather than facilitators imposing their specific agenda. What will happen is that local people may use and adapt some
or all aspects of the Workshop series and may explore and adapt the
healing ways they want, at their pace. The Laceweb has more than a 30 year record of passing on these
healing ways. The healing and psycho-social processes being explored
are powerful. Given this, the aims of the series and each Workshop are
expressed in tentative terms to recognise that nothing will happen
unless local people want it to happen.
Aim - By the end of the Workshop series, participants may be able to:
- use trauma healing ways on self and others
- develop and share culturally appropriate healing ways relating to torture and trauma healing, and
- support survivors of torture and trauma by evolving and sustaining self help healing networks and therapeutic communities
WORKSHOPS LIST
The Aim may be achieved by participants attending the following 14 workshops:
Establishing Ambience and Contexts
1. Opening Ceremony and Storytelling
2. Introduction to Torture and Trauma Healing and Support
3. Issues in Supporting Survivors of Torture and Trauma
4. Application/Reflection as Healers/Survivors of Torture and Trauma During the Crisis
Receiving the Core of the Healing Ways
5. Healing Processes
6. Experiencing Sharing and Receiving Healing Ways
7. Experiencing, Sharing, Receiving and Adapting Healing Ways
Applying these Ways for Healing Specific Issues
8. Using Healing Ways to Resolve Specific Issues
9. Specific Application of Micro-skills to Women's Issues
10. Specific Application of Micro-skills to Children and Adolescents
11. Getting a Good Night's Sleep
Resolving Issues and Consolidating Possibilities for Action
12. Open Agenda Workshop Addressing Outstanding Issues
13. Issues for Facilitators and Enablers in Evolving Healing Networks
14. Evolving Healing and Support for Torture and Trauma Survivors - Summarising, Review and Action
Context:
This Workshop series draws upon the healing power of therapeutic
community. Ideally, the series is experienced in campout sharing
gatherings where facilitators and participants jointly enable the
constituting of therapeutic community while living closely together for
a short time.
Program Adaptability:
In the future, participants who have already experienced the
program may repeat the program one or more times and experience a new
set of healing ways each time. Such repeat paticipants may be included
along side participants who are 'first-timers'. Number of Participants:
Laceweb facilitators are experienced in working with both small
groups as well as large groups (up to 200). It is envisioned that early
workshops series may be small (may 10 or even up to 30) with 2 - 3
facilitators.
It is possible that in some healing sharing gatherings in the
future it may well be that there may be many hundreds attending with
concurrent workshops on offer.
Workshop 1 Opening Ceremony and Storytelling
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, participants may
have established comfort and rapport with the facilitators and each
other, and may have resonance with the roles of:
Time:
Half day or longer
Process
A ceremony culturally appropriate for
supporting local people and introducing the healing ambience of Torture
and Trauma Healing.
Storytelling of healing and nurturing in big and small groups - Healing and Support for Torture and Trauma Survivors.
Activities:
Any matters that any participant wants revisited are posted on butcher paper.
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts in
respect of each theme from material generated throughout the group
sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 2 Introduction to Torture and Trauma Healing and Support
Objective
By the end of the Workshop, participants may have:
Time:
Half day or longer
Materials:
Materials from prior workshop
Activities:
Facilitators introduce a series of structured experiences and sharings; themes:
Additional activities:
Any matters that any participant wants revisited are posted on butcher paper.
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts in
respect of each theme from material generated throughout the group
sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Additional resources:
The following Videos may be used as appropriate to context:
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 3. Issues in Supporting Survivors of Torture and Trauma
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, participants may be able to
identify and explore the specific issues and needs for healing and
supporting Bougainville survivors of torture and trauma and explore
frameworks for resolving the issues and satisfying the needs.
Time:
Half day or longer
Materials:
Materials from prior workshops.
Activities:
Materials from prior workshops are used to expand on trauma healing issues:
Workshop facilitator(s) and all attendees are
supported to share examples of the above issues in small groups and big
group. Healing contexts may emerge using:
as a means of expressing concerns and options with extensive use of flip charts and output placed where all can see.
Any matters that any participant wants revisited are posted on butcher paper.
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts in
respect of each theme from material generated throughout the group
sharing and from prior Workshop series and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 4. Application/Reflection as Healers/Survivors of Torture and Trauma During the Crisis
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, participants may be able:
Time
Half day or longer
Material:
Murals, flip charts, drawings, diagrams and other handouts from prior Workshops.
Sequence of Activities:
Workshop facilitator(s) and all attendees
contributing in sharing discussion and examples, and by experiencing
healing ways, exploring the following themes:
Additional activities:
Key aspects are posted on butcher paper and murals; posted material used as a resource for generating handouts.
Any matters that any participant wants revisited are posted on butcher paper.
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts in
respect of each theme from material generated throughout the group
sharing and from prior Workshop series and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 5. Healing Processes
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, participants may able be to identify and understand:
Time:
Half day or longer
Materials:
All materials used and generated in previous workshops.
Activities:
The following themes may be discussed,
explored and models demonstrated by the facilitator(s) and participants
engaging in discussions and structured experiences in small and big
groups. This may be a practical experiential
Workshop where participants may experience different models of healing.
Participants may experience using healing ways on self and others under
the guidance of the facilitator(s)and share feedback with each other
and the facilitator(s) on their outcomes. Themes explored may be:
Further Themes:
Additional activities
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 6. Experiencing, Sharing and Receiving Healing Ways
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, participants may
be able to provide a rich context with possibilities for exploring,
understanding and acquiring healing ways and processes, as well as
understanding when to use them in appropriate contexts.
Time:
Half day or longer
Note:
Typically this Workshop (6) and the following
Workshop (7) may involve more than half a day. They are central for the
sharing of healing ways. They may involve follow-up sessions among the
participants with or without the facilitator(s), as participants
further refine their healing ways. Workshop's 6 and 7 may provide a
process-model for local sharing healing celebratory gatherings.
Materials:
All materials used and generated in prior Workshops.
Activities:
This particular session involves all participants in experiencing using healing ways.
Facilitator(s) intruduce micro-experiences,
and participants may experience using these micro-experiences on
themselves and each other. The group may work individually, in pairs
(with and without a third person in the observer role) as well as in
small groups. Periodically participants will give and receive feedback
and share discussion. There are a rich source of healing ways
associated with the following material - far more than may be explored
in one, or even two or three Workshops. Facilitator(s) may briefly
share the healing ways with participants. Participants may select what
they want from all the ways available.
The micro-experiences
- Rapport Building - being at one, moving together. A wide range of verbal and non-verbal rapport building processes may be explored.
- Gathering information, monitoring and precision questioning
- Using simple language models and other forms of expression that may
enable helpers to gently and caringly assist others to express
themselves.
- Accurate clues reading:
survivors/disputants and their body language. May enable helpers to
notice discrepancies between verbal and non-verbal behaviors as well as
other unspoken indicators as an aid to resolving issues.
- Language meta-model. Big and small chunks, May enable helpers to use simple, graceful, caring and healing language to foster healing.
- Assessing internal states -
strategic and sorting patterns, and external relationships. May enable
helpers to identify and use the unique aspects of how a person behaves
and experiences life and makes internal representations of this
experience - for enabling possibilities for healing.
- Well-formed outcomes in healing, mediation therapy and problem solving. May enable helpers to maintain a nurturing outcomes focus.
- Anchoring - Few or one-trial
re/learning. This is an easy to learn process that may have wide
applicability in healing. It may enable people to expand flexibility
and choice in their emotions, internal experience and personal
resourcefulness towards well-being.
- Creative vagueness. This healing micro-experience process may enable the other person to bypass aspects of self that may hold back healing.
- Reframing/deframing - finding
constructive meanings, resolving internal and external conflicts,
seeing trouble in a better light. We all make our own representations
of our experience, sometimes in ways that may prolong pain and
suffering. 'Deframing' may free up fixed ways of experiencing the
world. 'Reframing' may allow survivors to place past and present
experience within more helpful and healing frameworks.
- Sensory submodalities -
change patterns. We all use our various senses in special ways to make
sense of our lives. An extensive set of very simple processes may be
explored that may allow people to make profound and lasting changes in
their lives and how they respond to past events.
- Dissociation - separating
memories from bad or violent feelings. Simple processes may be
introduced that may allow people to break the previous inevitable link
between recall of trauma and the re-experiencing of the associated
pain. These healing micro-experiences may reintroduce flexibility and
choice into lives; they may prepare participants for a possible
subsequent micro-experience set relating to emotional choice.
- Accessing and re-accessing psycho-social resource states.
We all have a differing set of psycho-social resources states such as
joy, calmness, tranquillity, engrossment and energy. Often people may
have a range of resource states that they may have not linked into for
many years. A set of micro-experiences may be explored that may enable
others to tap into their resource states, enhance them, and to build
new ones.
- Creating healing futures.
People vary in the way they use their senses to make representations of
possible futures. Some people may have no processes for making
representations of the future. It may be that they literally can't see
a future for themselves. Others may only see bleak futures.
Micro-experiences may be explored that may allow people to build
internal representations of healing futures that may sustain and
enrich.
- Changing personal history,
re-imprinting, creating hopeful futures; evolving well-being
perspectives on previous painful or angry attitudes. People make
representations or 'maps' of their experience and use their senses in
specific ways to 'file' experience. Experience has demonstrated that
helping people explore and change how they use their brain and senses
may have profound healing value.
- Altering emotional states. A
set of processes may be explored that may allow people to readily enter
and leave any emotional state at will, towards having emotional
flexibility and choice.
- Altering energy states.
People often have profoundly 'shut down', 'constricted' or 'dispersed -
scattered' energy patterns that limit wellbeing. A set of processes
allowing people to readily enter and leave any energy state at will.
- Accessing states and
chaining - resourceful habits and good moods; dramatic
pattern-interrupt. Life scenes. This is a set of micro-experiences that
may allow some of the micro-experiences to be used together to obtain
healing outcomes.
- Mediating Metaphor -
storytelling, performance and image writing as parables for healthy
tolerance and cooperative living. Throughout time, stories and other
forms of metaphor have been used for promoting healing change. A set of
specific micro-experiences may be explored for creating simple, though
powerful, healing metaphors.
- Caring and sharing - home,
street and rural mediation therapy/counselling. An extensive set of
micro-experiences and processes may be explored that foster
relationship building and healing happening between people in conflict,
within a mediation therapy frame.
- Conversational change. This
set of micro-experiences may allow healing action to take place 'on the
run' as it were, as one goes about relating with other people in day to
day contexts.
- Context healing, street mediation and group story performance.
Draws on indigenous healing process, corroboree, therapeutic
communities, dance movement and Keyline organic farming concepts and
processes. Uses natural and evolving contexts as healing possibilities.
Embraces mediation therapy/counselling for strengthening healing,
relationship and community.
- Ebb and flow - Processes
drawing from nature allowing people sensitivity as to when to gently
introducing healing possibilities and when to senitively withdraw.
- Mapping Across - freeing up
limiting beliefs and attitudes. A set of processes and
micro-experiences may be explored that may allow people to free up
limiting beliefs and attitudes towards more flexibility and choice.
- Increasing flexibility and choice
relating to use of bad or rigid habits. Releasing over-dependence and
blocked emotion. These are a set of micro-experiences and processes
that may be simple to use and profound in effect. They involve using
language and sensory experience in specific ways that may loosen up
recurrent unpleasant body sensations such as chest and throat
constriction, churning stomachs as well as possibly stop compulsive,
obsessive and phobic behaviors.
- Self-Mediating
micro-experiences for criticism and argument. The friendly voice. This
set of micro-experiences and processes again uses shifts in the
particular way people use words and their senses to make sense of the
world.
- Healing Movement and Somatic Processes.
Many body approaches to change are available that involve becoming
aware of how we move and tense our bodies. Healing Movement process
involves very simple movement with awareness of the movement. These
simple processes may allow possibilities for graceful and elegant
movement towards sustainable well-being.
- Outdoor Action play.
Individual and group experiences, processes, initiatives and rituals
for possibilities that may build trust in self and others, and possibly
build co-operation, community enrichment, self resourcefulness, self
reliance, group support and which may improve dispute solving.
- Intercultural and inter-ethnic consensus;
respect for cultural diversity, negotiation of meaning, joint
authority, the principles of humanitarian (caring) law. Processes and
micro-experiences for establishing possibilities for healing relating
between differing cultures and ethnic groupings.
- Developing ethnic and cultural self esteem - resolving shame and guilt. Many of the above micro-experiences may be used in possibly resolving these issues.
- The Australian Blis-symbols system;
the blissful picture writing view - re-viewing and imaging. Uses
processes adapted from Aboriginal bark and sand painting and drawing,
iconic images, healing artistry and the Australian Blis-symbols system.
- Cultural healing Action.
Processes drawing on influences from Vanuatu and other Pacific Island
peoples. People may be involved in drama, music, creative writing,
dance, visual arts, theatre and group dynamics as a way of healing and
a way of resolving matters. Cultural healing action may provide
corrective remedial and generative emotional micro-experiences that may
lead to personal and group issues actually being healed/resolved during
the process of exploring them.
- Mood that attunes. Processes for setting up individual, group and community moods resonant with therapeutic community and healing wellbeing.
Additional Activities:
Handouts
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 7. Experiencing, Sharing, Receiving and Adapting Healing Ways
Objective:
By the end of the workshop, participants may
have furthered their experience of using the healing ways on themselves
and others, and may have culturally adapted the healing ways to address
specific local issues in supporting survivors of torture and trauma.
Time:
Half day or longer.
Note:
Typically this Workshop (7) and the previous
Workshop may involve more than half a day. They are central for the
sharing of healing ways. They may involve follow-up sessions among the
participants with or without the facilitator(s), as participants
further refine their healing ways. Workshop's 6 and 7 may provide a
process-model for local sharing healing celebratory gatherings
Materials:
All materials used and generated in previous workshops.
Activities:
Processes:
Activity and process in large and small groups:
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 8. Using Healing Ways to Resolve Specific Issues
Objective
By the end of the workshop participants may
be becoming experienced in using a number of healing ways in resolving
specific issues:
Time:
Half day or longer.
Materials:
Materials used and generated in preceding workshops.
Activities:
A continuation from Workshop 7 - focusing on applying healing ways in resolving specific issues. Themes:
Healing blocked Love through Forgiveness of Self and Others:
Draws on healing ways from Workshop Seven to unblock Love and have Love's bounty enriching every aspect of holistic wellbeing
Processes:
As for Workshop 7
Additional Activities:
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 9. Specific Application of Micro-skills to Women's Issues
Objective:
By the end of the workshop participants may
be becoming experienced in using a number of healing ways in resolving
issues especially relevant for women, young women and girls.
Time:
Half day or longer.
Materials:
Materials used and generated in preceding workshops.
Activities:
This workshop focuses on using healing ways to address issues specific to women, young women and girls - themes:
Processes:
As for Workshop 7.
Additional activities:
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 10. Specific Application of Micro-skills to Children and Adolescents
Objective:
By the end of the workshop participants may
be becoming experienced in using a number of healing ways in resolving
issues especially relevant for children and adolescents, and families
containing children and adolescents.
Time:
Half day or longer.
Materials:
Materials used and generated in preceding workshops.
Activities:
In this workshop, the participants explore ways to resolve and heal childhood trauma and associated issues. Examples:
Themes:
Additional activities:
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 11. Getting a Good Night's Sleep
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, participants may
be able to understand and explore the range of sleep disorders and
related issues of torture and trauma survivors; exploring, experiencing
and using an extensive range of processes and skills to resolve these
issues.
Time:
Half day or longer.
Materials:
Materials used and generated in preceding workshops.
Activities:
Facilitator(s) to explore each of the following themes and introduce healing ways to the participants:
A set of micro-experiences/processes for resolving the above issues.
Processes:
As per Workshop 7
Additional activities:
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 12. Open Agenda Workshop Addressing Outstanding Issues
Objective:
To address outstanding issues from the preceding Workshops.
Time:
Half day or longer.
Materials:
All materials used and generated in the
preceding workshops may be used for this workshop. The participants may
explore any of the issues or topics that they want to revisit or
discuss including those which have been posted on butcher paper during
previous workshops.
Activities:
Participants have the opportunity to:
anything that has emerged during the previous Workshops and intervening periods.
Additional activities:
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 13. Issues for Facilitators and Enablers in Evolving Healing Networks
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, participants may
be able to identify and explore the specific issues and needs for, and
may have commenced action on evolving and sustaining healing networks
supporting survivors of torture and trauma on Bougainville.
Time:
Half day or longer.
Materials:
Activities:
Processes:
Additional activities:
Handouts
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Back to Workshop List
Workshop 14. Evolving Healing and Support for Torture and Trauma Survivors - Summarising, Review and Action
Objective:
By the end of the Workshop, the participants
(i) may be able to assist in evolving culturally appropriate self help
healing networks, (ii) may be able to use a range of healing ways in
supporting survivors of torture and trauma and (iii) may have taken the
first steps in evolving and sustaining self help healing networks.
Materials:
All materials used and generated during preceeding workshops.
Time:
Half day or longer.
Activities:
Participants may engage in action planning of next steps in evolving self help healing networks:
Closing ceremony
Additional activities:
Brief summaries of healing ways and action may be posted on butcher paper and murals and this content used to generate handouts.
Handouts:
Simple dot-point/diagram/picture handouts from material generated throughout the group sharing and from prior Workshop series.
Providing support
Perhaps you may want to support this project and the related Micro-Action and be part of an extra-ordinary healing Odyssey.
Other links:
Laceweb Home Page
Evolving a SE Asia Pacific Self Help Trauma Support Intercultural Network - A Small Micro Proposal
Self Help Action Supporting Survivors of Torture and Trauma in Se Asia, Oceania And Australasia - Small Generalisable Actions
Short version of the above project
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