There’s an old saying about keeping religion and politics away from the dinner table. We are taught that the heavier of subjects are meant to be left away from social, polite conversation because where there is heavy conversation there is sure to be heavy conflict.
With the current political climate and tensions running high, there are more than politics and religion to be brought to the table. Thanks to the internet, there are many psychological, trauma informed, social issues which are at hand for discussion. As the #MeToo movement has shown the world, news can be made of trauma, and trauma can be caused by news. What one family member, friend, or even stranger at the dinner table might see as politics, another person has a deep and personal trauma relationship with. The conjunction of trauma experience and someone who is not trauma informed can quickly become a heated moment as one person’s unawareness becomes another person’s deeply unsettling trauma trigger.
Asking about whether or not we should discuss heavy topics like #MeToo is like asking if we should talk about anything which has an effect on people’s lives. Yet the #MeToo movement is immensely personal because sexual assault and sexual harassment, and sexual trauma of any kind, is immensely personal. What the #MeToo movement has shown the world is that sexual trauma is more than personal- its shared. When someone brings up the movement, sexual harassment, or anything having to do with the broader topic, there is an immediate sense of solidarity among sexual trauma survivors. Someone doesn’t just talk about one person, they talk about everyone, the world over, who has been the victim of sexual trauma. The shared trauma experience transcends the personal trauma experience and becomes more than a political issue, which is is not, it is a human issue.
Are we at the time in history when human issues can be discussed without interference of shame, stigma, and guilt? Not quite yet. However, we have many brave soldiers in our world of recovery who fight for compassion, empathy, and understanding, over the rightness and wrongness of political stance.
If you are a sexual assault survivor and fear the topic of #MeToo coming to the table, prepare yourself realistically for what will happen when it does. How will you respond? What education can you bring to the table? Are you ready to share your story openly without being influenced by others’ reactions? Can you confidently leave the conversation without care to how other people will view your behavior? Prepare yourself to take care of you and the conversation because, in our rapidly progressing world, the conversation is finally happening.
If you or someone you know has struggled immensely with trauma, help is available. Call The Guest House Ocala today for information on our residential treatment programs for trauma, addiction, and related mental health issues. 1-855-483-7800