Yellow Door: National Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week
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We are used to warnings on television and radio, that ‘some viewers may find the following content distressing’. Whilst I wouldn’t want to suggest that producers share this message glibly, there is a danger that the message becomes normalised the more we see it – that we accept that many people will have experienced the scenes that are being portrayed but shrug our shoulders about what to do about it. Of course, it is important to offer lines of support ‘if you have been affected by the content of this programme’ but in my experience, those who have suffered from sexual violence are not always going to have an emotional reaction to something they see on television or in the cinema. Instead, a trauma response can seemingly come out of the blue: a certain smell; a piece of music or a rhythm; a hand movement; a child’s toy or an object; each might set off a physical reaction to a memory which the mind keeps hidden. Research with survivors of sexual abuse has concluded that triggers of traumatic memories were largely as a result of internal stimuli, relating to the senses, rather than external stimuli, such as a dramatic recreation of abuse.
Recent studies also suggest that triggers may not always be negative for survivors and for some they can be a positive turning point towards recovery. Books rarely provide content or trigger warnings but can be a source of escape, explanation or an immersion into shared experience. Each has their own merits and each may be part of recovery or day to day coping. For whichever reason a book is chosen, the importance lies in the freedom to choose; what to read, how to handle a survivor journey and when to seek additional support.
Awareness raising, such as National Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week, reminds us of the importance of positive reaction, and action, to the experiences of too many, rather than a limp tolerance. My positive action comes from being a Trustee at Yellow Door, a charity based in Southampton, which offers a ‘wide range of specialist therapeutic, support & prevention services for people who have experienced domestic abuse and sexual violence/abuse.’ Their work with schools locally, through the STAR Project, also goes a long way to raise awareness and build understanding for young people of how to be with each other, what’s ok and not ok, aiming for a better future in the relationships we hold with each other.
Examples of books by and for survivors, and those working with them, which are available on the October Books website include; The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk, bringing a new perspective on trauma and healing and South of Forgiveness, by Thordis Elva and Tom Stranger, a narrative from the lived experience of both survivor and perpetrator. A favourite book for escape, (without being saccharine), might be something like Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus, first published in 1984.
News from Nowhere, a radical bookshop in Liverpool, has a comprehensive list on its website https://www.newsfromnowhere.
Share your book suggestions for escape, explanation and lived experience with the team at October Books so we can add to our own booklist.
If you would like to find out more about the work of Yellow Door and our strategy for change, please see https://yellowdoor.org.uk/about-us
- Julie Greer