Stories from the road of recovery - How adult, female survivors of childhood trauma experience ways to positive change.
The aim of this study was to explore how female survivors of childhood trauma who have sought treatment experience ways to positive change. Little knowledge exists regarding the first-person perspective of the recovery process following childhood trauma, and getting access to this perspective might contribute to better understanding of these processes, hence offering opportunities for health promotion. All clients (31, including 3 who dropped out) from six stabilization groups for women exposed to human-inflicted traumas were invited to participate in the study. Experiences of the recovery process were not restricted to the period of receiving treatment, and all clients who volunteered were included in the study. Qualitative, in-depth interviews with 13 consenting clients were carried out shortly after completion of the group treatment. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach to analysis was applied. The analysis resulted in five interrelated, but distinct main themes:finding new ways to understand one's emotions and actions, moving from numbness toward vital contact, becoming an advocate of one's own needs, experiencing increased sense of agency,andstaying with difficult feelings and choices.The themes support, yet supplement trauma theory, by underlining the relationship between emotional contact and meaning-making, while downplaying the necessity of symptom elimination in the experience of recovery. The findings also underline that the active role trauma survivors play in their processes of recovery.
Finnmark Hospital Trust, DPS Vest-Finnmark, P.b. 1294 Sentrum, 9505 Alta, Norway ; Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
Signe Hjelen
SH
Stige
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Christies Gate 12, 5015 Bergen, Norway.
Per-Einar
PE
Binder
Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
Jan H
JH
Rosenvinge
Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
Bente
B
Træen
childhood trauma; client perspective; qualitative interviews; recovery; stabilization group