Beth Hope - Resilience Following Trauma - Part 2

Following on from: Beth Hope - Resilience Following Trauma - Part 1

This conversation has been split into 2 parts so that those who want to listen to Beth’s story and understand about resilience following trauma can listen to part 1. If it really resonates with you or if you wish to know more of the story and steps which can be taken to help others, part 2 is for you.

In this episode we discuss how when you have been through a trauma, you are not alone. We learn about being open about what we need from another person. We discuss support groups for how they can help and how they can trigger. We need to be aware of our triggers so we can navigate them.

We consider the language of communication for example how the simple question of ‘how are you?’ can be extremely overwhelming. Tweaking this to ‘how are you TODAY?’ or ‘how are you THIS MORNING?’ enables a less overwhelming response. It also allows us to voice when we have bad days in amongst generally good days. The general question glosses over our life.

We retouch on the self-critic and how this can be linked with our menstrual cycle. Some of us will find our self-critic shows up more in the premenstrual phase. It could be helpful to know when we feel a certain way or when we struggle mentally. By tracking this against our schedule or bodily cycles, we can have more perspective when we start to tackle it with or without the help of others.

I mention a podcast where The Red School (who wrote Wild Power) are interviewed on a men’s podcast - the details of this are: A Man’s Guide To The Menstrual Cycle by The Great Man Within.

We also discuss how asking someone else what you can do to support them is crucial to give the support they need. Opening communication on what your needs are can help avoid arguments, negative self talk and friction.

Finally, we talk about how Beth navigated dating her current partner based on open communication, following sexual assault, therapy and 18 months of initial self work. I hear about the fear of “when do I tell someone what I’ve been through”. She knew her value, her worth and what she wanted from her future partner.

As part of the conversation, Beth brings up and recommends Option B - by Sheryl Sandburg - author of Lean In. Option B is about resilience, grief and trauma.