|
This one lady I worked with last year suffered from PTSD. She had fled Syria and sought refuge in the UK. On her journey to the UK she was trafficked as a sex slave. She eventually broke away from the gang by moving to a different part of the Germany and then making it across the French border. She reported that in prison in Syria she was made to watch her daughter being raped (12 year old). The next day her daughter was sold in a sex trade market for $5,000. She was separated from her family when she fled - the family became split when the village was under attack. She managed to escape from prison.
We worked together on her PTSD and we were doing well until session 3. She told me that her friend had made contact and her entire family bar one... two sons (6 and 9), daughter 17, husband and grand parents had all been killed in a dirty bomb blast when the village they were hiding in was attacked. She never managed to find her 12 year old. Meanwhile her nephew had been captured and was being taught how to behead people. He was 17 and he ended up taking his own life because he could not bring himself to kill others.
In the UK, she had no recourse to public funds and was sofa surfing. She was relying heavily on donations from her local mosque for food and clothing.
This story almost broke me and I had water in my eyes when she told me but no tears. I asked her if I could hold her hand and she agreed (interpreter was present). It humbled me so much... one day you can have your family safe and the next day they are gone. You never know what life will throw at you. I'm blessed... I get to go home to my wife but you never know as life can be short... anything can happen in the blink of an eye.
A good friend of mine is out there right now doing some relief work and putting his life on the line. I take a little comfort in that fact.
|