Womencare is taking the leap into the world of social media. I do not find social media intuitive. I have never tweeted and I am baffled by Facebook. The truth is, it seems daunting.
My most ambitious post on Facebook was at 3:30 in the morning, a lonely time for the occasional insomniac. After I perused my children's and friends’ pages I gathered my courage to post something: “Is anyone awake?” My hope for a comrade to reply in the wee hours evaporated into the cloud. So please bear with me and with Womencare as we venture into the land of blogs, Facebook and tweets.
Obama wisely said in his recent inaugural speech;
“When times change so must we.” So we will forge forward into this new territory. On the other side of my dread of the unknown is sparkling excitement. I am a communitarian; I love any tools, ideas or opportunities that create connections and foster community be it gatherings in living rooms, on the street, on-line or off-line.
As a writer and trauma therapist I am passionate about the power of words. In my 30 years of experience treating the aftereffects of trauma I understand that what isolates and disables survivors of child abuse is not simply the horror of abuse or neglect but the loss of language. Without words our experiences are un-shareable, cementing a sense of disconnection from ourselves and from others. Moving the traumatic from wordlessness to words holds such promise. It is part of what we do as therapists; we become midwives to stories that were once unspeakable. Truth telling breaks the code of silence and allows for healing.
As we stumble into this territory of social media, aware of its challenges and aware of its potential to foster new connections, we will share our thinking, stories that inspire us, our dreams and ideas that inform what we do and the programs we create. We hope to connect to others who share our vision. We want to acknowledge those who are doing courageous work and share resources that we think you will find valuable.
As we begin we will blog once or twice a month. Our intention is to increase the frequency as we gain more confidence. We will also communicate with you
on Facebook.
Here’s how you can help. Subscribe to our blog and "Like"
our Facebook page to follow us there. Email us your ideas and comments. Applaud when we succeed and gently nudge us when we miss the mark.
Best,
Laurie Kahn
Director and Novice Blogger
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