Who Am I? Changing Self-Perspectives
Frances Carr | September 22 | 11:45 AM-12:45 PM
Topic: Experience | Knowledge Level: Beginner
As a child and teen, Frances developed a hyper-sexualized persona, and after leaving the world of trafficking, struggled to relate outside of the context of sex. This left her feeling isolated, rejected, and vulnerable to re-exploitation. Frances wanted to find her unique identity and realized she could not do this alone - she needed the support of allies. In this session, Frances will offer real-life examples of how she learned how to see herself and operate as a whole person, build positive connections within her community, and leave a hyper-sexualized persona behind - all with the help and encouragement of survivor allies. Frances will share three specific ways that allies can support survivors who are experiencing these particular challenges: modeling healthy relationships, choosing the survivor, and acknowledging the recovery process. These practices encourage survivors like Frances to discover and shape their new identities. She will explain what was modeled in relationships with her allies, as well as what being chosen meant to her and how it helped in developing a healthy identity. She will also dive into how she found the tenacity to move forward in recovery as her allies acknowledged her healing process. Frances will highlight the transformative power of offering a different perspective to survivors like herself. Finally, she will provide creative ideas for challenging harmful and reinforced self-concepts. Attendees will leave the session with practical insights that will be helpful to both survivors and their allies as they relate in empowering, genuine, and new ways.
Presentation Objectives:
· Describe how a hyper-sexualized persona can create barriers to flourishing after leaving the life
· Identify common mistakes in relating with survivors that discourage, isolate, and disempower
· Discuss ways in which allies and helpers can effectively come alongside survivors as they reshape their identities from victim to thriver