The #MeToo movement and its relationship with Psychology.

The present leads us to give voice to untold suffering. So does therapy.

History is written with capital letters thanks to its phases of transition and crisis. Conflict, protest and awareness empower society to rewrite its foundations and bring forth a new structure of thought, feeling and action.

Our current era, in particular, permeated by a phenomenon of social denunciation, shows itself vibrant, at the same time as it is a phenomenon of social protest.The current era, in particular, permeated by a phenomenon of social denunciation, is vibrant and challenging. It gives the feeling that something is "cooking". Something that wants to transcend the limits of the prevailing system. For many intellectuals, we are living an extraordinarily historic moment.

In this article, in conversation with Hernández Psicólogos, we will see how these moments of social struggle help us to reinterpret the concept of victim in relation to traumatic incidents.

• Related article, "What is trauma and how does it influence our lives?"

An era of victim empowerment

Movements such as #MeTo, feminism or the legislation of historical memory give a good account of the vindictive nature of the present. And, at the same time, they serve as spokespersons to focus on the "human drama", both the immediate and everyday as well as that of yesteryear.

This time of crisis, therefore, facilitates the expression and recognition of the damage received, honoring our condition, at least in the past, of victims.

This socio-cultural breeding ground, therefore, not only shouts "Enough is enough!" but also allows us to show our faces in order to share "I was a victim of..." or "I went through...". The need to become aware and to share something painful from our past is beginning to emerge in us.. Or, even, the impulse to put limits to a current situation that is frankly uncomfortable and incompatible with our personal values.

How is this discomfort addressed from therapy?

At Hernández Psicólogos they applaud the arrival of this "intimate crisis", despite its inherent discomfort and despair, since, due to their specialized training in this phenomenon and their psychotherapeutic experience, they know what it means, what is its potential for personal growth and how to address it.

However, giving voice to untold sufferingwhether in the form of sexual abuse, physical and psychological mistreatment, mobbing, bullying, etc., must be adjusted to a very particular methodology. In this sense, her model of psychotherapeutic work in dealing with "traumatic incidents", of whatever type, meets the following conditions.

1. Listening without prejudice

The person who wishes to share his or her story has the right to receive a treatment based on unconditional acceptance, non-judgment and authenticity..

This person has the courage to ask for help in "digesting" a previously unshared painful situation and this honor for the therapist translates into a guarantee of respect, commitment and confidentiality.

2. The person has the right to feel in control of his or her experiential process.

Each person is the master of his or her words, queen of his or her time and space, protagonist of his or her story, and both the psychotherapist and the client have the right to feel in control of the process.The psychotherapist and the therapeutic relationship are at his or her service.

The traumatic incident can be recounted through words or using "non-verbal" procedures: being told in writing, through a drawing, using music, body movements, etc.

The specialization of Hernández Psicólogos has led them to be trained in various therapeutic approaches, such as art therapy, sandbox, sensorimotor therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), psychodrama, etc; seeking the empowerment of the person and the flexibility of the narrative process..

In addition, there is the psychological option of facilitating the cognitive and emotional reprocessing of the traumatic experience without the need to share anything of what happened, due to the therapeutic power of procedures such as EMDR or Focusing, for example.

3. The person has the right to share the traumatic incident in an "integrated" way.

The human being can be considered as a constellation of experiences, resources and relationships.. This richness can be condensed in the formation of an internal system of "parts", being able to exist within us more than one "I": a frightened inner child, a rebellious adolescent, an efficient and responsible adult, etc.

At Hernández Psicólogos we honor both the experience of the person and his or her present emotional process and individual idiosyncrasy, so that the narration and reprocessing of the painful event will be done taking into account the needs and fears and resources of all the parts of the internal system, from kindness and curiosity, without forcing anything or anyone..

4. The person has the right to share his or her story without the risk of being "retraumatized".

As important as the what is the how. The story of the traumatic incident will be monitored, moment by moment, by the psychotherapist.The psychotherapist must make sure not to facilitate access to a state of extreme terror or rage (hyperactivation) or to a situation of disconnection and numbness (hypoactivation).

It is the psychotherapist's task to accompany the person in this process so that he/she can maintain a painful but healthy range of experience, which facilitates his/her release; in neuroscientific terms, in a "window of tolerance of optimal activation".

The person, in short, will never feel overwhelmed or overcome by their experience in the presence of the psychotherapist.The person will be able to take "home" both emotional self-regulation and relational regulation tools, due to the emphasis that Hernández Psicólogos places on Emotional Intelligence.

5. The person has the right to receive a "contextualized" treatment.

The person who carries a traumatic history is not an isolated island in the sea. It is part, by nature, of a network of relationships, whether family, couple, work and/or social.. The disclosure of the incident has to be done taking into account the social reality of the person, as well as the present moment of the person.

At Hernández, they support you in your process of narration and liberation from your past, but without losing sight of the present or your current socio-affective and work situation. For this, their training and specialization are also based on psychotherapeutic approaches based on Mindfulness and Systemic Therapy, being experts in the dynamics of family and couple relationships..

The courage and sensitivity shown by a person who wishes not only to share, but to integrate and heal a traumatic memory demands, on their part, an exercise of honesty, responsibility and commitment, where the "how" and the "who" are above the "what" and the "why".

Concluding

If you feel that you have connected with that inner need to share a terrible story, in Hernández Psicólogos they are committed to the care and development of that experience that is emerging in your mind and body and, above all, they want to give you their encouragement from their training, experience and vocational dedication, they want to give you their encouragement, from their training, experience and vocational dedication.. They not only offer a specialized psychological treatment for your problem, but adjusted to your person, your history and your current moment.

Don't forget that you are much more than your history, no matter how much it has conditioned your experience. You, moreover, are above your process, however confusing and distressing it may be. Ultimately, you deserve to reach your full potential, transcending your role as a victim and connecting with your innate capacity for love, passion and discovery.