A STORY LIKE TRUTH by Deborah McWatters PadgettJoin us for our PAX Salon, Tuesday, December 3, for a timely discussion of Deborah’s novel that tells a true story about the long-term effects of childhood trauma on those reaching toward a life of thriving. With the recent fervor to bring perpetrators of child abuse to justice have we forgotten to provide the victims of abuse with a system of treatment and care that will assure they thrive? Lifelong effects are legion and overlooked while perpetrators are paraded before us as if all that needs to happen is to punish the criminals. Untreated mental illness, suicide & substance abuse are rampant in society partially because of the prevalence of crimes against children. Deborah’s books can be purchased at SubText, Chapter2 Books, Claddagh, Saint Paul Public Libraries and Amazon.com. Visit her blog on resources toward healing at www.padgettstudios.com.Deborah, a resident of the West 7th community of St. Paul is a frequent contributing columnist to THE COMMUNITY REPORTER, an avid reader, writer & painter as well as a survivor of childhood emotional, physical and sexual abuse in the context of family.
November 23, 2013
A STORY LIKE TRUTH: Readers' Discussion Guide
“Owning
Your Story
Writing
autobiographical narratives can be therapeutic according to many trauma
experts, writers and therapists. Still, “facing the truth” by simply telling
the world your story cannot in and of itself heal the inner world of trauma.
We know
that early trauma has permanent consequences—you don’t outgrow it, you don’t
get over it, the broken parts of the psyche may not be capable of learning
anything new. If A Story Like Truth has
a lesson to teach, it may be that the rhetoric of victory often masks pain.
Ultimately, the only way to affirm the teller’s story is to reach out and to
care for it—as we would the little self that is the small child in all of us.” Miriam Rothstein, Excerpt from review of
Deborah Padgett’s A STORY LIKE TRUTH
[Author’s Note:
The author completed her story in 2001 and just prior to publication
in 2012 she made editorial changes but did not add details regarding the life
of Miriam beyond the point of finding refuge and solace and a forward motion in
her living.
{Discussion notes for presentation: Brief
discussion concerning “the years since…”
Why are “the years since” an
issue? Or are they?}
1. “Pain
is real. Suffering is optional.” In a story like truth how does Miriam deal
with her pain?
- · As a child
- · As a young adult
- · Finally
2.
Readers have commented about Miriam’s internal dialogue, musing,
imagining and intellectualizing. Why do
you think her character was presented this way? What does it say about Miriam’s
psychological state and her relationship to others?
3. What
is your understanding of the long-term effects of childhood trauma? Are the
effects the same regardless of the perpetrators being home/family or trusted
other in clergy/school? What might be the differences?
4. What
resources are currently available to aid in healing victims of abuse?
5. Do
you think more attention should be brought to prosecution & accountability
or is the current system satisfactory?
What benefits accrue to victims through prosecution/accountability of
perpetrators?
6. What do
you think survivors of abuse are seeking in sharing their stories?
7. What
role does shame play, overall, in stories of childhood abuse? For perpetrators,
public, family, the victim?
8. Were
you surprised by Miriam’s letter to her father?
If so, in what way? If not, how
did it make sense to you?
9. Do
you believe society carries more blatant outrage regarding sexual abuse or
physical violence toward children? If a
child suffers from a combination of the two are the effects similarly damaging
or intensified or something else entirely?
10. How
do the effects of abuse reveal themselves in the lives of the individuals who
experienced the abuse? What kind(s) of
support would it be good to bring to bear and/or make apparent to such
individuals?
11. Do
you consider yourself to be fully aware of the instances of childhood abuse and
the circumstances appropriate as response to its occurrence? Would you share some of your knowledge?
12. If
you suffered from sexual/physical/emotional abuse would you consider
telling/sharing your story? Why or why
not? As a survivor, thriving or
otherwise, do you find help or comfort in the stories of other individuals with
similar experience to yours? Do their
stories trigger pain and suffering in you?
13. One
reader added this point for discussion: “victims of abuse usually think it’s their own
fault. This often leads to needy behavior later because they always feel that
need to compensate for being “bad.” What
about the “Needy” construct? Do you
think that people share their stories, songs & pictures because they are
“Needy”? The desire to be seen and
acknowledged as having value perhaps comes into play here. Some believe freedom comes with a deep-down
knowing we have value regardless of acknowledgement. More often than not it is important to steer
clear of people whose message is “you have little or no value.” Sometimes it is difficult for a person who does
not value him/herself to discern whether being dismissed or valued because their
emotional filter needs adjustment.
Consider
your own thinking in regard to individuals you know who struggle with mental
illness, depression or who have been victimized/traumatized by violence (sexual
or otherwise). Is there an assumption of
“neediness?” When they begin to share
their story do you sometimes label them as “needy” as a way to move away from
the painful experience of being near them?
Depression
and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and even situational Bi-Polar Disorder are
often diagnosed in individuals traumatized as children. In LOSING CLEMENTINE, Ashley Ream’s character
with Bi Polar disease says this: “The
thing about being crazy is that you know you are even when you can’t do
anything about it. You know how you look
to other people, and the shame of it is almost worse than the thing itself.”
P. 248
What
are your thoughts on the above quote as they relate to individuals recovering
from childhood trauma?
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