Journal October 2026 Special DISPUK Release_Full Version - Flipbook - Page 101
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identity, had taken a hit back when she was 19 and that the incident reminded
her of that.
August 20—First response to Hanne
In my response, I thanked Hanne for trusting my approach to letter therapy and
hoped it might be of help. I then presented a narrative understanding of trauma,
including the concept of value traumatization and the importance of receiving an
appropriate social response.
To explore whether a traumatization of the self might have occurred, I asked four
questions in the email to Hanne. At the same time, I outlined the process and
invited her to reflect on my observations and concepts. I shared my knowledge of
narrative trauma theory in the hope that together we could explore the themes
related to her specific experiences.
Dear Hanne,
Thank you so much for writing, thank you for your faith, and thank
you for being willing to work with me even though we9re not yet
entirely sure how we9ll go about it.
I9ve read your narration, and I9m struck by the many skills and actions
you took—we know these are rooted in values that have a history—
but we also know that even if you managed it, and even if you9ve
moved on, things have happened, and the Self has been in danger.
Trauma is what happens inside us. Trauma is the effect of what
happened, and you describe how those effects surface and impact
your life. Anette Holmgren uses the term
