Weemie
Policy Enforcement
After reading @Aprilshowers I also feel compelled to add that during the course of my therapy - once from 14-16 including residential treatment and a recent therapist I just trialed before K. His name was Bryan, and he had been to Rwanda during the genocide. When Putin committed his crime of aggression (the invasion of Ukraine), he kind of lost it a little and started talking about how he believes in Satan, and that Lucifer and the Devil are out there causing evil and destruction.
So I told him my views (above) on evil, and he couldn't understand how I don't believe in it. He personally called my abusers "pure evil, inhabited by Satan." It was interesting to me to hear this. It was, obviously, incredibly unprofessional and unethical, but I wasn't harmed by it because I am extremely competent at the "therapeutic process."
So I just let us switch roles and I spoke with him about his time in Rwanda, what he saw, and how Putin starting the war in Ukraine was bringing back a lot of those memories. Especially because on social media there was a huge, hugely significant call to arms from foreign volunteers. I actually considered, myself, whether I could physically assist (because I was ahem not in my right mind and that was in March when I went inpatient) I spent quite a few hours on video chats with Ukrainian kids that were chatting into the warmline I volunteer at. I broke their rules and gave them my social media so we could talk openly.
Anyway all that to say I had a pretty decent understanding of the conflict, but it was everywhere. Ubiquitous, "all foreign volunteers will be inducted no problem! All you need is a passport!" was those vibes and of course so many people wanted to go. So I asked him how it felt for him to see these constant calls to war and violence and aggression, especially knowing the level of atrocity that the Russian soldiers were committing on Ukrainian civilians.
There was one kid, when the evacuation corridors were becoming a thing, I told him as much as I could and as loud as I could, that he SHOULD NOT GO THERE. It would be JUST like Putin to create "humanitarian corridors" and then f*cking blow it up. And wouldn't you know, that's exactly what happened. That kind of shit had f*cked me up, same with the little kid who I taught how to use his dad's old ass gun with his mom in the room thanking me in broken English.
Engaging with this stuff sent me to the hospital so I had to stop doing it, but it did give me some insight into my therapist and what was happening for him. He couldn't maintain his composure because he was triggered, from his prior experiences. If anyone can relate, it's me. But as he got more and more activated, the ""devil/lucifer/satan"" stuff became more prominent. I suppose if you have certain religious beliefs, the concept of "evil" makes a lot more sense.
For me, it never has. In my religion, our biggest tenet is teshuvah and even those who are kareth (such as myself, regrettably) can approach situations through the lens of restorative justice rather than retributive justice (which to me, is what evil is based on - they are evil, they must be punished, etc).
So I told him my views (above) on evil, and he couldn't understand how I don't believe in it. He personally called my abusers "pure evil, inhabited by Satan." It was interesting to me to hear this. It was, obviously, incredibly unprofessional and unethical, but I wasn't harmed by it because I am extremely competent at the "therapeutic process."
So I just let us switch roles and I spoke with him about his time in Rwanda, what he saw, and how Putin starting the war in Ukraine was bringing back a lot of those memories. Especially because on social media there was a huge, hugely significant call to arms from foreign volunteers. I actually considered, myself, whether I could physically assist (because I was ahem not in my right mind and that was in March when I went inpatient) I spent quite a few hours on video chats with Ukrainian kids that were chatting into the warmline I volunteer at. I broke their rules and gave them my social media so we could talk openly.
Anyway all that to say I had a pretty decent understanding of the conflict, but it was everywhere. Ubiquitous, "all foreign volunteers will be inducted no problem! All you need is a passport!" was those vibes and of course so many people wanted to go. So I asked him how it felt for him to see these constant calls to war and violence and aggression, especially knowing the level of atrocity that the Russian soldiers were committing on Ukrainian civilians.
There was one kid, when the evacuation corridors were becoming a thing, I told him as much as I could and as loud as I could, that he SHOULD NOT GO THERE. It would be JUST like Putin to create "humanitarian corridors" and then f*cking blow it up. And wouldn't you know, that's exactly what happened. That kind of shit had f*cked me up, same with the little kid who I taught how to use his dad's old ass gun with his mom in the room thanking me in broken English.
Engaging with this stuff sent me to the hospital so I had to stop doing it, but it did give me some insight into my therapist and what was happening for him. He couldn't maintain his composure because he was triggered, from his prior experiences. If anyone can relate, it's me. But as he got more and more activated, the ""devil/lucifer/satan"" stuff became more prominent. I suppose if you have certain religious beliefs, the concept of "evil" makes a lot more sense.
For me, it never has. In my religion, our biggest tenet is teshuvah and even those who are kareth (such as myself, regrettably) can approach situations through the lens of restorative justice rather than retributive justice (which to me, is what evil is based on - they are evil, they must be punished, etc).