TakingBackOurselves Weekend of Recovery
For Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse
October 21-23, 2016, Los Gatos, California
www.takingbackourselves.com
In April, 2015 at the Hope Springs Institute, an unlikely place of refuge in the middle of rural Ohio, women survivors of sexual abuse participated in the second TakingBackOurselves Weekend of Recovery.
Over the past two years, women have come from all over the US and and 4 continents—to heal and to create community. They have traveled a long way to be there, some at considerable cost—a few at great risk. They are survivors of incest, sexual assault, sexual trafficking, campus rape, domestic violence, religious abuse, military sexual assault, war crimes, tribal and racial violence.
They have left their isolation behind and created real safety. They have made real connections with one another, and with the eight extremely seasoned facilitators, two of whom are men. They have been able to tell their stories and be believed. They have experimented with being vulnerable, connected to the girls inside of themselves, and made room for possibility and curiosity. They have explored their creativity with incredible art and movement. Together they create community, hope, joy—and more life. And, they continue to keep their connections with one another, and to the power they have touched within themselves.
This kind of a weekend is unprecedented for women. It has fulfilled a long-held dream for the MaleSurvivor organization and its Weekend of Recovery Team—(www.malesurvivor.org) —that men and women survivors of sexual abuse and violence can create a community of healing and advocacy.
In 2016, we are thrilled to announce two incredible Weekends of Recovery for women survivors.
TakingBackOurselves will be coming to Chester, Connecticut in June 2016 at the beautiful Guest House (https://guesthousecenter.org ) for a Weekend of Recovery . Our weekend in California, October 21-23, 2016, will be reparative for many reasons. TakingBackOurselves will be offering the Weekend of Recovery at Presentation Center in Los Gatos, California. (http://www.presentationcenter.org).
Since the beginning of our Male Survivor and TBO Weekend of Recovery programs, we have been reticent about using a space with affiliations to any religious organizations in particular because many clergy abuse survivors have triggers associated with locations, churches, and systems that often have been the source of so much pain. Presentation Center is unique in that they do not receive money from the Catholic archdiocese and are deeply committed to repairing the harm that may have been done to survivors under the umbrella of religious institutions.
Both TBO weekends will accommodate a maximum of 26 women—and 8 facilitators from across the US. The ratio of specialty therapists to participants in small groups is a powerful adjunct to recovery. Each member of the TBO team brings decades of experience, compassion, and skill to the work with survivors of trauma. http://takingbackourselves.com/Our%20Team.html
Already we have heard from women throughout the country who wish to attend the 2016 Weekends. Once again, we are making every effort to make these weekends affordable without compromising the ratio of staff or the exquisite environments that support the work. The funds we raise are spent on the provision of service, small stipends and modest travel expenses for the facilitators—but mostly on tuition scholarships for participants. We know that women typically engage far fewer resources when it comes to their own self-care, concentrating more on family, work, or significant others before committing to their own recovery needs. So we wish to provide a space for women, no matter where they are from, to create a vibrant and strong community of recovery.
We invite you to take a look at our website:www.takingbackourselves.com.
There, you will find information about tuition, scholarships, and creative ways for women to empower themselves to get to the Weekend. The TBO website has information and resources for women who wish to empower themselves to find the money for tuition and traveling to the Weekend. Registration for both weekends is still OPEN.
Attached is our brochure. Please share it with your community.
And, if you have any questions or inquiries, please contact us at www.takingbackourselves@gmail.com or call Mikele Rauch, LMFT, Chair of TBO at 617 734 2007.ext. 5.
We hope to see you at Taking Back Ourselves.
Sincerely,
Mikele Rauch LMFT, Boston, Mass. Chair
Denise Ballnik, LMFT, Los Angeles, California
Peter Botteas, LMHC, Cambridge, Mass
Chad Corbley, PhD, Columbus, Ohio
Myles Davis, CSW, Salt Lake City, Utah
Sandi Forti, PhD Columbus, Ohio
Denise Montano, PhD Salt Lake City, Utah
Jaime Suvak, LMHC, Cohasset, Mass.