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Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya
As accounts and accusations of sexual harassment emerge on social media, #MeToo spreads its roots in India as well. However, as details emerge in the virtual space, they are bound to take an emotional toll on survivors as well as people who may not have a harassment to share but are still as deeply touched by others’ accounts.
FIT reached out to Shelja Sen, a child and adolescent psychologist and family therapist. She shares some insights on how to calm the chaos within.
Shelja says that she meets a lot of young people who confess to news headlines and social media chatter triggering anxieties within. It’s alright and natural to feel overwhelmed by memories of abuse, especially if they had been hidden away. Coming across other people’s experience of harassment might trigger them.
The first step is to break the cycle of silence, insists Shelja. It’s very important to find people you can confide in and who will listen to you. It’s also extremely important to understand that what happened was not your fault, you are not to be blamed, she emphasises.
Shelja says there will be intense emotions including anxiety, guilt and shame.
The emotions are overwhelming, but they are different for different people, and this should be remembered at all times.
The key here is courage. It’s important to constantly remind yourself that the simple act of speaking up takes a lot of courage. However, there will also be people who will not believe you, but there will also be people who will believe you.
It would be harder to react if you’re closer to a person. However, if it’s an acquaintance, perhaps a colleague or a distant relative, in that scenario, there could be confusion. This could be accompanied by a sense of generalisation - are all men like this? Can I trust anyone at all?
The key here is to remember that there is no prescribed way of dealing with it. Shelja reiterates the importance of taking your time to come to terms with it. There is no hurry to pick sides or align with anyone.
(If you or someone you know needs help, please refer to this state-wise repository of trusted mental health professionals across India, curated by The Health Collective.)
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Published: 09 Oct 2018,05:26 PM IST