Finding Our Ground: A Poetic Reflection from Survivors of Torture
The ‘Finding our Ground’ group is a nine-week stabilisation group co-developed with survivors of torture, helping clients manage the impact of trauma.
Focused on building a safe and stable environment for healing, the group is co-facilitated by a survivor alongside clinical staff. It also helps clients to connect with others who are experiencing similar difficulties, highlighting the power of shared healing.
Following a recent 'Finding our Ground' group, clients were invited to co-produce a poem together on their experience of attending the group. The poem reads:
Finding Our Ground
At first, I felt shame,
Discomfort in expressing my thoughts,
But over time, it became normal—
I wasn’t alone.
Others shared the same pain,
And that made it easier to speak.
I allowed it.
The shame disappeared because I allowed it.
It wasn’t just my burden,
It was ours.
Together, we carried the weight
Of similar moments,
Unpleasant situations,
But they gave me strength
To carry on.
In that room,
I felt some kind of stability.
Not enough to heal years,
Not enough to change everything,
But in those moments,
I was interlinked
With my fellow participants.
I benefited from that.
The issues we face
Aren’t solved in five or six sessions,
But they soothed the pain—
Like a sedative
For a very sick person,
Easing the suffering
But never curing the illness.
Or maybe,
Like a prisoner,
Imprisoned for life.
Every few months,
Given a few hours of freedom,
Allowed to meet family
Or see the world,
Always under tight security.
But the sentence remains.
Still, in that time,
You breathe.
You feel a little bit of life again.
I was thirsty—
Desperate for even a sip of water.
I couldn’t drink it all at once,
It would be too much.
But the drips,
They mattered.
To those who come after,
I would say this:
Be strong.
Believe in yourself,
In the support you need,
In the strength you already have.
This group taught me that.
It showed me
That I can,
And I am
Strong.
