Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

w a l k i n g
t o g e t h e r
83
If they need any supplies (such as relaxing music, tea, latin music, books in their language), find ways
to connect them with what they need. If they are interested in learning about centering prayer or other
calming prayer techniques as a way to relax, perhaps you could find someone from church with a prayer
ministry who would be willing to guide and accompany them, at least to begin.
Other alternatives include yoga and tai chi, which both promote muscle relaxation. Community centres
often offer classes in these activities, and may also offer “relaxation sessions” that use guided imagery,
breathing exercises and gentle touch. If anyone from your church already participates in any of these
classes, be sure to invite members from the refugee family along. If not, it would still be worthwhile
to find out what is available and whether the refugee family would be interested. Another possibility is
providing the family with relaxation CDs, which are often available through health care providers or even
the local library.
As refugees adjust to life in Canada they will regularly encounter new and stressful situations. At the same
time, they are dealing with painful memories and anxieties from their past. It may be encouraging for the
refugee family to know that by intentionally taking time daily, or as often as possible, to do something
relaxing, they can actually reduce their stress and begin to feel a sense of balance and wellbeing again.
Be aware of what doesn’t help: Sometimes refugees find themselves, inadvertently or intentionally,
in situations that negatively affect their ability to heal from trauma and reconstruct their lives in Canada.
Certain challenges are inevitable. For example, anniversaries of traumatic incidents such as dates of forced
displacements, attempts against their lives or deaths of family members are often accompanied by a surge
of trauma symptoms. Similarly, anything that reminds a refugee of a distressing memory from their past -
an object, a face or voice that is similar to that of someone who hurt them, being asked questions by an
authority figure, or even seeing a motorcycle or car of a certain color - can bring on the feelings and reactions
they had when the original event occurred. While it is understandable that the Colombian refugees may
want to follow the news coverage of their home country as much as possible, is is also possible that the
events they watch on TV could cause upsetting reminders of their own past. While the church can’t prevent
any of these situations from arising, it is important for the church refugee committee to be aware of the
potential impacts of these different trauma reminders, and to be there for the family to comfort them and
to let them know that what is happening to them is normal. See the section on flashbacks (p 63) for more
details and information to help the refugee understand what they are experiencing.
Other obstacles that the refugee may face in their journey to restoration and rebuilding their lives are avoidable.
For instance, regularly watching violent TV programs or movies could reactivate traumatic memories. Since is
possible that the refugee family may not be aware of the impact that seeing violence on TV could have on
them, it could be worth while to encourage them to avoid such programs, explaining why.
Occasionally refugee trauma survivors, even those sponsored by churches, will turn to alcohol and
drugs as a mechanism to cope with issues such as sleep problems, anxiety, recurrent painful memories
or hopelessness. Obviously, alcohol and drug dependency will have a harmful long term impact on
the refugee, causing yet another layer of problems to be dealt with and slowing overall healing and