In writing our own stories of survival we need to prepare for the three phases of a catastrophe; Crisis, Struggle, and Renewal. Each phase requires different things from us. Unlike most of us, the women who tell us their stories here have gone through this cycle many times. Their experience of repeated tragedies could have led them into despair. Instead, they developed life stories that helped them know how to respond even in the most difficult circumstances.
Crisis – betrayed by fate
Crisis occurs when a terrible event disturbs our life in such a way that what we had always known to be true was no longer so. In this state we may be overwhelmed by feelings, often cannot think straight, and feel that what we had expected from life was no longer possible. Our work is to discover how to maintain a sense of the familiar during this period of radical change.
Picture a moment when an unexpected frightening event occurred in your life. You may remember your shock and disbelief, as the world you knew changed in an instant. All of your human systems -- psychological, interpersonal, spiritual, political, and economic were rattled. You struggled to maintain a sense of balance as you moved through shock, denial, and a mad search for solutions that would solve the unsolvable. You needed to express your intense feelings, to tell others what was happening. You tried to maintain everyday life by making immediate decisions, but you kept losing your grip on what needed to be done.
Next posting will be the story of a Keeper in crisis. See where she turns and how you can learn from what she tells us.
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