Through the lens of complex trauma and posttraumatic growth, this workshop will share findings from a qualitative study focused on the impact and experiences of sex trafficking survivors. This study included in-depth interviews and photovoice methods and followed principles of trauma-informed research with 15 adult survivors who were all trafficked within the United States and had been separated from the trafficker for minimum one year. Using purposive convenience selection with snowball sampling, it answered the following research questions: What are the experiences of adult female domestic sex trafficking survivors? How do women view these experiences as influencing identity, sexuality, relationships, and seeking services after separation from trafficker? What factors do survivors believe contribute to community reintegration? Through rich data from interviews and photovoice captioned images, workshop participants will hear and see direct evidence of the aspects of complex trauma as well as the capacity for posttraumatic growth. This presentation will specifically emphasize the power of “bearing witness” to another’s pain through empathic listening and witness, as a mutual benefit for transforming traumatic experiences, and thus serving as a catalyst for societal change. Participants will listen to the voices and impact of sex trafficking through photography taken by survivors and practice having our listening inform our response. Finally, workshop participants will receive recommendations directly from the voices of survivors on what factors help or hinder community reintegration and posttraumatic growth. Key findings that will be explored include avoiding re-traumatization and re-exploitation and the integral role of relationship in the reintegration process for survivors.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Dr. Heather Evans is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a counseling practice in Pennsylvania. She has over 20 years’ experience, specializing in sexual trauma. Heather has authored two books from her research on complex trauma and posttraumatic growth in sex trafficking survivors. She is Co-Founder of Valley Against Sex Trafficking.