A Woman's Toolkit for Recovery from Violence and Trauma

Men and women are socialised to deal with violence differently. In many Western societies, women are usually conditioned to think of violence as inherently bad, horrific and traumatising. Women are frequently taught to be more passive than men, to try and get along at all costs, to be hugely invested in our manners, to be ‘nice’.

As a result, women who survive an act of violence often find themselves struggling with the aftermath because nothing in their upbringing prepares them for it. Men struggle too, but often in different ways.

A Woman's Toolkit offers a uniquely female perspective on recovering from violence. In this booklet, Valdiserri describes several tools for developing the mentality and skillsets that one needs in order to heal.