Dear friend,

Thank you for all your support of Trauma Treatment International over the last three years. As I start my fourth year as CEO of this incredible organisation, we are kicking off 2024 with an appeal for help.

Like many of you, I feel overwhelmed by the level of horror in our world right now. I have developed my own strategies to deal with exposure to traumatic news events, images and stories. But there are millions of people who have no reprieve.

Memories of recent traumatic events, the impact of war, flight and resettlement. The horrific impacts of being held hostage, physically and mentally tortured and then when released, having to find a way to live a 'normal life'.

This is why I feel so blessed to work for Trauma Treatment International. Because even when things feel hopeless, there is always hope. Life can go back to normal. Families can be rebuilt, and individuals who have lived through the most terrible events can build lives full of laughter and joy.

Thanks to our incredible team of expert psychologists, trauma treatment works. In nine out of ten cases, people who complete their therapy recover from PTSD.

I hope you enjoy reading a few of the incredible and inspiring stories of people who have lived through trauma and rebuilt their lives with support from TTI, below. Their stories deserve our full attention and appreciation. What magical light, on a dark and gloomy January morning.

Please help us today, by donating to our TEAM UP to Tackle Trauma Crowdfunder campaign - see below for more details. With your help, we will be able to treat more victims of torture, persecution and war, and continue to work towards our vision of a world free from the trauma of collective violence.

Thank you

Quen

This week, we've been sharing posts on social media about our first strategic pillar, and the T in TEAM UP - TREAT. We explained how we directly treat trauma caused by collective violence - click on the image below to find out more.

One example of the power of our work is Tuğrul, who was captured in Libya and held prisoner in the searing African heat for eight months. Upon his release, he found it increasingly hard to return to normal life and even contemplated suicide.

But thanks to the expert psychological support provided by our trauma clinic, he has gone on to rebuild his life. He said: “The work my TTI therapist does is on another level. The transformative impact of her intervention is so profound, I struggle to encapsulate it in words.

“She genuinely grasped the depth of my suffering. Her therapeutic skills are only surpassed by her extraordinary capacity for empathy – you can have the best education in the world but you can’t fake empathy.” Read Tuğrul's full story here.

Meanwhile, Sarah fled her home country of Qatar at the end of 2019. Having been plagued by intense flashbacks and nightmares after arriving in the UK, therapy with Trauma Treatment International helped her recover and reclaim her life.

She said: “When you have PTSD and it’s that intense, you need to speak to somebody. The whole plot of trauma is that you’re unsafe and you should feel shame. The minute you speak to a therapist and you build this relationship with them, all of that slowly goes away. It’s not something that you can figure out on your own.” Read Sarah's full inspirational story here.

And Martin, who was abducted by the Syrian military regime and held in solitary confinement for 48 days, had this to say about his experience of treatment with our expert clinical psychologist:

As all these case studies show, the work of Trauma Treatment International is life-changing.

But as a small charity which relies on external funding, we desperately need donations to help us continue this vital service. Please do donate here today, and share this message far and wide.

Thank you so much.

Quen and the TTI team