How Crossing Boundaries Hurts Trafficking Survivors

1. The Importance of Boundaries in Trauma Recovery

• Introduce the concept of boundaries in trauma recovery, especially for trafficking survivors.
• Define what it means to cross a boundary in this context.
• Emphasize the lasting psychological and emotional impact of trafficking and how boundaries are a vital part of healing.

2. Understanding Trauma and Boundaries

• Explain the deep trauma caused by trafficking, such as physical, emotional, and psychological scars.
• Highlight the concept of autonomy and personal agency, and how they are often stripped away from survivors.
• Discuss how boundaries help survivors reclaim their sense of self and safety.
• Research insight: Trauma-informed care and its emphasis on respecting boundaries.

3. Consequences of Boundary Violations

• Outline specific ways in which crossing boundaries, even unintentionally, can harm survivors:
  • Emotional Triggers: How violating boundaries can trigger traumatic memories.
  • Trust Issues: Survivors often have difficulty trusting others, and boundary violations can reinforce this mistrust.
  • Re-traumatization: Boundary violations can create a cycle of re-traumatization, undoing the progress made in recovery.
• Research insight: Studies on re-traumatization and its impact on recovery.

4. Recognizing and Respecting Boundaries

• Discuss how people working with trafficking survivors (recovery homes, volunteers, and donors) can recognize and respect boundaries.
  • Verbal Boundaries: Not pressuring survivors to share their stories or talk about trauma.
  • Physical Boundaries: Respecting personal space and physical contact.
  • Emotional Boundaries: Allowing survivors to control the pace of their healing.
• Provide examples of healthy boundary-setting in recovery settings.
• Research insight: Best practices in trauma-informed care.

5. Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Identify well-meaning but harmful actions often taken by people working with survivors:
  • Over-involvement: Trying to “save” the survivor or becoming overly invested in their healing.
  • Asking intrusive questions: Prying into details of their trauma without permission.
  • Lack of sensitivity: Failing to recognize subtle cues that a boundary is being crossed.
• To avoid these pitfalls, offer practical tips for volunteers, staff, and donors.

6. The Role of Trauma-Informed Care in Preventing Boundary Crossings

• Introduce the trauma-informed care approach and why it is essential when working with trafficking survivors.
  • Core principles: Safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
  • How this approach reduces the likelihood of boundary violations.
• Research insight: The success of trauma-informed programs in survivor recovery.

7. Empowering Survivors through Respectful Support

• Emphasize the importance of allowing survivors to take control of their recovery process.
• Highlight the role of empowering survivors by respecting their boundaries and autonomy.
• Discuss the importance of creating an environment that fosters trust and safety.
• Research insight: The psychological benefits of empowerment in trauma recovery.

8. Call to Action: How to Get Involved Responsibly

• Encourage readers to support trafficking survivors in respectful, boundary-conscious ways.
• Provide guidance on how donors and volunteers can help without crossing boundaries.
• Mention training opportunities and resources for those working in recovery homes or engaging with survivors.

Healing Through Respecting Boundaries

• Reiterate the crucial role of boundaries in the healing process.
• Acknowledge that while crossing boundaries may often be unintentional, the consequences are significant and must be avoided.
• End on a note of hope and empowerment, emphasizing that with the right support, trafficking survivors can heal and thrive

Sources

1. Trauma and Boundaries in Recovery

• Source: Hopper, E. K., Bassuk, E. L., & Olivet, J. (2010). Shelter from the storm: Trauma-informed care in homelessness services settings.
  • Key Point: This article outlines how trauma-informed care can benefit trafficking survivors by emphasizing safety, trust, and empowerment. The importance of boundaries in healing from trauma is central to this approach.
  • Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369348/
• Source: Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.
  • Key Point: Herman’s seminal book discusses how trauma survivors regain control over their lives by establishing boundaries, creating safety, and reclaiming agency.
  • A reference for explaining the importance of boundaries in trauma recovery.
  • Link: https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Recovery-Aftermath-Violence-Political/dp/0465061710

2. The Impact of Boundary Violations on Survivors

• Source: Courtois, C. A., & Ford, J. D. (2009). Treating complex traumatic stress disorders: An evidence-based guide.
  • Key Point: This book highlights how boundary violations can re-traumatize survivors and discuss the long-term consequences of such experiences, making it a crucial source for understanding the harm of crossing boundaries.
  • Link: https://www.amazon.com/Treating-Complex-Traumatic-Stress-Disorders/dp/1606230397
• Source: van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
  • Key Point: This book offers insight into how trauma, including trafficking, affects the brain and body. It provides an understanding of how emotional boundaries play a key role in preventing triggers and re-traumatization.
  • Link: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748

3. Trauma-Informed Care and Best Practices

• Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services.
  • Key Point: This resource outlines the principles of trauma-informed care, including the importance of recognizing boundaries and empowering survivors in their healing process.
  • Link: https://store.samhsa.gov/product/TIP-57-Trauma-Informed-Care-in-Behavioral-Health-Services/SMA14-4816
• Source: National Human Trafficking Hotline. Best Practices for Trauma-Informed Support of Human Trafficking Survivors.
  • Key Point: This guide focuses specifically on trauma-informed approaches when working with trafficking survivors, which emphasizes respecting survivors’ boundaries and autonomy.
  • Link: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/resources/trauma-informed-support-human-trafficking-survivors

4. Empowering Survivors and Avoiding Re-traumatization

• Source: Dutton, M. A., Goodman, L. A., & Bennett, L. (2001). Court-involved battered women’s responses to violence: The role of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse.
  • Key Point: This study shows how a lack of control and boundary violations negatively impact survivors’ psychological well-being. This applies to survivors of trafficking as well and highlights the importance of survivor empowerment.
  • Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1077801201007001006

 

Written by Julie Shrader
Founder/CEO Innocence Freed