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Elham's Journey
Elham is a middle-aged single woman from an Eastern Mediterranean country. When Elham was a young child, her father died in a fire in the family’s home. After her father died, her mother did not have the capacity to care for Elham and her siblings, and she placed them in orphanages while she worked.
One of her brothers became a religious extremist who terrorized their family by imprisoning another sibling in their basement for several years. He starved and beat this sibling, eventually killing him. Elham left the family home to study abroad for college.
After earning her master’s degree, she returned home where her brother beat her for her religious beliefs and for refusing to dress with her face and full body covered. He then arranged marriage for her with an older man; Elham fled for her safety and freedom.
Elham was referred to SURVIVORS in 2019 by her immigration attorney for psychological and medical evaluations, as well as for therapy and case management services. Elham experiences symptoms such as low energy, often feeling overwhelmed, difficulty falling asleep, feeling hopeless and scared about her future, excessive worry, and loneliness.
Elham received asylum in 2021. She graciously credits SURVIVORS in her healing journey and stated, “I feel you have been a huge part of my journey, my success at school, and most importantly, my mental and physical health; because of that, I want to let you know, Praise the Lord, yesterday, I have been granted asylum status in the U.S. I really appreciate all the help and support SURVIVORS’ staff has given to me.”
Complex trauma takes time to open up and heal. It was only after receiving asylum that Elham felt comfortable sharing her story and trauma history in therapy. After years of invitations to various groups and Healing Clubs, Elham has started to attend the Women’s Expressive Arts group and is finding a voice and outlet for healing with the various art forms such as soul collage, painting, music, laughter, and mixed media.
Since starting to work with SURVIVORS, Elham furthered her educational goals. With some assistance from SURVIVORS for books and tuition, she was able to attend college. She recently became a licensed healthcare provider, and she became employed with one of the local hospitals. Elham is an inspiring woman who is overcoming her torture trauma and is realizing some of her goals and dreams.
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