Space to Share

DCAC Therapist Keila Barrentos shares this story:
When I first met John Doe, age 12, he was extremely withdrawn. He refused to talk to anyone. In fact, upon introduction, his mom said to me, “Good luck, he doesn’t talk to anyone.” When I started building rapport with John I asked what were some of his favorite things to do? He said he loved basketball, writing music and that he preferred to go by his rapper name. Later on, his mom told me that this one conversation was the reason he decided to come back to DCAC. Several times throughout our time together, John told me that the people at DCAC were friendly and “actually like their jobs.”

During my time in therapy with John, I realized that he really needed his own unique way of expressing himself and his feelings. He was constantly getting in trouble at school, fighting, becoming aggressive with people, and was very defiant. But soon he began to open up and shared that because of his abuse he felt “trapped” and alone. He makes references to this in his song because he says he wanted people to know what being traumatized felt like to him. He described his pain from abuse as something that was trapped in his head and that no one had ever given him the time or a space to share his feelings. At DCAC he was finally given that space and he used it to create a beautiful song which he bravely and confidently shared at his therapy graduation – and now we share it with you.

Traumatized

by John Doe*

Chorus: Lately I’ve been sad
Tears been in my eyes
Lately I’ve been down
I’ve been traumatized. (x2)

(Pre chorus) I need stuff to do
To get the feelings outside
Lately I’ve been down
I’ve been traumatized. (x2)

I’ve been feeling alone
No one on my phone
Trapped in my zone
Always wearing a cone

I’m always throwing stuff
Mad but think I’m tough
Like someone who’s buff
Never feels enough

Reminiscing bad things
Tragedy and pain
I got nun but shame
Trauma needs to be tamed
I feel like imma wreck
But never got hurt
can’t even do my work
Trauma at its worst

Chorus: Lately I’ve been sad
Tears been in my eyes
Lately I’ve been down
I’ve been traumatized. (x2)

(Pre-chorus) I need stuff to do
To get the feelings outside
Lately I’ve been down
I’ve been traumatized. (x2)

*Shared with permission