Childhood trauma happens when children are exposed to distressing or emotionally painful events. This can include events like actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Childhood trauma not only occurs when a child experiences an event themselves but also when a child is exposed to traumatic events. The children of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) have experienced childhood traumas in different ways but not many of them could dare to open up about it. Atefeh Sebdani is one of about one thousand children of Mujahed parents who has recently begun revealing her childhood traumas under the rule of the MEK.
The only way you can begin healing is to acknowledge that a traumatic event did occur and that you were not responsible for it. Atefeh and a few of other children of the MEK, who started talking about their childhood in public, have gone through a lot to heal their inner child, with great strength and courage.
Atefe Sabdani, who is a Swedish blogger today, publishes notes on her social media accounts after each stage of self-disclosure through her films, interviews or book, which shows the path she takes to reveal the truth and heal herself every day. It seems that every time it becomes less difficult for her, although this road is rocky and full of obstacles that the MEK agents always create.
This time, after the release of the “Cult and Loss” episode about the life of Atefeh Sebdani from Sweden’s Channel One SVT Story, Atefeh talks about the difficulty of revealing the emotional and psychological aspects of her life and the strength and courage she feels inside.
In the episode that was aired about Atefeh’s traumatic childhood, an impressive scene of meeting her mother after 25 years of separation is shown. According to Atefeh, this was one of the most difficult times in her life to show that scene.
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In her Facebook account, Atefeh writes about her loyalty to the truth in narrating her life story and about the strength that grows in her day by day:
“You are so brave!”
“You are so strong!”
Words I often get to me. But I don’t know if it’s about courage and strength. For me it has always been about two things:
Stick to the truth, never splice, never exaggerate.
Because no one can hold one for a single millimeter then. My credibility has always been important. I’d rather withhold details and tell a milder version than the other way around.
Go just a little outside my comfort. So it feels tough to do but is still doable.
That way, I stretch my ability with small steps all the time. Every small step taken becomes a bigger and bigger step. The challenges are stretched.
This week’s episode on Story was among the more difficult I’ve done. For those who have seen it, I still don’t think you understand how tough the scene with my mother was, even worse to show – precisely because I don’t think you understand what a terrible situation it was. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever been through and I don’t think anyone who’s been through something like this can ever imagine what it means. But more on that another time.
That was the thing about courage and strength.
After SVT Story, I will be able to handle even more difficult things.
Have you seen the episode on SVT story? What did you think?
And how do you express your courage and your strength?
Mazda Parsi