Apr 02 2009
Landsman, I have a question for you.
Landsman: (From Yiddish):
“A person from the same town, geographical area, region, etc., as another; compatriot.”
Or, in my words, someone who has travelled the same ground that you have.
I have a friend who is a landsman. I’m referring to the fact that we are adults who were violently abused as children. We, unfortunately, sometimes refer to others as being “one of us” meaning that they are adults who were also abused as children or, simply put, landsmen.
There are things about us, things we all have in common, that others just can’t understand. They say things like, “okay, so you were abused…big deal. Move on. Get over it.” Obviously, not a landsman.
One of the things we have in common is a sort of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) thing where a trigger will set off an old reaction. If you’re a landsman, this will sound familiar. If you’re not, then here’s your chance to begin to understand.
Here’s a recent example of how it plays out for me, along with a solution that someone, an aMAZing someone, suggested to me. Continue Reading »