Even in the wake of the mental health movement, the subject of trauma—specifically that of recovered memories—remains taboo. Delayed recall of traumatic events is the process in which people who have experienced trauma, especially sexual trauma in childhood, live through a duration of time with all or partial memory loss of the abuse. Despite its prevalence among survivors of trauma, few find the courage to talk about it due to its complexity and the fear of not only being misunderstood but disbelieved.
“Paper Birds,” named after an in-progress documentary of the same name, is a project that explores all the niche aspects of trauma. The student-led film follows my own story, as well as that of Madison Bock’s—a Bloomsburg University senior and outspoken mental health advocate. Our experiences illustrate what it’s like to live with the fallout of what you can and can’t remember, and ultimately how connecting with others through shared hardships is one of the greatest facilitators of healing.
Below, you can find a brief trailer for the documentary, and feel free to check out our website and other platforms for more information. I look forward to sharing more content from this series here.
We believe you, we stand by you, and we are here for you!
