Aloha @gyrgir, in our experience common ground and shared experience puts everyone on the same side. Trust in the psychological nature of human beings. Once the psychological construction of personality is understood, our human commonality becomes very evident & undeniable. Our shared experience of horror revealed by pre- and perinatal psychology gives evidence that all of us hold a bit of PTSD.
Lack of trust towards strangers & those one already doesn’t like is all based on the paranoid-schizoid defenses that produces the mental construction of alters, a good self and a bad self projected onto others. While common enough to be considered universal, it’s our belief they all can be reintegrated into persons’ individual personalities. This integration involves crossing a mental boundary.
Win-Win is possible, especially when feelings are acknowledged. Otherwise, there would be no philanthropy, for example. Start with the idea that deep down, people wish to work together but will always resist & resent ways to “make them” do anything. Insisting on new rules that must be obeyed will always find resistance if not provoke rebellion.
Role playing can be most useful when introducing new concepts because it can be learned with nothing much at risk. Play is widely perceived as a safe space, as is narrative speculative fiction like SF.
Also, we consider that PTSD is not deviance or dysfunction. It only must be so framed for society to provide aid. Actually, and we’ve found many professionals who agree, PTSD is a normal human response to horrific circumstances. There is no socially permitted way to offer aid or remediation for what is normal.
), but we should not let it fall under the table.