Who/Why

Personal Testimonies

"I went through therapy and medications and I considered myself more or less 'healed' physically and psychologically, but when I came to college I realized the hard way that my past wasn't something I could put so easily behind me. With new triggers and greater psychological stress, I needed someone to relate to who understood where I was, who could relate firsthand, and who could give me the affirmation to grow stronger and move on with my life.  Then, I met with another student survivor through DartHeart, and we recognized this same need in each other which made the rest of college much easier to endure and our support group gave me something to look forward to each week."

"I felt so frustrated by the physical maladies that were caused by the trauma. As I discovered, high stress to a person's system usually causes side effects like autoimmune diseases and food allergies so I wanted to be sure that other student survivors would watch out for developing immune problems. What astounds me though is all of the new information I learn from my fellow survivors that explains other typical symptoms of post traumatic stress I had battled against like memory loss. I really appreciate having a constant, open dialogue with the DartHeart support group members so that I can figure out what's wrong with me when it seems like nobody has a good answer except for another person who's been through basically the same thing."

Who Uses DartHeart?

Have you been sexually assaulted, raped, survived domestic violence or served in the military? Are you a student?

If you are a survivor of violence and lived through a traumatic event, we are here to provide you with a support network involving individual advocacy by fellow survivors, ongoing support group therapy, and the ability to rebuild trusting community relationships through our network members.

Is your friend or loved one a survivor of violence?

Whatever the cause of trauma to someone you know and care about, please contact us to find out how we can best support you as you cope with the stress that is often the result of being a secondary survivor of a traumatic event. You may feel like you don't know what to say or how to help and in turn become stressed from your relationship with a survivor. We can give you guidance on how to handle your situation and introduce you to other secondary survivors who share similar experiences.

Why It Works

DartHeart provides a unique and profoundly fundamental recovery resource for survivors of trauma.  Our recovery model is based upon facilitating a strong peer support network for survivors.  We have found that if a survivor is able to COMMUNICATE about his/her trauma experience in some way, CONNECT with other survivors, friends and family to build relationships and also become involved in social action to turn his/her personal trauma experience into social CHANGE, then many of the survivor's PTDS symptoms can be alleviated.

The most fundamental need we have as humans, and a need which is essential for survivors of trauma, is the ability to COMMUNICATE with others.  DartHeart's recovery model is built upon the importance of this communication between survivors, families, friends and communities.  Open dialogue, fellowship, shared experience and communication between survivors and their community is vital to providing hope, strength and ultimately recovery for all survivors.  Studies have shown that an absolutely critical component to recovery from post traumatic stress is peer affirmation.  Only by communicating, meeting, discussing and sharing experiences with other survivors can the recovery process be complete.  To facilitate communication and peer affirmation, DartHeart emphasizes face-to-face interaction between survivors.  Although the traumatic event causing the stress may be distinct among survivors, the similarities that survivors share in the recovery process and responses to everyday situations because of the impact of this stress, allows survivors to understand one another and offer unique support.  Survivors share the special virtue of understanding, of experience and of appreciation for each survivor's trauma and stress.  By meeting in person one-on-one or in small groups, survivors of trauma can serve as their own best support network.

Though based upon these one-on-one and small group interactions, DartHeart recognizes that not all survivors are ready or willing to meet in person or small groups for support and affirmation.  For this reason, DartHeart also provides a medium for safe and anonymous virtual communication for survivors to communicate with each other through blogging, making artwork, providing book reviews and suggestions, reading about other survivors' experiences and participating in large group activities.

Based upon these various forms of communication between survivors, DartHeart provides an ideal forum for survivors to CONNECT with each other.  Survivors have the unique ability to relate, to mentor, to guide and to support each other, having experienced trauma themselves and having dealt with post traumatic stress in its various forms.  Survivors are united by common experience, they share symptoms, they share fears, and ultimately, they share a desire to recover from the post traumatic stress they battle every day.  Through communication and connection, survivors find truth and affirmation in fellow survivors, a form of support that the current healthcare system and personal counseling cannot, by nature, provide.

Finally, by communicating and connecting with each other, survivors can begin the process of making positive CHANGE in themselves, in their relationships with others, and in their communities.  By engaging in active recovery by meeting with other survivors, discussing and addressing stressful situations, issues, symptoms and experiences, each survivor can not only change themselves, but also educate their community regarding post traumatic stress and improve services for survivors like themselves.

DartHeart's spectrum of recovery options provides outlets which accommodate all recovery stages and individual personalities.  Our peer support network offers survivor connection and unity, individual and community mentorship, campus and online support groups, and the support of community members.  DartHeart's distinctive ability to provide resources for all stages of the recovery process makes it profoundly unique and necessary to bridge the current gap in the current healthcare system.  Each survivor of trauma possesses natural coping skills and diverse forms of interpersonal development during recovery.  DartHeart has the ability to capitalize on these coping skills, by providing a range of opportunities for communication and connection, while providing the flexibility for survivors to develop interpersonal skills at their own pace and in their own manner.