If you’re an Outlander fan like I am, and you’re avidly watching the series on STARS, you might be concerned about Episode 15, Wentworth, particularly if you are a survivor of sexual trauma. Diana didn’t hold anything back when she wrote it, and has said she believes it’s part of what bonds Claire and Jamie together for a lifetime. You may feel a pull to watch, but a dread of how it will stir up your personal history.

Here are 10 ideas you can pick from to help you manage if you decide to watch.

[UPDATE: Now that the episode has aired, another tip would be to read the synopsis first so that you have a better idea of what’s coming. You may want to follow the tips below even when you read it! Here’s a link to a synopsis Diana Gabaldon posted on Facebook.]

1. Try to watch with a supportive other. Should they sit next to you and hold your hand or give you a little room? The ideal person will be flexible, quiet and non-judgmental. Don’t watch with friends who are not sensitive if they won’t be willing to take your lead.
2. Watch it on demand or record it. Give yourself permission to stop frequently and resume when you feel calm. Perhaps do something physical to discharge the energy (take a walk, wash dishes, anything…). You might continue tomorrow or next week – you decide.
3. Turn the volume low. Keep the remote handy. Loud noise tends to be overstimulating.
4. Check out your surroundings – notice you’re in a safe space in present time (your brain will want to think you’re in the past trauma). Touch, feel, connect with the present.
5. Consider watching it in the daytime – you might not want to face going to bed if you’ve been stirred up.
6. Don’t judge yourself for having responses, but try to keep them from getting too big. Other people will minimize or not understand your response, but it is real and personal.
7. Engage your rational brain. You can’t think your way out of trauma (it’s a physiological experience), but you can recruit your thoughts to remind you that what you are seeing on screen is different from your experience, that it is not real, etc.
8. If you get stuck in disturbing thoughts and images, find a good distraction. Replace flashback images, sounds and thoughts with something really light and fluffy – an audio book, movie, or anything predictably easy to engage with.
9. Try a moderate weight on your lap. A cat, dog or heavy blanket might help you feel more grounded.
10. Find a competent trauma therapist who can help the physiological experience move through, so that it is not re-triggered over and over. Traumahealing.com has a list of people all over the US and international. My office is in Mountain View, CA.

As a professional trauma therapist, I’ve always been very delighted by the accuracy of how Diana writes trauma – physiological symptoms, flashbacks, shock, and coming back into connection with others. Remember Jamie and Claire get through their trauma, and you will too.

Best wishes on your healing journey,