"The goal of the organization is to develop a care pathway specifically dedicated to the bodily and relational symptoms of women victims of violence,” explains Indira Chowdhury.
The first aspect, at Orphéos, is the specialized therapeutic pathway, with psychologists trained in psychotrauma and a feminist perspective on care, meaning "the consideration that, as women, we experience violence related to patriarchy and that the social system, the patriarchy, in which we live has an impact on our health.”
The second aspect is the development of psychoeducational tools aimed at the general public, health professionals, and political institutions.
These tools are inspired by Indira Chowdhury's own experience, who, after being a victim of violence herself, did not find relief in traditional therapies. “Therapies that ultimately put me in danger because they made me relive my trauma without ever offering me the chance to build something positive. And then, I still couldn’t inhabit my body or build relationships.”
It was ultimately through dance that she managed to reconnect with bodily sensations, the use of a body she could no longer communicate with. The dance she chose to combine with mediation through horses, "which offers a space where women victims of violence can experience physical closeness without feeling they will be harmed,” explains Indira Chowdhury. “The horse provides a space where they can feel vulnerable and safe again. And the horse is also a very precious animal because it reflects everything that is happening inside us. It shows us what prevents us from connecting to the present and thus from building ourselves.”
“Through their bodies, through relationships, thanks to dance, thanks to the group, thanks to the horses, these women will experience positive moments where they feel respected, loved, worthy, and beautiful. This is information they will encode and be able to use in their daily lives to open up,” concludes Indira Chowdhury.
