Shades of Healing: An untold story is hard to heal
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE — April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. However, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office at the Little Rock Air Force Base works to maintain awareness year-round and strives to be a source of support and healing for those who have been victims of sexual assault.
This year, one way the office has advanced these efforts is by painting a mural titled “Shades of Healing: An Untold Story Never Heals.”
The idea for the mural was spawned in October 2020 and, thanks to a number of volunteers, has since grown into what it is today.
Staff Sgt. Megan Bilanzich, 62d Airlift Squadron instructor loadmaster, was one of these volunteers.
“I want people to see the different faces of pain and the long healing process that one goes through after an assault,” Bilanzich said. “With this project, our hope is that those who see it will be inspired to help one another and put an end to unwanted enemies such as sexual assault and the devastation that comes with it.”
The mural depicts five stages of healing victims go through after an assault. Linda Benjamin, 19th Airlift Wing Sexual Assault Response coordinator, described those five stages:
“When an assault occurs, it distorts every aspect of who we are. That’s stage 1,” she said.
“Stage 2 is uninvited healing. What happened was not wanted, invited or consented to. It was not the victim’s fault. Sometimes the decision to heal is made for you. Memories are triggered without effort, and the sudden presence of these memories can make one feel overwhelmed, ‘crazy’ or out of control,” Benjamin said.
“The next stage (stage 3) is intellectualized healing. Memories are so clear that they can no longer be denied. Intellectually, the victim knows that it happened but remains emotionally distant. The information is remembered as historical fact, but feelings aren’t attached to the memories.
“Stage 4 is personalized healing. As the victims see how the past abuse is impacting them today, they make a deliberate decision to heal. While they constantly work through the healing process, feelings become attached and ever present. They begin to explore avenues of support. This stage takes lots of work, and one learns about the pain and the release that healing brings.
“The last stage (stage 5) is celebrated healing. As the victims begin to trust that the process works, they are able to see healing in the pain. They continue to work and move forward, even when it appears they are going backward, and they now fully understand healing, and it becomes a celebration.”
The mural serves to illustrate these five stages and provide a source of support, encouragement and comfort for victims in knowing they are not navigating the road to recovery alone.
A longtime volunteer victim advocate for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, Tech. Sgt. Brandon Buchwalter, was another volunteer who assisted with painting the mural.
“This is one of those opportunities that creates a conversation and gets people to open up and relate to others,” Buchwalter said, “maybe even realize that they need help or to help them understand others who have been through trauma and then grow as a person from partaking in it.”
The mural is open to visitors from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, through April 30, in the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response classroom, Building 1240.
Visitors are asked to use the entrance on the right side of the building.
Benjamin said anyone thinking about visiting the SAPR office for any reason is strongly encouraged to do so.
“We are truly a safe place to seek support,” Benjamin said. “There is no judgment here, and you will be heard and validated. We also have many on- and off-base resources to help, as well, if that is desired. I think the hardest part is walking through that door. Once people see we don’t judge them for what happened, they feel more comfortable and are able to let their guard down.”
The SAPR office has 28 volunteer victim advocates ready to offer help and support to anyone who wants it. The office also hosts a weekly female support group on Monday afternoons and a male support group on Thursday afternoons.
For more information, contact the SAPR office by calling (501) 987-2685 or (501) 533-5467.
In the event of an emergency or to speak with a volunteer victim advocate at any time, call the hotline, available 24/7, at (501) 987-7272.