The Power of Persistence and Compassion to Do What It Takes With Dalya Sarkees
Nov 13, 2023
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Dalya Sarkees, a social worker and war refugee, talks about her experience growing up in 3 Iraqi wars, the trauma of finding a new identity in the US, and the inner and ancestral resources she leaned on to make the impossible possible. They discuss the power of childhood play, acts of care and compassion during hardships, and the therapeutic value of practicing compassion.
The podcast highlights the transformative power of compassion in healing and supporting war refugees.
Dahlia Sarkees emphasizes the importance of listening, seeking understanding, and providing financial support to help war refugees on a micro, meso, and macro level.
Deep dives
The Power of Compassion and Wise Effort
In this podcast episode, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dahlia Sarkees, a war refugee and therapist, to explore the concepts of wise effort and compassion. Dahlia shares her personal experience as a war refugee from Iraq and emphasizes the importance of compassion and family in overcoming challenges. She discusses the impact of war on her identity and the difficulty of starting a new life in the United States. Despite the hardships, Dahlia's story is one of perseverance and resilience. She highlights the power of childhood play, the strength of her ancestors, and the role of therapy in healing and finding purpose. Dahlia encourages listeners to practice compassion on micro, meso, and macro levels by sharing stories, seeking understanding, and supporting organizations that help war refugees.
The Trauma of War and Loss of Identity
Dahlia describes her firsthand experiences of living through three wars in Iraq and the profound impact it had on her childhood. She vividly remembers moments of danger and fear, such as witnessing missile attacks and taking shelter with her family. Alongside the trauma of war, Dahlia discusses the loss of identity that comes with being a war refugee and the socioeconomic challenges faced upon arriving in a new country. Despite these difficulties, she shares the resilience and perseverance demonstrated by her family throughout their journey.
The Power of Compassion in Therapeutic Work
As a therapist, Dahlia passionately advocates for the power of compassion in healing and providing support to others. Having experienced the transformative effects of therapy herself, Dahlia emphasizes the importance of listening without assuming that we know exactly how someone feels. Instead, she encourages cultivating compassion through seeking understanding and relating to others based on their unique experiences. Dahlia also shares her desire to extend her therapeutic work to help others in war-torn regions and discusses the impact that therapy can have in helping individuals rebuild their lives and find healing.
Practicing Compassion on Micro, Meso, and Macro Levels
Dahlia suggests several concrete ways to practice compassion for war refugees. On a micro level, she encourages listeners to share the podcast episode with others to promote understanding and build compassion. On a meso level, she recommends reading more about the experiences of war refugees to deepen empathy and awareness. For those looking to make a macro impact, Dahlia suggests providing financial support to organizations like the International Rescue Committee, who played a crucial role in her own journey as a war refugee. By engaging in these acts of compassion, we can contribute to creating a more empathetic and supportive world for war refugees.
What is it like to be a child of war? How can we transform suffering with the power of compassion? In this episode, ACT psychologist Diana Hill interviews social worker and war refugee Dalya Sarkees about her experience growing up in 3 Iraqi wars, the trauma of finding a new identity in the US, and the inner and ancestral resources she leaned on to make the impossible possible. Many of us feel powerless over the world’s wars that are happening right now, one place to start is to listen to the voices of those who have suffered and who are suffering. It’s through listening that we can contact what is painful, and be motivated to act with compassion.
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