Project Paper Birds

A quick Reflection: Taking Advantage of the Digital Age

On Friday, I had the privilege of sitting down with Jim Hopper, PhD for my film, Paper Birds. I first connected with Jim Last fall. I was preparing to co-present a CEU when I happened to stumble upon a video of his I had saved a while back. It was the best representation of my experience dealing with fragmented trauma memories, so on a whim, I sent him an email. Little did I know, that would be the start of a deeply impactful relationship.

Jim is a clinical psychologist, independent consultant, Harvard Medical School Teaching Associate, and a renowned expert on psychological trauma. He’s done extensive research on sexual assault and recovered memories, advocating for survivors and building a wide array of resources for the general public to access at no cost (which can be found on his website jimhopper.com). Over the past few months, Jim has served as an invaluable resource for this project, and I’m so honored to use his insight in the final cut.

Back in January when I went to visit my old high school, I put together a brief presentation. In it, I went over my work, its evolution and the role my personal life has played in all of it. At the end, there was a section for words of wisdom I wished to pass along to current students. One of these bullet points was, “Reach out–People want to help people!” It can feel a bit daunting at first…but take advantage of the digital age! It’s incredible the connections I’ve been able to make in various fields–especially ones in relation to mental health–simply by shooting a then-stranger an email.

Keeping with the theme of being bold, in this interview excerpt, Jim touches on why he believes there’s a lack of media representation surrounding fragmented or ‘body’ memories, despite their prevalence. I remember when I first recovered ‘memories’ of my childhood sexual assault, after the initial confusion passed, a second wave came: If experiences like mine are so common, why is no one talking about it?

Paper Birds stands to change that. There’s still work to be done, but finishing the last interview for this piece feels like a big win! If you’d like to learn more about this project, or watch the first half of the film, visit projectpaperbirds.com. Thanks again Jim for the wonderful work you’re doing, and for taking the time to share your expertise!