The overwhelming majority of the country wanted Brittney Griner to return home after being detained by Russian authorities. She was sentenced to do time inside a Russian penal colony that gave her a glimpse of the most traumatic possible life she could live. There is a lot of healing Brittney Griner needs in order to fully recover. But there is no way to know exactly what traumatic moments she suffered during her time in Russia. Brittney Griner will have a chance to speak to the public and possibly detail some of the moments she lived in that penal colony.
Griner was imprisoned in Russia for a total of 294 days, she will need to go through a process in order to get herself back into American society. The WNBA legend will need to go to therapy and try to overcome the issues she developed in Russia, both mental and physical. According to a report from USA Today, there comes an adaptation period all former convicts need to go through. Professional psychiatrists have studied these cases for decades, although Brittney Griner’s case is different from a regular convict who commited a violent crime.
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The fact that Brittney Griner is American and cannabis laws are loose in that country, she didn’t feel she was commiting any crimes. This led her to feel she was a hostage who was abducted by the Russian Government. Recovery patients who went through a hostage situations need to overcome the trauma suffered in a situation of this nature. Russia is known for not treating prisoners well, which makes this recovery process more difficult than previously considered. The more time Griner spent locked up, the harder the trauma got for her.
In many cases, getting over such a terrible experience is almost impossible but Brittney Griner still has a fighting chance. Sports should play an important role in her recovery process. After going to therapy and overcoming the most traumatic moments can also take her to a place where returning to her basketball career could be an option. However, it is still too soon to tell if Brittney Griner has a chance to keep playing ball. At 32 years old, Griner was already a veteran but she definitely can still play at the highest level for at least five more years. Before that happens, mental and physical recovery are her first order of business.