Trauma: A Deeply Disturbing Experience that Won’t Go Away
By Jeffrey V. Perry, CPRP, Program Manager, Baltic Street AEH, Inc.
Transforming the Negative Effects of Traumatic Experiences
Let's discuss trauma from a deeply personal viewpoint and without going into the gory details of each moment of duress that a human being may encounter. Let us speak of this from our knowledge-base as we recount in a general way what goes on.
To begin with, this is my personal experience and not part of a paid study of anonymous subjects. Trauma is always that untold story. Regarding myself, I admit to going through traumas on several levels, from very physical, just physical, and very emotional to just emotional.
Trauma is finally entering the minds of those who should care, say they care, or those who are working in vocations of care at every level. More studies are being done with trauma in mind.
Trauma is an unexplained or unlawful hurt that occurs that becomes unspoken, or whose voice becomes muted. Trauma seems to own a place in your mind and takes residence there. It pays no rent, but cannot be evicted since it owns that space. Trauma is also physical and may be a reoccurring pain that causes someone to relive an accident or abuse of some kind.
I learned at a “trauma-informed care training” for peer advocates that there are very high rates of trauma experienced by prison inmates prior to entering prison, which includes witnessing shootings, beatings, robbery, rape and other crimes, participating in crimes, or being the victim of said crimes. Many are imprisoned for repeating abuses on others that they had experienced themselves. They would be the first to tell you that abusing someone was the last thing they wanted to do. Research “trauma-informed care” to learn about trauma and that it occurs for people not only in jails or mental hospitals, but as a veiled or cloaked experience for everyone.
I regard my personal trauma sorrowfully as a badge of courage, not unlike those who now speak from a survivor’s standpoint, thus freeing themselves from whatever pains they have endured. Trauma, as I define, is not exposed, but is just lived with.
Some of the greatest role-models are those who live with physical trauma daily, as indicated by the wheelchairs that transport them or the braces they wear on their bodies. This is what emotional trauma looks like on the inside.
If we can discover how to transform the negative effects into more positive ones, maybe traumas can be reversed to help us to cope. For me, writing about trauma is a way of reversing its effects. Human beings learn to cope with adversity, for whatever reason, eventually.
It is now our task to accelerate a positive process; to do more than just be informed about trauma, but to learn in what ways we can achieve positive conclusions. Let's learn more about trauma so we can stop blaming and stigmatizing those dealing with it. If we can nurture positive attitudes against negative effects, maybe there will be more hope on the horizon. Let's bring trauma out of the shadows to help people assume a productive lifestyle.
Note: This essay was written in memory of my good friend Marvin Spieler, who, in addition to many benevolent activities, ran a support group for many years for survivors of trauma and abuse.
Showing posts with label trauma survivors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trauma survivors. Show all posts
Monday, June 6, 2016
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
More Sensitivity Needed Toward Trauma Survivors
More Sensitivity Needed Toward Trauma Survivors
By Angela Cerio, Psychiatric Survivor and Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner
Insights Gained from Trauma Informed Peer Support Training
How much do you know about trauma? What comes to mind? The Veteran, returning from combat with “Post Traumatic Stress?” The disaster survivor? The battered spouse? The abused child? Abandonment?
Trauma goes much further than that, as I recently learned in a Mental Health Empowerment Project (MHEP) sponsored training on “Trauma Informed Peer Support.” Studies show that over 90% of people with psychiatric diagnoses, and nearly 100% of incarcerated women are trauma survivors. Trauma can be defined as “extreme stress brought on by shocking or unexpected circumstances or events that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope.”
According to SAMHSA, there are three E's to a traumatic experience: 1. Events and circumstances which cause trauma; 2. The person’s Experience of these events determine if the event is traumatizing; 3. The Effects of the traumatic event on the individual, which includes adverse physical, social, emotional or spiritual consequences.
We use language every day which reinforces the violence in our society. These words in themselves can remind the survivor of the original trauma—perhaps without conscious awareness of the connection.
A list of dotted points in a presentation are referred to as “bullets.” Those things which evoke powerful negative emotions in us are called “triggers.” The professionals we deal with every day in behavioral health programs are frequently referred to as “front-line staff.”
As a peer support specialist, I learned early on to see “coping mechanisms” where clinicians see “symptoms.” One of the key elements needed to avoid “triggering” those behaviors we have developed to cope with trauma is feeling safe in the present.
When confronted with a threat whether real or perceived, the brain signals the body to respond with “Fight, Flight or Freeze.” When the threat is gone, the switch turns “off” and the body returns to “baseline.” If the switch is stuck in the “on” position, and the body remains prepared for threat—this is a “trauma response,” evoking whatever mechanisms the individual has developed to cope with the traumatic event. Instead of “think, process, act,” the individual goes immediately to “act.”
I cringe when I hear a mental health professional talk about a client “acting out.” “Fight” becomes “non-compliant” or “combative.” “Flight” becomes “treatment resistant” or “uncooperative”. “Freeze” becomes “passive” or “unmotivated.”
In the language of trauma-informed peer support, we see “Fight” as a struggle to hold onto or regain personal power. We see “Flight” as disengaging or withdrawing to feel safe. “Freeze” becomes giving in or giving up to those in power to avoid further harm.
The consequences of trauma include mistrust, loss of power and control, manipulation, silencing of one’s voice, invalidation of personal rights, helplessness and hopelessness, violation of personal boundaries and sense of safety. It leaves people feeling powerless and has a lasting effect on a person’s ability to trust others and form lasting relationships.
People are frequently unaware that their emotional challenges are related to past trauma. They may be responding to the present through the lenses of the past. Their coping mechanisms could lead to punitive reactions from others who may label their reaction as “non-compliance.” Trauma survivors have good reason to be sensitive to misuse of power and authority.
Healing from trauma requires first a sense of safety. Then the survivor may be able to develop the ability to trust themselves and reconnect with (or connect for the first time) and trust others. Healing begins when the trauma survivor regains a sense of control over their life and environment.
Trauma-informed services could change the way we receive help for our emotional challenges by creating safe, welcoming environments, by avoiding reoccurring trauma and victimization, by using our listening skills toward collaboration and mutuality, by giving people voice and choice, by focusing on “what happened to you?” rather than “what’s wrong with you?” Safety for us as people with emotional challenges means controlling our own lives. For providers, safety means maximizing control over the service environment and minimizing risks for both the client and the agency.
One last thing to remember is that people with emotional challenges are not limited to those of us who have been labeled by psychiatry. Clinicians are not immune to trauma responses and may not be aware when they are reacting to our challenges through the lens of their own past.
Note: Thanks to the Mental Health Empowerment Project, Cathy Cave, Bill Gamble and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Consumer Affairs for making the training on trauma-informed peer support possible.
By Angela Cerio, Psychiatric Survivor and Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner
Insights Gained from Trauma Informed Peer Support Training
How much do you know about trauma? What comes to mind? The Veteran, returning from combat with “Post Traumatic Stress?” The disaster survivor? The battered spouse? The abused child? Abandonment?
Trauma goes much further than that, as I recently learned in a Mental Health Empowerment Project (MHEP) sponsored training on “Trauma Informed Peer Support.” Studies show that over 90% of people with psychiatric diagnoses, and nearly 100% of incarcerated women are trauma survivors. Trauma can be defined as “extreme stress brought on by shocking or unexpected circumstances or events that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope.”
According to SAMHSA, there are three E's to a traumatic experience: 1. Events and circumstances which cause trauma; 2. The person’s Experience of these events determine if the event is traumatizing; 3. The Effects of the traumatic event on the individual, which includes adverse physical, social, emotional or spiritual consequences.
We use language every day which reinforces the violence in our society. These words in themselves can remind the survivor of the original trauma—perhaps without conscious awareness of the connection.
A list of dotted points in a presentation are referred to as “bullets.” Those things which evoke powerful negative emotions in us are called “triggers.” The professionals we deal with every day in behavioral health programs are frequently referred to as “front-line staff.”
As a peer support specialist, I learned early on to see “coping mechanisms” where clinicians see “symptoms.” One of the key elements needed to avoid “triggering” those behaviors we have developed to cope with trauma is feeling safe in the present.
When confronted with a threat whether real or perceived, the brain signals the body to respond with “Fight, Flight or Freeze.” When the threat is gone, the switch turns “off” and the body returns to “baseline.” If the switch is stuck in the “on” position, and the body remains prepared for threat—this is a “trauma response,” evoking whatever mechanisms the individual has developed to cope with the traumatic event. Instead of “think, process, act,” the individual goes immediately to “act.”
I cringe when I hear a mental health professional talk about a client “acting out.” “Fight” becomes “non-compliant” or “combative.” “Flight” becomes “treatment resistant” or “uncooperative”. “Freeze” becomes “passive” or “unmotivated.”
In the language of trauma-informed peer support, we see “Fight” as a struggle to hold onto or regain personal power. We see “Flight” as disengaging or withdrawing to feel safe. “Freeze” becomes giving in or giving up to those in power to avoid further harm.
The consequences of trauma include mistrust, loss of power and control, manipulation, silencing of one’s voice, invalidation of personal rights, helplessness and hopelessness, violation of personal boundaries and sense of safety. It leaves people feeling powerless and has a lasting effect on a person’s ability to trust others and form lasting relationships.
People are frequently unaware that their emotional challenges are related to past trauma. They may be responding to the present through the lenses of the past. Their coping mechanisms could lead to punitive reactions from others who may label their reaction as “non-compliance.” Trauma survivors have good reason to be sensitive to misuse of power and authority.
Healing from trauma requires first a sense of safety. Then the survivor may be able to develop the ability to trust themselves and reconnect with (or connect for the first time) and trust others. Healing begins when the trauma survivor regains a sense of control over their life and environment.
Trauma-informed services could change the way we receive help for our emotional challenges by creating safe, welcoming environments, by avoiding reoccurring trauma and victimization, by using our listening skills toward collaboration and mutuality, by giving people voice and choice, by focusing on “what happened to you?” rather than “what’s wrong with you?” Safety for us as people with emotional challenges means controlling our own lives. For providers, safety means maximizing control over the service environment and minimizing risks for both the client and the agency.
One last thing to remember is that people with emotional challenges are not limited to those of us who have been labeled by psychiatry. Clinicians are not immune to trauma responses and may not be aware when they are reacting to our challenges through the lens of their own past.
Note: Thanks to the Mental Health Empowerment Project, Cathy Cave, Bill Gamble and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Consumer Affairs for making the training on trauma-informed peer support possible.
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