If a single traumatic experience can change a person’s life for years to come, what must an average day be like for someone who faces traumatic events on a routine basis?
For people affected by war or natural disaster, where entire populations from infants to the elderly have been exposed to so much suffering, what can we possibly put in place to help them cope?
Researchers wanted to see whether the Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) program could be one effective resource for this population.
TRT is a skills-based cognitive behavioral therapy program that has significantly reduced symptoms of PTSD in earthquake survivors from Greece and Iran.
Ian G. Barron, an educational psychologist, and his colleagues at the University of Dundee, Scotland trained school counselors in Palestine in TRT.
Although the average age of the student participants was only 11, the majority of them had experienced close shelling, seeing a dead body, having a family member injured, or seeing someone be sexually assaulted, tortured, or killed.
A month before the program began, a questionnaire was administered to screen students for PTSD. The ten students in each class with the highest ranking on the PTSD scales were chosen to give self-report measures. The various classes were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the wait-list group.
The school counselors administered the program during social education classes over a period of five weeks. There were a total of 90 Palestinian students in the intervention group and 50 in the wait-list group.
Two weeks prior to and two weeks after the program, self-report measures were administered to the selected students to assess PTSD, depression, traumatic grief, and impact on school performance.
The results showed a positive change for the intervention group.
The students who participated in the TRT program showed significant reduction in PTSD, depression, traumatic grief, negative school impact and mental health difficulties.
In the intervention group, the number of students who met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD decreased from 53 to 28. No significant differences were seen in the wait-list group.
It is important to note, however, that because this study used a waitlist-controlled design, we want to be cautious in viewing the intervention as the sole cause of these results. The study is also limited because the classes were randomly assigned as a whole to each group rather than the students being randomly assigned.
And unfortunately, the researchers were not able to do a follow up or a longitudinal evaluation to assess if the gains were maintained over time.
Yet, these cautions aside, this work is promising.
Within the context of ongoing violence, students will likely need longer-running programs to continue reducing traumatic symptoms.
If you would like to read more about this study, it can be found in Volume 18, Issue 4 of the Journal of Loss and Trauma.
To learn more about the latest trauma interventions and how to apply them in your work, check out our Treating Trauma Master Series.
Have you ever worked with children who have experienced trauma? If so, what are some of the additional challenges you’ve faced when working to resolve childhood trauma? Please share your experience in the comments below.
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Moment of happiness and setback in the teaching-learning process:
Small kids those are school students are very transparent and more obedient. They are quick to learn any topic and less rigid. They are open, receptive and more adjustable to learning. But if any adolescence student comes from very low strata of society, i.e. educationally and economically poor, then escapism from classes and learning are very often. They are fickle minded. Their parents do not understand value of education and value of time. Students those ages are above 16 and studying in school, much more attentive and bright. They are most ideal for our job oriented course. They know about computer as well as English and want to know more. While learning computer and internet their understanding is excellent and concentration span is much longer than other students. Attitude about learning is high and free from negativity. Melancholy is very rare in this age group student.
But if small kids get proper home environment and support at home he or she can progress more than an adult student in proper learning institute. Otherwise if parents are very illiterates and laborers’ then learning takes much time and with much perseverance. Mostly parents those are disturbed at home and in life in general their children’s learning are low and very often these students leave studying.
When I observed student like Ambalal, as an adult he can’t write in clear Hindi, Basic English is far for him. He does not understand full stop, comma, semi colon etc. Teaching to him Computer was very hectic and terrific for me. One student in the June 2011 batch named Rajendra, a Hindi Graduate left the Class. As a Hindi Graduate he did not understand Computer and he was an unemployed too. Due to unemployment there was may be confusion and vagueness exists there.
Most students those ages are below 36, are average to understand any lesson given to them and fast to respond. They are less mentally blocked but sometimes concentration span is small if that person is unemployed. If student is adult and under employed or unemployed then understanding is slow, attention is low and learning takes more time than usual student. Their low mental security, low body-mind immunity make them slow learner.
40+ age group students are less attentive to the teacher and their attention span is more scatter. They lack deep concentration due to their job and family responsibility. Their concentration is scatter in learning and home- job or it is dual in nature. Few are very social and adjustable at 40+ ages. Sometime because of their high aptitude and attitude for learning they can become Self learner. If a teacher teaches all the time then his or her learning skills, aptitude and attention are excellent even at 40+ ages.
It is a good article and I am completely agreed with you about it.
What were the “Recovery Techniques” that were taught? TRT: examples?
My thoughts this morning after Stephen Porges presentation yesterday, is that there are several missing pieces to understanding trauma and resolving it YET.
For example, pinpointing the type of shock that an individual is caught in has not been fully examined- FACIALLY compared between folks in parasympathetic freeze and sympathetic shock. Parasympaths *feel* energetics, while sympaths *feel* acute body sensations of pain.
The topic of recapitulation-the repeating of traumatic circumstances has not been a topic adequately examined. I think it is a locked-in energetic-chemical-neurological bond that does not let up in certain circumstances– the chemical bonds must be altered. The methylation- can it altered with cranial sacral
therapy and homeopathics? EFT appears to be temporary and inadequate for extreme cases.
Those whose depths of trauma (parasym/sympath) have different coping styles, as are their day to day experiences. For example, parasympathetics can be overly altruistic, have a happy-dreamy-spiritual quality, but lack an ability to notice that anything going on around them is wrong or off. And sympathetics often go ballistic, are enraged and cannot contain their dislike for the injustices in the world and in their lives.
~~What is needed for both types of traumatized individuals is safety, a way to recognize the difference between safe loving people as opposed to the people they are USED TO who were not safe at all. Flooding by therapists is just that–putting oneself into the hands of someone who is NOT SAFE.
~~They need to learn that they were not SAFE, they need to learn what SAFE people *look like*,what safe qualities are and ~~Finally, they need to be coached to create BOUNDARIES for themselves with this knowledge, and not feel put-down or stupid, having been deprived of these in their early days.
I’ve done quite a bit of reading about boundaries, but have recently started reading a book for MEN who have been vulnerable in this way…called *NO MORE MR. NICE GUY* by Robert Glover. It’s a worthwhile read.
Your comment, “Parasympaths *feel* energetics, while sympaths *feel* acute body sensations of pain.” confused me a bit. I thought it would be the other way around. Could you say more about that? Maybe you are referring to the difference between feeling and sensing???
I agree with the importance of skill building around boundaries as an empowering experience and how that intervention can be a ‘corrective experience’ when it’s actually experienced/ rehearsed in a safe context before trying it on out in the world.
Annette, I think when people are parasympaths they have become disassociated/ disconnected, it’s the freeze response and as well as being disconnected from the outside world and other people they disconnect from their own bodily feelings.
I’m one myself.
I don’t think it’s as simple to say that people are one or the other, inevitably when someone has strong parasympathetic arousal it is wrapped around very strong sympathetic symptoms that are too much to allow to escape.
I think the commonly held analogy is that the foot is fully down on the accelerator and brake at the same time.
Please watch:
EFT With Orphan Survivors in Rawanda: (Youtube)
A Create Global Healing Program by Lori Leydon
May you be inspired. Thank You
A child doesn’t have to live in a war zone to experience trauma. I grew up in a family where I was continually criticized and judged. I didn’t feel loved, connected, supported or safe. As a result I often cried as I walked 2 miles to school as a teenager. I had terrible time to remember what I was studying and learning. I wasn’t able to recall material I spent hours before trying to understand and remember. As a result I was in constant terror of anxiety. When I was 18 I finally wanted to end my life as I couldn’t take anymore all the emotional pain I felt from the disconnection from my family.
I too as a child experience daily trauma physical abuse and neglect. I grew up from birth in a dysfunctional family where I was continually traumatised, brainshashed, criticized and judged. I didn’t feel any love, connected, supported or safe, hence today I understand I had not develop a connection survival style, attunement survival style, trust survival style, autonomy survival style and love survival style. As a result during my whole childhood I often cried on a daily basis as I walked to school as a child intill my teenage years, only to be met with ignorence from school staff, who offered no help, only punishment. I had terrible time to remember what I was studying and learning. I wasn’t able to recall material I spent hours before trying to understand and remember. As a result I was in constant terror of anxiety. When I was 16 I finally felt free from the oppression, only to have thoughts of deep shame to end my life as I couldn’t take anymore all the emotional pain I felt from the disconnection from my family, and society. I recently at 66 years read healing developmental trauma by Laurence Heller to understand how Neuro Affective Relational Model for restoring connection. I also read Eight Keys to Trauma Recovery by Babette Rothschild, and also all your vidio’s and articles on developmental truama. I have since been unable to find a practitioner in the UK who has any understanding of my conditions of suffering attachment difficuties, dissociation difficulties, trust difficulties, which effectively means I am disconected from my physical and emotional self and to other people, I continualy experiance flashbacks, which causes daily problems. I am aware now that both my mother and father and brother was also traumatised during this time, i have children who are aso traumatised. What recomendations can be made as I am also aware that the body remembers.
Diane Poole Heller, Ph.D. has held workshops in Europe. She may have referrals for you. http://dianepooleheller.com/
I hope I can give you hope about therapists in the UK who can help you – I believe there are many, although I don’t know what part of Wales you are in to give you specific advice. There are a number of great organisations around, including PODS (Positive Outcomes for Dissocative Survivors) – a charity specialising in educating therapists, counsellors, lay people and survivors of abuse, about the long term effects of trauma on the body. They hold a list of therapists able and willing to work with people suffering from multiple trauma. There are also many body therapists, who have studied attachment (and many other) theories in depth and integrated them into their work. ‘Chiron’ was the name of the organisation where many of them trained (and also the Cambridge Body therapy group – or see body-psychotherapy.org.uk) and although the training organisation doesn’t exist anymore, there is still a register/directory of Chiron trained therapists. Gestalt therapists too, will have had in depth training about working with the body, working with survivors of abuse/trauma, and working holistically and relationally with their clients. (Much of the current trauma research backs up what Gestalt therapists have been doing for years in terms of working relationally in the here and now, working at the ‘how’ – as opposed to what or why level, experimenting and grading experimenting to gain awareness, embodied new ways of relating and so on ) Metanoia, where I teach, and the Gestalt Centre are the main training institutions in London, but there is also the Manchester Gestalt centre (I know some of their therapists work in Wales), as well as institutes in Nottingham, Gestalt South West, Edinburgh etc. In addition, there are all the therapists who have trained in sensorimotor psychotherapy who will have studied Pat Ogden’s approach to working with trauma survivors. You can look them up on the sensorimotor website, or you can search for people with body or trauma therapy experience on the UKCP website, or on the Counselling Directory etc. There are many more people out there than possibly you think. Good luck in finding one!!
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A message to Peter, a fellow EFT & NLP Practitioner in Wales – hi! You said you had trouble finding a Practitioner in the UK who has any understanding of your conditions of suffering attachment difficulties, dissociation and trust difficulties which has effectively left you disconnected from your physical and emotional self and to others.
My reply is two-fold. Firstly, I can personally relate to a lot of what you experienced and the long lasting effects it’s had on you, as I grew up with a father who was an alcoholic and became very violent when he was drunk. This meant me, my sister & Mum suffered all kinds of trauma/abuse on an almost daily basis for 20 years. This has finally ‘caught up with me’ and resulted in me working with a very skilled & experienced EFT Practitioner/Trainer (in the UK!) who is also a qualified Counsellor and Psychotherapist, specialising in the area of trauma. During our sessions I have learned an awful lot about myself, including that I dissociate, often! (I didn’t even know I did it, or what it was before working with him!) I realise that I am very much disconnected from my emotions & bodily feelings/sensations but that I can become triggered very quickly & go into fight/flight/freeze often, so my Practitioner draws on all his skills and experience to help me feel safe, work at my pace whilst at the same time working to clear some of the many layers I’ve accumulated.
This brings me onto my second point – if you’re still looking for a Practitioner in the UK to work with, I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending him for the issues you’ve described as I have found him very knowledgable, skilled, experienced and understanding in a lot of the same issues you mentioned. It is worth noting however, that you are in Wales and he is in England, but assuming you both felt it was ok to work by skype for example, and you would like his details, I would be happy (if he is) to pass them on to you. One final point I would make is, this isn’t a quick process! At first I was very impatient and wanting to rush the process and speed things up – it didn’t take long to realise, as my Therapist has said numerous times and is right about – you cannot rush trauma work! But despite my impatience and the lengthy process, we ARE making steady progress! Wishing you (and everone) all the best and success with your healing journey.
Yes, I identify exactly as my childhood was filled with fear about the next t ime would get it. My dear Mum pobably mentally ill herself from her own family troubles. It gets passed on from generation to generations. I am now 70 and have struggled all my life with low self esteem and anxiety, depression. It gives me hope with the new infomation we have. Over the years I have done Inner child work and at present doing EMDR. Never give up
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First, I would never ever work with a person without plenty of meditation before so my presence could be as soothing as possible. With young children, I quite often used rhythm, song, breathing, physical movements including lots with the eyes/head and fingers. Moving into a quiet safe space with them as their CNS calmed down always seemed to happen by itself. Teens are different but some aspects still applied. In all cases, speaking with the rest of the family to make sure the child felt supported, connected, loved and safe was mandatory! For example, having young children sleep with their parents or very close to them, more reading time together at night and spending more time with them in general, sometimes even getting a pet.
Wise words, creating safety is essential! In whatever way you do it, it is the thing number one.
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I echo John Trunik’s comments. Trauma–in terms of continuing conflict, verbal, emotional, and physical abuse–as well as witnessing domestic abuse in the home–these are just a few elements of what some children experience on a daily basis. For some, there is sexual abuse as well, often from someone who should be caring for them. Some also face bullying and other problems at school. For some, there is just no safe haven. This is the world of “hidden” trauma that is the routine existence of many children, who are forbidden to speak to anyone about what they see, hear, and experience. Some of these children do end up in my office, or another clinician’s office, or in the ER with “accidental” injuries, or in the Principal’s office at school. These types of experiences can leave a child feeling hopeless and helpless. Those who endure and grow into adulthood carry the emotional (and/or physical) scars for a lifetime.
I understand that you are referencing the terrible trauma that impacts children during wars, natural disasters, and extreme cases, but … What about those kids who feel anxiety, trauma because of the parental stress, arguing, yelling, every day. Obviously reducing or eliminating that trauma would be best, but how would you suggest helping children in this situation?
Where can I read this study? I am currently researching PTSD treatments for children.
The title of the study is “Randomized Control Trial of a CBT Trauma Recovery Program in Palestinian Schools,” and can be found in Volume 18, Issue 4 of the Journal of Loss and Trauma.
I’d like to hear if and how TRT has been used in urban American settings.