The treatment of trauma can be some of the most complex work practitioners face.
And for years, this challenge was complicated by not having a clear picture of the impact that trauma has on the brain.
But scientific advances within just the past few years have opened the eyes of practitioners to what actually happens in the brain of someone who has experienced trauma.
And according to Bessel van der Kolk, MD, there are three major ways that the brain changes in response to trauma.
To find out what they are (and their impact on the body), take a look at the video below – it’s just 3 minutes.
Bessel is one of the world’s leading experts in trauma and PTSD. Because of his research, we have a deeper understanding of how trauma impacts both body and brain.
And this is crucial – it can help us target our interventions more effectively.
So now, we’d like to hear from you . . .
When it comes to the treatment of trauma, what do you want to know most? Please leave your comment below.
Hello readers – My name is Alicia Jones and I am a performance specialist studying Japanese dramatic systems. My research and personal experience examines these transformative practices as methods of healing/releasing trauma. I am seeking professionals to support this research. I am based at the Gold Coast. Please respond for more information.
Hi Alicia,
I am a professional who has an interest in research into PTSD. I am happy to discuss with you if I can support your research. I live about 100km from Gold Coast.
My email address is mmetdrsophie@gmail.com
Please let me know how I can help.
Thanks
Correction: My email is meetdrsophie@gmail.com
I would like to know how what you call “Trauma” or PTSD differs from or realates to other conditions which may have similar symptoms, like some so called “personality disorder” type diagnosis, of which there are quite a few… and when does a traumatic event become so traumatic that it becomes a “disease”? Or when does something turn into a “personality disorder” when the description of symptoms of both are very similar? Is that a personal preference of the practitioner?
What is the definition of “healthy” or at least “not traumatised” and what percentage of people fit that description?
How long does PTSD typically last and how does practising “embodiment” (dance, theatre…) or mindfulness techniques affect the intensity and duration of the “disorder” ? thanks
Well I didn’t realise until I had a rebirth session that my life had been subconsciously deeply affected by a traumatic event in my childhood. My mum gave away my beloved dog when I was 5 years old and said it was my fault (it fell pregnant when I took her out). After school, in secret, I searched her in the neighbourhood, calling her name around for months (in those times I was allowed out on my own). I had numbed this memory. I remembered the event but not how deeply it did hurt me at the time. Reliving that moment was crucial for me to understand why I didn’t love myself. I cried and cried which I don’t remember doing at the time. I was able to speak to my mum about it but she denied wrong doing. I don’t feel this was helpful. I have been repeating a mantra “I love myself, I believe in myself’ but I’m not sure it is effective as tears still flow when I think about it. How can I come to term with it?
I am enjoying these reports. I have been a Chaplain working in trauma for 25 years, now experiencing our own trauma in the family with the death of our son having completed suicide, our grandson got hit by a car a month later, he has recovered from the physical issues, still struggling with the emotional ones. My husband went into hospital had emergency bowel cancer surgery and is progressing well. Needless to say this is all been in a year and a half so even though I have worked with trauma I am dealing with all the post trauma now. I appreciate your reports as it does confirm for me from someone other then my friends and other professionals that know me that I will get through it changed but appreciating life and living more then before. I have been involved doing Meditation, T.T. and Qi Gong and I have found this has helped me to try to regain a balance in my life. Thanks again.
Can trauma and associated brain changes cause phantosmia?
I found after my dad was murdered, what helped alot was a light hypnosis for letting go of the anger, accepting what happened, understanding why it happened & a mediation to say goodbye to my dad. I confront my pain & try control my own emotion. I refuse to be a victim & will be a survivor. I refuse to allow others have control over my emotiins. Mentally i would try observe the situation rather than from the participant view as well. This helps me distance myself too.Sometimes I try find the lessons in it & how I am able to help others.
How to teach curriculum (obviously, focus on the social-emotional needs first), in a general elementary school classroom when at least half of the class has experienced or is experiencing trauma. Mind-Up is a familiar resource, as is Brain Gym; but, are there any other techniques that can be incorporated into the classroom in a symbiotic way. Any resources for students/teacher guides for teachers?
Immediately after the trauma everything is so overwhelming. Handling the anxiety and associated fears at that point is perhaps the most important starting point. Being given strategies to deal with this and gradually increase ones copability with even everyday tasks needs to be addressed. To be given hope that progress can be made and one won’t always be in the abyss is encouraging if backed by evidence or expertise.
Understanding that one is sensitised and perhaps we aren’t reading everyone accurately might be helpful if you have developed sufficient trust and understanding. But not diminishing the event or the person who caused it. It’s too early to do that soon after the event. But they may be prepared to allow that they might be over-sensitive to others.
I think the dulling of feelings is perhaps a necessary survival mechanism, especially for those with inadequate support structure. Finding the right clinician can be difficult and has a big impact on recovery. I was fortunate with my third in finding someone who I trusted and offered me strategies and a way forward not just drugs and delving into why, wherefores and history. I have peace and happiness after not wanting to live, having no life, having only torment. Recovery has come. I am not the same person but I’m OK with that. Some things can still be difficult but there’s also stuff that is great, better even.
how to regulate anger through teaching refugees
I have been through 20+ years of healing from the trauma of extended or chronic sexual abuse and sex trafficking. My healing took place within the construct of my relationship with my Creator and God even though my abuse happened in a religious setting and had many triggers back to “Gods” name. Now I am starting to work with those who have suffered similar traumas in a “faith based” setting. I am just beginning so don’t have a website or blog yet. I know the process that God took me through to bring me to the state of wellbeing I am at today. I was severely dissociated but together we dealt with each altar and part and provided the environment and the activities that allowed me to achieve complete integration and wholeness. I am fascinated with what science is discovering as to the effects of trauma and the strategies to help others heal. I find many of this information is consistent with the healing that God took me through even though I didn’t have available to me all this information. I am hoping to learn more as I find myself with others that will connect what science is learning. After all science only discovers what God has already put into motion though His creation of us. Connecting the two provides a deeper understanding of the spiritual realities! Thank you for your work! There has been way too much silence on this topic!
is there hope? How long will it take? How much will it cost? Do I have to go there or can we do it here or online? How much will it hurt? Will I go crazy? Can I live/function while I get treatment?
Thanks,
Please reply asap as I am 60 now and cannot waste one more year of my life being so crippled by PTSD or fighting it!
Yes there is hope. I was incredibly effected, deeply depressed, dis associative state with visual and auditory hallucinations, paranoia, sometimes agoraphobic, sometimes unable to move much, incapable of handling even simple stressors. Wasn’t sure if I was ever going to have a life worth living.
I did have to committ to making progress by using strategies and techniques taught to me by a brilliant psychiatrist. My third. Sometimes you have to move on. If the treating clinician is ONLY offering you medication I can’t see how you can progress.
You need
someone who understands and can give you the tools
Part of treatment may involve medication
You need to be prepared to do the work.
Is it painful? Sometimes but not more painful than being stuck. If you think of it as growing pains it’s not so bad and you will start to make progress. I can’t tell you how long it will take for you. It’s not a straight up climb out of the abyss. Sometimes you might back but you will get higher until like me you suddenly have a strange sensation one day and realise it is happiness.
If I can, you can. BTW. we are of a similar age.
Yes you can live while you get treated. In fact it’s better that way.
Wishing you growth and happiness and peace.
I have PTSD and DID, and have been looking for a good therapist who can help me with that. I also had a car accident about 3 weeks ago that gave me a concussion, and now I am dealing with the symptoms of post-concussive syndrome; basically, a heightened version of the PTSD that I am already dealing with. I also have been diagnosed with Addison’s Disease, and going through menopause. I would like to have hope again that I won’t just be dealing with symptoms to manage every day, and that more healing can come. I also could use help with more support, though I am starting to find that in some support groups in town. Thank you for your comments, as they do help me and I have the feeling that you do understand, Margarita. Thank you for being willing to share them.
With these changes impacting the brain, how can we encourage people to see benefits of change? Deepening understanding of self, change in how the world is perceived, and finding beauty in what is described as brokenness? Through reframing brokenness, can stigma be broken in itself?
I am specially interested in processiong from dumpness back into sensual (senses)and percaptional (body) awarness and presence.
Thank you for your words of wisdom. I always enjoy reading your work. I am looking especially for ways to help teens who have experienced trauma.
Thank you, thank you, thank you…I did not acknowledge my having a body for the majority of my life. My body would send me warning signs, I felt migraines, I did not feel headaches, I would get a fever blister and know I had had a fever. With the trauma in my life, and my ignoring my body, I did not recognize it until the symptoms of pernicious anemia became so bad, I thought I was stark raving mad and having multiple angina and/or heart attacks (this runs in my family, along with congestive heart failure, multiple members). My GP was truly of little use, she said I needed to see a psychiatrist and after I read an article on pernicious anemia she refused to do the testing. I returned to her office for three weeks until she did the blood test, then changed CPs. I was in close contact with my psychiatrist, he was my son’s Dr. also. In treating me, he had noted I was one of the most proactive, tenacious and positive people he had ever met. I never really cared weather I lived or died, I just did not want to have anyone to find me and have to deal with it. I did not talk about this except to my psychiatrist. With the symptoms of pernicious anemia I could not put the PTSD, GED and panic attacks out in left field. Before I would focus on all the blessings in my life, I had had a wonderful husband, he died, I was blessed to have known him, I loved my son, my was extremely challenging, depressed and suicidal, I was actively pursuing the optimum treatment plan, I was blessed to have him in my life, when he died, I celebrated his life. I have been challenged yes, worked hard to remain positive…worked on my treatment plan passionately, asked the rough questions, and followed the program. I had help, it did help some, my coping skills have developed. Somehow with the pernicious anemia, I had a disconnect with putting on my positive thoughts, it felt like I was having a heart attack, this frightened me. I did not want my son to have to deal with this.
As a result of your article and video, and this video I have more resources. I would love to feel comfortable to be out and about, to be able to eat out without developing diarrhea within 20 minutes. I remain hopeful and I do know within my soul I can developed the skills, and condition myself to react in a more calm manner.
Thank you for this additional information, it is so very helpful. jebell
Janice l hope you are having massive doses of vitamin B12 intravenously administered. When B12 has depleted in the body Pernicious Anemia occurs and it takes a long time to replenish. B12 can mask symptoms the same as Fibromyalgia, stress, panic attacks, tiredness, depression, exhaustion, and Gastritis is also caused by a lacking of B12.
When your levels are back to normal l am sure you will start to feel much better
Thank you so much for the very helpful information. I would like to learn some tools that can be used to move beyond the automatic responses brought on by PTSD.
I’d like to know how to get out of this hell I live in. I haved lived through multiple traumas in my life, from childhood into my 30’s. I am now 50. They tried medications. EMDR was not helping because, even though I have been taught all about Crisis Management (Multiple DBT programs) I am still unable to cope in a “crisis.” Last Fall I was actually told I am not welcome at one of the local hospitals (Civic Campus, Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada).
Where can I find treatment that will work? Homewood, in Guelph, Ontario? Or is there better treatment in Switzerland (I’m also a Swiss citizen)?
I am Grace’s older sister, living in Switzerland. Please give Grace hope ‘n faith again in positive help. I have lived through many traumatic experiences too though not as severe a Grace’s. I’m fine.
I would really enjoy having my baby sister back!
Thank you!
In the treatment of trauma, I’d like to know how to gain the ability to truely accept the past (trauma) and then let it go, so that it doesn’t keep popping into my mind every time something triggers a recall. How to truely accept that I’m here now in this moment safe and content, in that my place now is truely free of any danger, and not to have fear, for the future (which was threatened during the abuse) . I’m doing amazingly well considering all the trauma. I keep busy, engage in conginitive activities, (knitting) gardening, working . I’ve spent untold days years keeping my mind of the trauma. For 18 months my mind was on it 24/7 now it’s only (after 3 1/2years) when I get a trigger, especially if I’m tired. And of course the nightmares. What I mean is that my conscious mind is nearly free of ruminating on the fear terror trauma, but when I sleep my subconscious mind goes straight to my deep fears. I’m using theta waves to help, which it has. My fears have been carefully placed manipulated and nurtured by my past abuser, the monumental amount of it is shocking me to have allowed him to do that to me. The feelings of intense stupidity, shame, sadness, anger, have not been fully released, apparently I need to sit in all (not all at once) of my emotions to be free from all the fear. (Which I feel is completely rational) th fear that is. How do I go about having all those negative feelings, when I’ve been conditioned not to show my emotions?
Susan,
I have accepted and forgiven those that were involved in my abuse and accepted all the other trauma in my life…with so much nerve damage I was fortunate (?) to feel little of the abuse, emotional I walked through it mentally and made the decision (not really a good idea) that these traumas are life in the real world.
I am looking forward to this additional articles and resources here. Ruth has given me so much hope with the information she has shared.
As a PTSD clinician and later a survivor of significant trauma, I think of PTSD as brain injury rather than a psychiatric diagnosis, even though a survivor experiences and presents what we label as psychological/emotional symptoms. I’m wondering if you can address the Cartesian mind/body split as it relates to survivor experience and clinical assistance to survivors. Thank you.
P,
Wonderful suggestion!
FYI… Dr Sandra Bloom has published some good papers picking up upon the differences between treating ‘injury’ vs ‘illness’ with respect to trauma and adversity. Well worth exploring (also a former student of Van der Kolk!)
I’ve heard many times that people who have come through distress were healed most by having a true connection with a caring person–not by drugs or even therapy. Is this your experience with trauma?
I had such a connection, he is the only person I truly trusted, I was not healed by this relationship. I do believe recognizing, resources, honest evaluation of where I am, and hard work will get us through or handling these situations better.
My true connection with a caring person, after I was trying to have a miscarriage and needed surgery my doctors advised me he would not be allowed in the delivery room when/if we had a child, as he appeared to be in more pain than I was. I was blessed to have had him in my life…this is the safest I have ever felt. He died when I was 31.
Positive and healing energy, thoughts and prayers to all…
I want to know MOST: how to stop,or re-direct a reaction to a perceived threat by my hyper-sensitive daughter (with epilepsy ….11 years of complex,complicated and very active seizure disorder ,1-12 yrs old)
when she perceives a threat,and escalates very fast into panic and aggression.
I wish I had a spray,which works immediately to diffuse,to re-set to earlier,calm and intelligent capability,to give me and others a chance to avoid an unintended trigger !
But once my daughter of now 23 yrs has been unintentionally triggered,there seems to be no return..it’s as if a ‘rocket’ sets off,with tremendous force and noise ,escalating into such force of noise by her,yelling and screaming and hitting ,damaging property and people too,that emergency support people (police) need often be called for assistance,to get her to the ER…which often calms her…hours of boredom and change of people listening…until after 4-8 hrs exhaustion and tiredness sets in and we can return home or she’ll choose a crisis stay (if even available) to follow her ‘instincts’ blaming me,her mom,for her experienced threat to her safety.She ‘chooses’ to be extremely attached and wishing daily to be coddled like a toddler…even pacifiers and baby bottles are her needed calming substitutes.
How can I or others help this otherwise smart,funny,joyful and silly high functioning yg woman from these dangerous pitfalls of terror….arraignments of assault charges and even a night in prison,many crisis stays have been our experience for the last 11 years..ever since her seizures were brought under control.It is frightening and exhausting to all around her,it is very dangerous for herself and others.
A.
Years ago, rather until his death, my son would exhibit anger, and verbal threats/physical pain and threats with weapons in his hand, when he reached the point of no return.
I actually contacted our psychiatrist and more than one drug company, asking for a dart gun and meds that I could shoot at my son…the major thought, was I did not want my son arrested for killing me, he would not take his meds…frequently and I thought a tranquilizer gun. I have not seen this available for people.
I have only had one person, our psychiatrist truly understand the danger involved here, so many professionals, I believe think we are exaggerating. This was my life for many years…I am a short person under 5’5″ my son was 6’5’and very muscular. My son was not aware of his actions during these times. After his death, his best friend shared that my son had discussed this with him, stating I had never lied to him and he did not know why i would say this, how could this happen. I know my son loved me, throughout his life, if he was speaking to me, he would hold my hand, have his hand on my shoulder and give me kisses wherever we where, he did not go through that phase of staying away from me in public.
I am a person who suffers from Trauma/PTSD. I’ve been reading the material you have made public. So helpful in understanding myself. Hoping to find someone in my area that has this knowledge to address my personal trauma.
Great information!! Such important work, I found it helpful to understand a bit about how and what parts of our brain are working. Primitive brain is often the one that takes over. I have found Nature is a helpful antidote for rewiring the brain. I have found this for myself and also working with others. I take people on Awakened Walks as a morning rituals virtually and locally and cannot tell you how quickly I have seen people make significant shifts….repeated over time these are lasting changes. Thank you for taking the time to share this!! Love to hear more!
I practice this, in a way, every day…I am at my desk looking out the window every day, and throughout the day, appreciating all the blesses the Universe has provided me. I do find this to be one of my best practices in addressing any challenge.
I think that PTSD is a normal response to abnormal situations/events, and that people who suffer from it should not be labeled as abnormal. Understanding physical and mental reactions to events is fine and all, but what right do others have to judge what they’ve never experienced? I’m forever changed, not by choice, not my fault, and not for others to judge. My life was stolen from me, and I was left with a shell to try to survive, in constant physical pain at that.
Sue,
Your words are fantastic. I consider us, everyone of us, on the face of the earth to be normal. My normal is a bell shaped curve that is truly a circle…it takes us all in.
This is great! How DO you verbally engage trauma victims in recognizing and modifying their deep brain responses/
im from holland i have extreme ptsd! I don,t understand why we have to talk about every trauma that happend ! For me that didn,t work out. I was in the traumacenter in Leeuwarden,but the treatment made me so emotionel!
They said the would take it very slow with me because whaqt happend to me from baby to now was to much to talk about !
But my brain went crazy lol! And all bad things came out at once !! a suiicide atempt after that,i stopped this program!
I did talk about all the shit that happend to me but it doesnt work ,not for me all they do now is stuffing me with meds !! like 20 a day and that doesnt work either anymore!! So i dont know if there is a cure for ptsd!!
Being am drugged up and listening to someone who hasn’t got a clue what you have been through,but is supposed to be an expert,has not helped me one bit!!!Get clean that’s best!!
How does person with a very serious concussion following a vehicular accident ( was hospitalized a month) cope and what strategies are needed to ensure recovery is on going and without many permanent effects? How long is a normal time for healing and being able to function as normal person!
I am writing you because I am a survivor of trauma, and a very mentally and physically abusive marriage of 15 years, similar to a sexual cult. I believe he suffered from D.I.D.S, but was never diagnosed. I am now a single mother of two beautiful teenage children, daughter 15, and son 14. We have been away from the situation for 5 yrs. As a result of the abuse my daughter whom I have learned was sexually abused by her father, a threat he regularly made but I thought I had thwarted. She is now not living at home, smoking dope and out of school. She has self harmed, cutting for years, been hospitalized for attempted suicide and is having a difficult time functioning outside her anger. I’ve exhausted all “help” locally in terms of psychiatry and counseling. I read a few of your articles and watched some of your interviews. I am fascinated with your approach on trauma and abuse.
I have been doing heart Math, meditating and hypnosis in an attempt to rewire my system and heal with the help of Dirk Terpstra a fellow Dutchman here in Vernon BC, Canada. Unfortunately I have not been able to get my daughter to do the same. Age, maturity abuse and development has left her an angry mess. My son had not shown the similar outward traits as his sister. I can feel his underlying anger self disapproval, frustration of abandonment. I have begun very gentle meditation and positive feedback with him at home and through sport.
I realize the scars we all have are far deeper than I was first was willing to admit and I feel very lost in furthering myself and my children’s healing path. I struggle between wanting/needing to heal myself and to heal my children. My daughter has rebelled against everything that has been attempted to help her, including me. I had to literally “let go” of her and walk away to allow her to turn and come back in some form. She has begun to do this and now I feel I am at a pivotable place to provide help for her and my son. While my daughter has “acted out” more than my son because of the type of abuse she suffered I am aware that my son also has scars which will undoubtedly rear up soon.
All I seem to find in our system is pills and lack of psychotherapy to back it up, possibly a misunderstanding of the abuse at its core. After reading and listening to you, everything seemed so much clearer.
Do you have any suggestions as to how I should proceed? I feel helpless watching my children suffer.
Excellent description…so helpful in helping me understand my 18 year old foster daugher who has lived with me for 14 years. Her diagnosis is Complex Early Trauma. She also has diagnoses such as Autism, Reactive Attachment Disorder-disinhibited type, OCD, ODD, emerging personality disorder etc. so I am sure you can surmise how my foster daughter “presents”
Birth Mom has had BPD diagnosis.
I want to know how to work with people who may have be traumatized in their enviroment growing up and now as adults they continue to be retraumatized on a regular basis by society (e.g. racism).
I am an African American therapist who was told I had PTSD by one of my professors while in school. Today I work with people just like myself who struggle with the racial divide we are experiencing in the country. It is real, it is hurtful and it is harmful. How can I help myself and others
This truly validates what I am observing anecdotally in all three areas with my Soldiers as they return from Combat.
I was in tears after viewing the 3 minute video.This is so right on….. mental and physical symtoms are observed. I am a certified exercise physiologist and hatha yoga instructor…Knowing this will help me futher in my healing from traumatic events. I recognized all three behaviors that I find difficult to deal with and/ or to talk about. Thank you!
Very interesting information as well as validating. Thanks for sharing! I’ve uploaded onto Facebook.
I have been providing pastoral care to people experiencing PTSD for nearly 10 years. Learning how trauma impacts the brain has been really helpful for improving the care I give, as I learn new techniques for helping people move through their trauma to the other side where they can experience wholeness and joy again. I am beginning to write about these things. I would encourage anyone interested in retraining their brain to check out anything by Dr. Caroline Leaf.
I would like to know if I truly have ptsd. Right now I am having a very difficult time understanding what is going on with myself. I can’t cope and help my daughter’s when they are going through a crisis I tend to just shut down completely /freeze and can’t be there for them. I isolate and just feel so much fear
I’d like to know how to pay for trauma therapy. My experience is that I know what type therapy I need for resolution, but because my life has been run by severe early childhood abuse, I am now chronically ill and living on $700 a month. I am intelligent and articulate, and have lived the ‘poster child’ life of someone with unresolved PTSD and complex trauma. I’ve been in and out of therapy, when I can afford it, since 1976, and find myself, at age 63 living a life of abject poverty with constant pain and illness. I’m just weary. I have a lot to contribute in my field of work, but mostly I am only able to manage day to day reality at this point. Is there any hope?
I am the same age with exactly the same circumstances as you. I’m bright attractive and caring but my life has been ruined by childhood abuse. Everyday I struggle to stay on this planet.
My situation is very similar, compounded by an accident that left me with chronic pain and strokes. My income is slightly higher, but I work part-time and go to school full-time to try to make ends meet financially. Doing all I can, but still sinking and doing it in pain too. It’s a major struggle to get through each day.
Given that the effects involve a physically felt experience and cognitive changes, I would appreciate your knowledge on the most effective way to support vulnerable children who have experienced long term trauma, when they now have to live out of home?
I have a friend I picked up as a homeless man. He was severely beaten by his alcoholic mother and has used heroin for 30 years to deal with it. Because he is homeless and an addict I am having difficulty finding him appropriate help and a way to pay. His illnesses keep him from working and being able to pay for anything. His life depends on help. I am trying to use reiki and eft to help. I don’t want to lose my friend. He has been suicidal several times. He lives in my basement and I feed him. He wants to change his life or die. We live in Delaware. Is there help where he doesn’t have to have drugs in his system. Everywhere he goes for help they say he has to have drugs in his system. If he is not killing himself. They are. Desperately in need of help.
Exactly!
I just want some inner peace!!! HOW? I’m tired of reading inspirational stuff! I need someone to SHOW me how? I’m not into medication and won’t….. I believe I have the capacity to do it but don’t know how.
After 1 attempted armed robbery and another robbery… I am just freaked out.. everyday I live and work in the same environment of these incidents and can’t help but to live it everyday which makes me nervous, edgy and scared. I feel the results of this has also increased my already high temperament.
Apart from the robbery, I am always weary of my vicinity and taking extra precautions (which can be extreme at times, but I think not) and this has restricted my inner and outer growth in terms of living life normally. I am never able to really accept someone else’s opinion in almost any matter and am always objective, reactive and defensive!
Thank you for this series of talks and readings. It is very good to be able to read something or listen to a clip on the issues I care about. I often encounter those who have or are suffering generational trauma and are involved in activism to enhance sense of worth and sense of empowerment. I am an activist on many fronts myself, but as an educator and a community organizer, I also have to maintain professionalism when leading groups of people to accomplish a task. I cannot just openly vent all the time. It is confining bit necessary to keep a positive perspective and to attract more people to help volunteer for tasks, to just give the facts and get the facts and both keep my own negative remarks to myself or not feed the fire of other’s angst. I will be working on an agricultural project this summer to help others grow food in an area that is sensitive to social justice and food sovereignty issues. These readings help a great deal to understand some of the things that might be going on in a person’s brain on the neurological and physiological levels, so maybe I’ll recognize that kind of trauma when I encounter it. Any more tips? I welcome all your expertise.
I am a visual artist that do art groups and now I am training to be an art therapist. I have a lot of older people affected by generational traumas and hurts. I am finding that doing arts is helping them to slowly relax and are able to talk about their experiences and start expressing these hurts. Do I need to involve specialist like psychologist, councilors etc.?
I was wondering if a client had trauma say 20 to 30 years ago and could possible symptoms were appear now?
Yes, yes, yes…I am a Patient Like Me…I was able to accept, forgive, be grateful. My trauma began at birth, although I only remember back to age 4 and conversations that were ongoing. I come from a large family, and my parents believed for years, I was not theirs, add in emotional, physical and sexual abuse…I was able to survive with primarily trust issues…it was not until I crashed, big time, with pernicious anemia that I was hit, 1,2, & 3 with PTSD, GED and panic attacks. I had always walked toward any fear without a reaction. Now, I do walk forward…slower but my entire body reacts.
I recently experienced a domestic assault, and feel like I’ll never be the same. Especially as I have been made out to be the abuser.
I’m a mess, and in some days am so angry about the events I am almost driven to do harm to myself and the perpetrstor. I am the aggressive one. I’ve never experienced this before. Am I going crazy? Is it grief? Or is it trauma? I don’t like how I’m behaving.
It would seem that there are different types of trauma and subsequently different degrees of how trauma has affected an at risk individuals. My exposure and that of my children was as a result of ineffective care for my husband who suffered a brain injury following a motor vehicle injury despite cardinal manifestations of a frontal lobe injury which traumatically, 5 years later, ended in his suicide.
My questions are:
1) How should trauma related disorders be screened?
2) Are there a spectrum of disorders related to trauma and if so, how are they diagnosed?
3) What are effective treatments for trauma related disorders and, importantly, how can these treatments be accessed?
4) Please provide information on the outcomes associated with recovering from a traumatic event related disorder.
Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration of these questions.
Wonderful questions!
I find the whole experience of trauma very interesting. And probably most important for me to understand as I figure I am a victim of trauma a number of times, and I never realized it changed the brain. What I don’t understand is—-does it physically change the brain and can it be repaired?
It’s remarkable for me to have a site, which is helpful designed for
my knowledge. thanks admin
techniques to use with individuals to help them process trauma when they have aphasia and do not recall the event for weeks prior to several weeks following the traumatic event/accident.
What Psychometric tool or questionnaire do you use to assess the presence of complex Trauma?