Traumatic Experiences Community Check-In 15 June 2020

Traumatic Experiences Community Check-In June 15, 2020

Good morning everyone. I hope you all are doing well. The topic for the Check-In today is Resilience. Resilience is key when overcoming trauma. The simplest definition of the term is the ability for an individual to recover quickly from difficulties or toughness. Resilience as it relates to trauma can be defined in many different ways; whether it be positive child outcomes despite exposure to trauma, prevention of trauma recurrence despite high risk for further exposure, or avoidance of traumatic experiences altogether in the face of significant risk.

The first step towards building ones resiliency is to realize the widespread impact of trauma and to understand the potential paths towards recovery. There are many types of trauma that an individual may experience throughout the course of their life. It could range from abuse and neglect as a child to frightening or painful medical procedures. Understanding the impact of the trauma an individual has faced is pivotal in deciding what the best course of treatment will be moving forward. Some individuals may find progress in therapy where others may regress by pursuing such options. Another may find comfort in meditation that they would not find in a therapy session. Recovery varies for all individuals, ultimately being up to the person who experienced trauma to decide what is best for them.

The second step towards building ones resiliency is to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in regards to ones self. Many people experience strong physical or emotional reactions immediately following the experience of a traumatic event. Most people will notice that their feelings dissipate over the course of a few days or weeks. However, for some individuals, the symptoms of psychological trauma may be increasingly severe and last longer. This may be the result of the nature of the traumatic event, availability of emotional support, past and present life stressors, personality types, and available coping mechanisms. Below is a list of many signs and symptoms of trauma.

Cognitive:

Intrusive thoughts of the event that may occur out of the blue

Nightmares

Visual images of the event

Loss of memory and concentration abilities

Disorientation

Confusion

Mood swings

Behavioral:

Avoidance of activities or places that trigger memories of the event

Social isolation and withdrawal

Lack of interest in previously-enjoyable activities

Physical:

Easily startled

Tremendous fatigue and exhaustion

Rapid heart rate

Edginess

Insomnia

Chronic muscle patterns

Sexual dysfunction

Changes in sleeping and eating patterns

Vague complaints of aches and pains throughout the body

Extreme alertness; always on the lookout for warnings of potential danger

Psychological:

Overwhelming fear

Obsessive and compulsive behaviors

Detachment from other people and emotions

Emotional numbing

Depression

Guilt – especially if one lived while others perished

Shame

Emotional shock

Disbelief

Irritability

Anger

Anxiety

Panic attacks

The third step towards building ones resiliency is to respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into ones daily practices. The five guiding principles of trauma informed care are; safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment. Ensuring that the physical and emotional safety of an individual is addressed is the first important step towards providing integrating knowledge about trauma into that individuals daily life.

The fourth step towards building ones resiliency is to resist re-traumatization as an individual goes forward through life. A trauma-informed approach is one way to help prevent re-traumatization of an individual. Coordinated systems that are centered on the individual, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive are best positioned to minimize this risk of re-traumatization. This is not to say to avoid going to places that make one relive said trauma because for some doing such things empowers them. What this means is not to do so before feeling ready to tackle such a task. One may not want to revisit the site of a traumatic car accident and may be triggered by this. To avoid this the individual may take a differing route until the individual feels they are empowered enough to overcome this trauma. Sometimes this cannot be avoided however and in those cases. Trying ones best not to go into explicit detail of experienced trauma is another way to resist re-traumatization. Appreciating ones own struggle is also a way of doing this. It is not easy trying to overcome traumatic experiences and it is best to give oneself credit for the ability to make it this far through it.

We may not be able to resist re-traumatization all of the time but by following these steps we can at least avoid doing so some of the times traumatic events dig their way back into our minds. Remember the positive coping strategies you may use. Remain mindful of everything around you. Remember that you are strong and have made it this far through all you have experienced. Positive affirmations worked wonders for myself and I do recommend them to all of you.

Before ending this Check-In I will ask of you these three questions:

How are you feeling today?

What methods have you or would you consider using to build resilience to trauma you have faced?

What topics would you recommend for a future check-in?

As always I hope you all have a better today than yesterday, in hopes of a brighter tomorrow my friends!!!

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