How is it even conceivable, that people can gain control over the imprints of their past trauma and once again be in control of themselves? Talking about it, understanding it and support systems help. Drugs can help hinder the alarm systems in our brain. Various therapeutic interventions abound . We now know that by having actual physical experiences that completely contradict the helplessness, anger, hopelessness and fear can help us gain self control once again. There is no preferred treatment or single approach that fits everybody. Although the symptoms we encounter are the same, we are all uniquely crafted individuals. I have seen several different methods work, and produce amazing changes. It depends on the nature of the trauma and distinct individual. The worst mistake that has been made in the treatment of trauma victims and mental health in general, is the one size fits all mentality. Insurance companies do not want to pay claims without formal diagnosis, and despite changes to the DSM (we are on version 5 now!), The critical component remains. Each person was crafted uniquely, forged in the fires of trauma, and refined by by adversity. Until we understand who we truly are, we cannot begin our healing journey. I believe that only victims of trauma can truly even attempt to help other victims. The distrust, fear, public stigma and lack of understanding continue to keep us in the shadows, isolated and trying to hold it together on our own. The truth is we are not alone! All of us are a family. Even though it may appear to be a dysfunctional one, we are stronger than we realize, and are strongest together!
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Trauma by definition is unbearable and intolerable. Victims of rape, combat veterans, LEO's, children who have been abused or molested and others who have experienced horrific events, often become so upset when they think about what they have endured that they try to push it out of their minds, acting like nothing happened, and move on. It makes me think of one of many colorful acronyms that I have learned in the military. FIDO. F*** It and Drive ON! Fact is it takes tremendous energy to keep functioning while carrying the memory of terror and the shame of utter weakness and vulnerability.
While we all struggle to move beyond our trauma, the part of our brain that is engineered to ensure our survival is not capable of denial. Anatomy of the brain, shows that this part of our brain lies deep below our rational brain. Hmmm, that is very interesting isn't it! Long after the traumatic experience is over, it activates at the slightest hint of danger! Disturbed brain circuits mobilize, and massive amounts of stress hormones are secreted. Thus we experience unpleasant emotions, intense physical sensations, and impulsive or aggressive actions. These posttraumatic reactions feel overwhelming, almost more intense than the traumatic event itself. As trauma survivors we feel out of control and fear that we are permanently damaged and beyond redemption. Years of therapy, recovery, self help, medications and even obtaining a Doctoral degree in Psychology did not provide me with redemption. My damaged brain, body and soul could not even conceive of what redemption was. My personal journey led me to my "Higher Power" which for me is Jesus Christ. This is where my journey of HOPE began, and continues to ensure my sanity and survival. I could not understand redemption, until I understood that Christ is redemption! Our wounded soul must be the first to heal, or nothing else will ever be effective. I write this today in the hopes that you will know that you can be redeemed. There is absolutely nothing that is bigger than the love and peace that God has given me. Now I persevere every day with the passion to help as many as I can, striving to turn my pain into purpose...... You do not have to be a combat hardened soldier, or visit a refugee camp in Syria or Africa to experience trauma. Trauma happens to us, our families, our friends and our neighbors. Research done by the CDC has shown that one in five Americans was sexually molested as a child. One in four children was beaten by a parent to the point of leaving a physical wound. One in three couples engages in physical violence. 25% of us grew up with alcoholic relatives, and one in eight have witnessed their mother being beaten or hit.
As human beings we are extremely resilient, but traumatic experiences do leave traces.... sometimes on a large scale, imprinting our histories and cultures. More often it is close to home, on our families, with deep dark secrets that are passed down through generational curses. We must acknowledge that trauma also affects our minds and emotions, our capacity for joy and intimacy, and even our biology and immune systems. Trauma affects not only those who are directly exposed to it, but also those around them. I have discussed this many times in peer groups, individual counseling and in courses I have presented. "We leak", whether we are conscious of it or not. Similar to the smell of alcohol exuding from ones pores as the body tries to expel the poison. Our traumatic experiences leak out of us in many ways. We frighten our families with our rages and emotional absence. Our spouses tend to become depressed, and children are at great risk of growing up insecure and anxious. Having been exposed to family violence and abuse as a child, makes it difficult to establish stable, trusting relationships as an adult, thus continuing the cascade of damage generationally. What is the cost? Do you have the courage to stop the chain of abuse? Can you you fathom a God that has a purpose for your pain? It all begins with hope....Are you ready to start healing? It takes a choice... maybe the most difficult one that you will ever make, but I promise you it can be done! Recent Studies of the brain have found that victims of trauma suffer injury to the left frontal lobe of the cortex, in a region called Broca's area. Imaging of the brains of trauma survivors indicated a significant decrease in activity of that part of the brain. Broca's area is one of the speech centers of the brain, which is often affected in stroke patients when the blood supply to that region is cut off. Without a functioning Broca's area, you cannot express your thoughts or feelings into words. Scans of the brain have shown that this area of the brain goes completely offline whenever a flashback is triggered. In other words, we have VISUAL PROOF that the effects of trauma can manifest the same as physical lesions like strokes. This explains the inability of many trauma victims to verbalize what is happening to them as they reexperience the symptoms of trauma exposure. This inability to speak, inhibits the healing process. Even years later traumatized people often have enormous difficulty telling other people what has happened to them. Their bodies reexperience terror, rage and helplessness, but these feelings are impossible to express. Trauma by nature drives us to the edge of reasonable comprehension of an unimaginable past. With this new information, we know that extra care must be taken to pry the horrible memories from the brain... but also that we have evidence of physical injury, which in turn gives us the ability to realize that healing can take place, thus the beginning of HOPE!
Trauma is not just an event that happened in the past. Trauma leaves an imprint of the experience on mind, brain, body and soul. This imprint leaves lasting consequences that effect how we manage to survive in the present. Trauma results in a complete reorganization of not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.
Finding the words to describe what has happened to us can be profoundly meaningful, but is usually not enough. Telling our story doesn't alter the physical and hormonal responses of our bodies that remain hypervigilant, preparing to be assaulted or violated at any time. In order for real change to take place, our body needs to learn that the danger has passed and how to live in the reality of the present. As we search to understand trauma, we have to think differently not only about the structure of the mind but also about the processes by which it heals. In order to do this, we must first address the moral wound we have sustained.. and to seek hope... without this first step, we cannot begin our healing journey. |
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