Good Evening Alyssa,
You correctly described Nate's actions as disassociation, which I like. This kind of behavior, in my opinion, is extremely typical not only in chaotic and dysregulated settings like the boys' family, but also in "normal" circumstances where people might experience discomfort, like after a hard day at work or when they're by themselves in public (i.e., using a cell phone for privacy). Disassociation has been shown to decrease heart rate and peripheral circulation while increasing disengagement and internalization (The Childtrauma Academy, 2013). I concur that using the senses to discover outside information is a good regulatory strategy. To help Nate get more in tune with his body, it might also be helpful for him to list bodily parts and how he is feeling at the time.
Reference
The ChildTrauma Academy Channel. (2013, December 31).
SevenSlideSeries: Threat response patterns
. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr-OXkk3i8E
Good Evening Brooklynn, Great Post this week! I concur that Bobby's response to being frozen is accurate. I'm also curious
as to whether his position as the middle kid influences how he handles and adjusts to stress. The eldest brother, Nate, ended up phoning for assistance when they returned home from school and saw their mother unconscious. Nate uses video games to dissociate himself on a regular basis as a coping mechanism (Walden University LLC, 2022). Because Nate is older and tends to be a more active participant, Bobby has never had to make snap judgments or take decisive action, so when he is put in a scenario where he is the only one responsible, as at school, he freezes. Bobby
may exhibit greater dissociative behavior, too, if the birth sequence were reversed, I wonder. It is
vital for social workers to understand that people who are dysregulated may not be completely aware of the decisions they are making because their nervous systems are taking over to maximize survival during an active state of dysregulation (Polyvagal Institute, 2021).
Reference
Polyvagal Institute. (2021, March 10). Trauma and the nervous system: A polyvagal perspective.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH5JQDAqA8E&t=0s
Links to an external site.
Walden University, LLC. (2022).
Social work case studiesLinks to an external site.
Links to an external site.
[Interactive media].
https://waldenu.instructure.com
