Psychological Trauma Psychology

Sitting in the middle of the floor was a sixteen year old girl who had just finished a basketball game. Usually after games, the girl would sit with the rest of the team to watch the boys play. Instead, the girl walked out of the gym with tears freely falling from her cheeks hoping nobody would notice them. After she had sat down, a few members of the team noticed her absence and went looking for her. The reason the girl didn’t want to be seen with tears was because some others on the team had been experiencing the same thing that she was. What this girl was experiencing was emotional trauma created by her male coach. The

The term “Psychological trauma” refers to damage wrought from a traumatic event, which that damages one’s ability to cope with stressors. “Trauma” is commonly defined as an exposure to a situation in which a person is confronted with an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to self or others’ physical well-being (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Specific types of client trauma frequently encountered by which therapists and other mental health workers frequently encounter in a clinical setting include sexual abuse, physical , or sexual assault, natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis, domestic violence, and school or/and work related violence (James & Gilliland, 2001). Traumatic

Traumatizing events are happening all over the world, and are being caused by pitiless gang

Chapter five discussed trauma and stress disorders. Two of these disorders being acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. For this week’s discussion we were asked to discuss what types of events in modern society might trigger these disorders. I feel that many events could trigger this type of disorder. The initial events that come to mind are the Iraq war, Hurricane Matthew that is affecting the east coast currently, the San Bernardino terrorist attack, death of a child, and being a victim of a sexual assault. I think that all of these can be extremely stressful for an individual. However, people on the outside may view one event to be more traumatic than another. Some things that may help relieve the stresses of modern society

Trauma occurs when a child has experienced an event that threatens or causes harm to her emotional and physical well-being. Events can include war, terrorism, natural disasters, but the most common and harmful to a child’s psychosocial well-being are those such as domestic violence, neglect, physical and sexual abuse, maltreatment, and witnessing a traumatic event. While some children may experience a traumatic event and go on to develop normally, many children have long lasting implications into adulthood.

Exposure to traumatic experiences has always been a part of human life. From back hundreds of years ago till now, for example, attacks by saber tooth tigers or twenty-first century terrorists have likely led to similar psychological responses in survivors of such violence. Literary accounts offer the first descriptions of what we now call posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For example, authors including Homer (The Iliad), William Shakespeare (Henry IV), and Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities) wrote about traumatic experiences and the symptoms that followed such events. The PTSD diagnosis has filled an important gap in psychiatry in that its cause was the result of an event the individual suffered, rather than a personal weakness. PTSD became a diagnosis with influence from several social movements, such as Veteran, feminist, and Holocaust survivor advocacy groups. Research about Veterans returning from combat was a critical piece to the creation of the diagnosis. War takes a physical and emotional toll on service members, families, and their communities. So, the history of what

The United States has made sure to give veterans the respect and love they need for risking their lives to keep our country and freedoms safe. From national holidays to early retirement, the government has done everything they can to help aid the veterans once they return from combat. However, with the duty of protecting our country comes the risk of veterans’ lives. Even if they survive they will have aliments that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Most of the aliments people associates with veterans returning home from battle are physical, such as losing an arm or a leg. However, the mental effects of war are far more serious than any physical wound a person could ever have. Experiencing the horror of war effects how soldiers

There is often an expectation that someone who has survived a traumatic event would be happy for being alive. But there are those who have gone through a traumatic event and have developed a condition known as survivor’s guilt and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and are actually unhappy or depressed that they survived. This condition not only affects the survivors, but those around them as well.

When looking at those that have experienced the traumatic event first however, the most common substance used is alcohol. This can be explained by the endorphin compensation hypothesis. When someone experiences a traumatic event their brain produces endorphins as a way to reduce the pain and cope with the stress. However, when the event is over, the body goes into endorphin withdrawal because the levels of endorphins gradually decrease. This withdrawal can also cause more emotional stress such as anxiety and depression, which contributes to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. This not only happens during the initial traumatic event but also when re-experiencing the same event because of their flashback symptoms. Alcohol however increases

Individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress are accustomed to high levels of stress from the initial traumatic. This trauma continues to live in an individual through nightmares and flashbacks. Many individuals who have tolerated post-traumatic stress suffer from memory loss and other brain related changes. According to Moyer (2016), the hippocampal size in the brain has been shown to have an inverse relationship to the duration of PTSD symptoms; chronic stress conditions might continue to damage the hippocampus even after the initial trauma. Moyer (2016) also states that aside from increased stress caused by PTSD symptoms, a lack of control of cortisol levels might cause further damage to the brain, resulting in increased brain changes

Post traumatic stress can be developed in not just war zones but also with street/gang violence, sexual abuse, and physical abuse, therefore it needs more attention so victims will be less likely to commit suicide and will be able to get the right form of treatment.

You are cordially invited to a Trauma and Grief Support Group. This education and support group will provide materials and discussions on a variety of topics to assist individuals in their grieving process.

Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Often this is the case, however, certain trauma is too overwhelming for the body and mind to recover from. Instead of becoming stronger as the German philosopher quoted some things can emotionally and physically weaken the body. In fact when confronted with huge amounts of stress there are some who have emotional and mental breakdowns, which can result in posttraumatic stress disorder commonly known as PTSD. This anxiety disorder may occur after experiencing or witnessing a trauma or life-threatening event that causes severe feelings of helplessness and fear. In the following research paper the psychology and neuroscience background of PTSD will be examined, theories

The most critical component in the psychological development of a lust murderer is violent fantasy. Fantasies accompany "intrusive thoughts about killing someone that are associated with other distressing psychopathological processes". Sometimes the experience of killing can generate new fantasies of violence, creating a repetitive cycle. The purpose of fantasy is total control of the victim, whereas a sexual assault can be used as a vehicle for control. Sexual torture becomes a tool to degrade, humiliate, and subjugate the victim. Often victims are selected by the killer to stand as a proxy, resulting from childhood trauma. Typically, fantasies involve one or several forms of paraphilia. And of course, personality disorders and mental illnesses

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.