The Body Keeps The Score Summary

Post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) is one of the leading mental issues in the world right now. It includes introduction to injury including passing or the danger of death, genuine damage, or sexual brutality. Something is traumatic when it is exceptionally startling, overpowering and causes a considerable measure of pain. Injury is regularly sudden, and numerous individuals say that they felt feeble to stop or change the occasion. Traumatic occasions might incorporate wrongdoings, common fiascos, mishaps, war or strife, or different dangers to life. It could be an occasion or circumstance that one encounters or something that transpires, including friends and family. The post-traumatic stress is not subject to any definite experience a priori,

Trauma can be defined as an event or experience that hinders an individual’s ability to cope (Covington, 2008). These experiences have the power to alter biology and brain function, especially earlier on in life. Trauma can change an individual’s world-view, impacting their sense of self. This can lead to difficulties with self-regulation and higher incidences of impulsive behavior (Markoff et al., 2005). Often, individuals who have endured traumatic incidences turn to self-medication as a form of coping (De Bellis, 2002).

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

Trauma is an individual’s visceral reaction to a horrible event, events such as early childhood traumas, accidents, sexual abuse, or community violence (apa.org, 2016). An individual may react with shock and denial in the aftermath. As time continues some reactions may comprise of mood swings, intrusive memories, difficulties maintaining relationships and can manifest into physical symptoms to include headache or upset stomach. There are individuals who experience difficulties functioning in their daily lives; these observable responses are a normal response to the trauma (apa.org, 2016).

At least 50% of all adults and children are exposed to a psychologically traumatic event (such as a life-threatening assault or accident, humanmade or natural disaster, or war). As many as 67% of trauma survivors experience lasting psychosocial impairment, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); panic, phobic, or generalized anxiety disorders; depression; or substance abuse.(Van der Kolk, et al, 1994) Symptoms of PTSD include persistent involuntary re-experiencing of traumatic distress, emotional numbing and detachment from other people, and hyperarousal (irritability, insomnia, fearfulness, nervous agitation). PTSD is linked to structural neurochemical changes in the central nervous system which may have a direct

This theory proposes that a traumatic event produces maladaptive assumptions and beliefs about the world, other people, and the self that interfere with recovery (Schultz, Barnes-Proby, Chandra, Jaycox, Maher, & Pecora, 2012). CBITS uses cognitive-behavioral techniques (for example, psychoeducation, relaxation, social problem solving, cognitive restructuring, and exposure). Cognitive-behavioral therapies work to teach people skills to combat these underlying issues, including correction of maladaptive assumptions, processing the traumatic experience instead of avoiding it, learning new ways to reduce anxiety and solve problems, building peer and parent support, and building confidence to confront stress in the future (Schultz, et al.,

Fred Rogers once said, “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important trust can help us know that we are not alone.” After a trauma, it may take time to process. Memories scatter and soon start to feel overwhelming.

Goodman, R. D. (2015). Trauma counseling and interventions: Introduction to the special issue. Journal Of Mental Health Counseling, 37(4), 283-294.

Most people often fail to perceive trauma accurately. In many occasions, some individuals often dismiss or think of it as something that is curable. However, it is an unfortunate and complicated form of damage that requires careful consideration and is not easy to deal with. Besides, trauma occurs on a scale that varies depending on each individual. It is arguable that nearly every individual has dealt with trauma in their lives.

Pre-existing knowledge tells me that experiences, environments, and traumas from our childhood shape us as adults. This text digs deeper and explains the connections between trauma, neuroscience and psychotherapy. The content that will help inform my conceptualization of clients the most are the vivid illustrations of the stress response and the brain's mechanisms with facts and images that form in the mind without being too detailed or confusing. Through association, we weave all of our incoming sensory signals together; sound, sight, touch, and scent to create the whole

Treating the body is very powerful because the body is a feedback system to the brain, so when we bring the body into sensory awareness and into a sense of safety and comfort then it will signal back to the mind “I am actually alright”, and the trauma begins to be healed. In this regard, you switched off the messages that caused the distress (Rothschild,

This treatment approach is based on cognitive and learning theories, tackling-misleading beliefs related to the traumatic events of acknowledgments related to the abuse and provides a supportive environment of which individuals are encouraged to talk about their traumatic experience. A numerous amount of research has been carried out to investigate into how effective CBT really can be for PTSD. (Resick et al, 2002) carried out an investigation comparing CBT with strong cognitive restructuring focus and CBT with a strong exposure focus and to a waiting-list control of rape survivors. Prior to this experiment approximately 80% of patients who completed either form of CBT no longer met the criteria for PTSD. Once this investigation was complete a follow up treatment took place of which it was noted 2% of the waiting list group had lost the PTSD diagnoses. Only a year after this investigation Bryant, Moulds, Guthrie, Dang & Nixon, (2003) restructured the experiment comparing exposure alone, exposure plus cognitive restructuring, and supportive counselling in civilians with PTSD resulting from various traumatic events. At this particular follow up 65-80% of participants who either completed either form of CBT were now clear of PTSD diagnosis, compared to less than 40% of those who completed supportive counselling.

The American Psychitric Association explains Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as “the experience of a traumatic event that is followed by the persistence of re-experiencing the same or a similar event and results into the symptoms of two clusters in PTSD i.e. increased arousal and avoidance” (Roberts, 2011). When a patient develops PTSD then his/her emotions and sensation about the traumatic event lead them towards a life of suffering. whenever the trauma replays it leads towards the sensations and increases distress (Hughes, 2011). An example of a factor that can lead to PTSD is sexual abuse. Research evidenced that a significant proportion of the victims of sexual abuse have become traumatised which leads them towards PTSD (Bender, 2010).

When I decided to take the trauma course, I was hesitant at first to take it. I did not know what to expect nor felt I would be prepare listen to stories about traumatic occurrences, despite of the number of years I have worked in the field of community mental health. Therefore, now that we are in week eight, I am delighted to have taken this course. The impression I had at first, has changed my insight concerning what is trauma, as for many years, I did not understand why a person in many instances, could not process their trauma. In a quote by Chang stated, “The greater the doubt, the greater the awakening; the smaller the doubt, the smaller the awakening. No doubt, no awakening” (Van Der Kolk, 2014, p. 22). The goes in congruence with my understanding on trauma and how it has changed during this course. As a result, I feel I am awakening when acquiring more about trauma.

Judith Herman’s Trauma and Recovery was an amazing read because it tackles the question of “What does it actually mean to be traumatized?” Every single person, no matter how old, has experienced some level of fear— especially those of us who live in NYC! Whether it’s a yellow cab running a red light as you cross 56th Street, the aggressive homeless man on the 6 train who can’t accept the fact that you don’t have any spare change to give, or that time you decided to have street meat for dinner and were stuck on the toilet for the remainder of your night, we can all identify the ways in which our body responds to moments of distress. You may break out into a sprint, your heart beats against your chest as you sweat profusely, and you might even shed tears. In those moments, your entire existence becomes focused around the perceived life or death situation.