|
i almost feel as if i have been at a standing face-off with
the memories of my traumas & no one will be the winner....
i've been at this face-off - stand still position for about
5 years now. that's right.... 5 years
i cower unknowingly on a good day in its shade...
although i am free from the overt symptoms of the traumas i was once drowning in - the pain still suppresses
my authentic self...
the fear overwhelms me still - five years into recovery - trauma is all encompassing, undescribable, forever
engraved in your being... don't expect it to ever go away...
you just begin to learn how to live with it... standing there
across from you... you befriend its enormity...
you adapt to the simple slip into hyper arousal at any simple trigger...
Effects of Traumatic Experiences
A
National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet by Eve B. Carlson, Ph.D. & Josef Ruzek, Ph.D.
When people find themselves suddenly in danger, sometimes they are overcome with feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror. These events are called traumatic experiences.
Some common traumatic experiences include:
- being physically attacked
- being in a serious accident
- being in combat
- being sexually assaulted
- being in a fire or a disaster like a hurricane or a tornado
After traumatic experiences,
people may have problems that they didn't have before the event.
If these problems are severe
and the survivor doesn't get help for them, they can begin to cause problems in the survivor's family.
In thinking about mental health it's important to realize how traumas can affect those who experience
them as well as family members' reactions to the traumatic event. The family of the survivor
must learn to cope with the survivor's symptoms and behaviors. Finally, suggestions are made about what a survivor and his
or her family can do to get help for PTSD.
 
How do traumatic experiences
affect people? People who go through traumatic experiences often have symptoms
and problems afterward. How serious the symptoms and problems are depends on many things including:
- a person's life experiences before the trauma
- a person's own natural ability to cope with stress
- how serious the trauma
was
- what kind of help and support a person gets from family and friends and professionals immediately following the trauma
Because most trauma survivors aren't familiar with how trauma affects people, they often
have trouble understanding what is happening to them.
They may think the trauma is their fault, that they're going crazy, or that there is something wrong with
them because other people who experienced the trauma don't appear to have the same problems.
Survivors may turn to drugs or alcohol to make themselves feel better. They may turn away from friends and family who don't seem to understand. They may not know what to do to get better.
a terrible question
Every year thousands of drivers experience the trauma of
knowing that they've caused the death of another person. For many of them, says Kelly Connor, the nature of this trauma is too vast, too unknown and too dreadful to contemplate
What do trauma survivors need to know?
· Traumas happen to many competent, healthy, strong, good people. No one can completely protect him or herself from traumatic experiences.
·
Many people have long-lasting problems following exposure to trauma. Up to
8% of individuals will have PTSD at some time in their lives.
·
People who react to traumas are not going crazy. They're experiencing
symptoms and problems that are connected with having been in a traumatic situation.
·
Having symptoms after a traumatic event is not a sign of personal weakness.
Many psychologically well-adjusted and physically healthy people develop PTSD. Probably everyone would develop PTSD if they were exposed to a severe enough trauma.
·
When a person understands trauma symptoms better, he or she can become less fearful of them and better able to manage them.
·
By recognizing the effects of trauma and knowing more about symptoms, a person is better able to decide about getting treatment.
What are the common effects of trauma?
During a trauma,
survivors often become overwhelmed with fear. Soon after the traumatic experience, they
may re-experience the trauma mentally and physically. Because
this can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful, survivors tend to avoid reminders of the trauma. (avoidance behavior)
These symptoms create a problem that is called post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). PTSD is a specific set of problems resulting from a traumatic experience and is recognized by medical and mental-health professionals.
Re-experiencing Symptoms:
Trauma survivors commonly
re-experience their traumas. This means that the survivor experiences again the same mental,
emotional and physical experiences that occurred during or just after the trauma.
These include:
- thinking about the trauma
- seeing images of the event
- feeling agitated
- having physical sensations like those that occurred during
the trauma
Trauma survivors find themselves:
Because they're anxious and physically agitated, they may have trouble sleeping and concentrating. The survivor usually can't control these symptoms or stop them from happening.
Mentally re-experiencing the trauma
can include:
·
Upsetting memories such as images or thoughts about the trauma
·
Feeling as if the trauma is happening again (flashbacks)
·
Bad dreams and nightmares
·
Getting upset when reminded about the trauma (by
something the person sees, hears, feels, smells, or tastes)
·
Anxiety or fear, feeling in danger again
·
Anger or aggressive feelings and feeling the need to defend oneself
·
Trouble controlling emotions because reminders lead to sudden anxiety, anger or upset
·
Trouble concentrating or thinking clearly
People also can have physical reactions to trauma
reminders such as:
·
Trouble falling or staying asleep
·
Feeling agitated and constantly on the lookout for danger
·
Getting very startled by loud noises or something or someone coming up on you from behind when you don't expect it
·
Feeling shaky and sweaty
·
Having your heart pound or having trouble breathing
Because trauma survivors have these upsetting feelings when they feel stress or are reminded of their trauma, they often act as if they're in danger again. They might
get overly concerned about staying safe in situations that aren't truly dangerous.
i.e., a person living in a
safe neighborhood might still feel that he has to have an alarm system, double locks on the door, a locked fence and a guard dog.
Because traumatized people often feel like they're in danger even when they're not, they may be overly aggressive and lash out to protect themselves when there's no need.
i.e., a person
who was attacked might be quick to yell at or hit someone who seems to be threatening.
Re-experiencing symptoms
are a sign that the body and mind are actively struggling to cope with the traumatic experience. These symptoms are automatic, learned responses to trauma reminders.
The trauma has become associated with many things so that when the person experiences these things,
he or she is reminded of the trauma and feels that he or she is in danger again. It's also
possible that re-experiencing symptoms are actually a part of the minds attempt to make sense of what has happened.
Avoidance Symptoms:
Because thinking about the trauma and feeling as if you're in danger is upsetting, people who have been through traumas often try to
avoid reminders of the trauma. Sometimes survivors are aware that they're avoiding reminders, but other times survivors don't realize that their behavior is motivated by the need to avoid reminders of the trauma.
Ways of avoiding thoughts, feelings and sensations associated with the trauma can include:
·
Actively avoiding trauma-related thoughts and memories
·
Avoiding conversations and staying away from places, activities, or people that might remind you of the trauma
·
Trouble remembering important parts of what happened during the trauma
·
Shutting down emotionally or feeling emotionally numb
·
Trouble having loving feelings or feeling any strong emotions
·
Finding that things around you seem strange or unreal
·
Feeling strange
·
Feeling disconnected from the world around you and things that happen to you
·
Avoiding situations that might make you have a strong emotional reaction
·
Feeling weird physical sensations
·
Feeling physically numb
·
Not feeling pain or other sensations
·
Losing interest in things you used to enjoy doing
Trying to avoid thinking about the trauma and avoiding treatment for trauma-related problems may keep a person from feeling upset in the short term, but avoiding treatment means that in the long term, trauma symptoms will persist.
Secondary symptoms are problems
that arise because of the post traumatic re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms. For example, because a person wants to avoid talking about a traumatic event, she might cut off from friends, which would eventually
cause her to feel lonely and depressed. As time passes after a traumatic experience, more secondary symptoms may develop. Over
time, secondary symptoms can become more troubling and disabling than the original re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms.
Associated symptoms don't
come directly from being overwhelmed with fear; they occur because of other things that were going on at the time of the trauma. For example,
a person who is psychologically traumatized in a car accident might also be physically injured and then get depressed because he can't work or leave the house.
All of these problems can be secondary or associated
trauma symptoms:
Depression can develop when a person has losses connected with the trauma or when a person avoids other people and becomes isolated.
Despair and hopelessness can result when a person is afraid that he or she will never feel better again.
Survivors may lose important beliefs when a traumatic event makes them lose faith that the world is a good and safe place.
Aggressive behavior toward oneself or others can result from frustration over the inability to control PTSD symptoms (feeling that PTSD symptoms run your life). People may also become aggressive when other things that happened at the time of trauma make the person angry (the unfairness of the situation). Some people are aggressive because they grew up with people who lashed out and they were never taught other ways to cope with angry feelings.
Because angry feelings may keep others at a distance, they may stop a person from having positive connections and getting help. Anger and aggression can cause job problems, marital and relationship problems and loss of friendships.
Self-blame, guilt and shame can arise when PTSD symptoms make it hard to fulfill current responsibilities. They can also occur when people fall into the common trap of second-guessing what they did or didn't do at the time of a trauma.
Many people,
in trying to make sense of their experience, blame themselves. This is usually completely unwarranted and fails to hold accountable those who may have actually been responsible for the event. Self-blame causes a lot of distress and can prevent a person from reaching out for help. Sometimes society also blames the victim of a trauma. Unfortunately, this
may reinforce the survivors hesitation to seek help.
People who have experienced
traumas may have problems in relationships with others because they often have a hard time
feeling close to people or trusting people. This is especially likely to happen when the trauma was caused or worsened by other
people (as opposed to an accident or natural disaster).
Trauma survivors may feel
detached or disconnected from others because they have difficulty feeling or expressing positive feelings. After traumas, people can become overwhelmed by their problems or become numb and stop putting energy into their relationships with friends and family.
Survivors may get into arguments
and fights with other people because of the angry or aggressive feelings that are common after a trauma. Also, a person's constant avoidance of social situations (such as family gatherings) may create hurt feelings or animosity in the survivors relationships.
Less interest or participation
in things the person used to like to do may result from depression following a trauma. When a person spends less time doing fun things and being with people,
he or she has fewer chances to feel good and have pleasant interactions.
Social isolation can happen because of social withdrawal and a lack of trust in others. This often leads to the loss of support, friendships and intimacy and it increases fears and worries.
Survivors may have problems
with identity when PTSD symptoms change important aspects of a person's life such as relationships or whether the person can do his or her work well. A person may also question
his or her identity because of the way he or she acted during a trauma.
e.g., a person who thinks of himself as unselfish might think he acted selfishly by saving himself during a disaster. This might make him question whether he really is who he thought he was.
Feeling permanently damaged can result when trauma symptoms don't go away and a person doesn't
believe they will get better.
Survivors may develop problems
with self-esteem because PTSD symptoms make it hard for a person to feel good about him or herself. Sometimes, because of how they behaved at the time of the trauma, survivors feel that they're bad, worthless, stupid, incompetent, evil, etc.
Physical health symptoms and
problems can happen because of long periods of physical agitation or arousal from anxiety. Trauma survivors may also avoid medical care because it reminds them of their trauma and causes anxiety and this may lead to poorer health.
i.e., a rape survivor may
not visit a gynecologist and an injured motor vehicle accident survivor may avoid doctors because they remind him or her that a trauma occurred. Habits used to cope with post traumatic stress, like alcohol use, can also cause health problems. In addition, other things that happened at the time of the trauma
may cause health problems (for example, an injury).
Survivors may
turn to alcohol and drug abuse when they want to avoid the bad feelings that come with PTSD symptoms. Many people use alcohol and drugs as a way to try to cope with upsetting trauma symptoms, but it actually leads to more problems.
How Can the Trauma of Childhood Still Be Affecting Me?
by Margaret (Maggie) Kerrigan, MA LPC
Evan exploded. His one-year-old
son had dropped cereal on the floor for the third time. Usually, Evan has lots of tolerance when his son dropped things, but today he had none. He knew his reaction was over the top for something relatively minor.
Later, when he thought about his reaction he realized that this was just one more time in the past month when he seemed to have no patience with his family. In bed, he became irritable when his wife initiated sex. Lately, he actually preferred to not have any sex. He didn’t admit it to his wife, but
something about it had become disgusting.
When his wife confronted him about his short fuse and his increasing displeasure
with their sexual life, Evan decided to seek therapy with me. To his shock, he began to have memories arise that seemed to point toward childhood sexual abuse. When he let himself feel his rage about the peanut butter, a vivid memory came of a time when his mother forced him to lick peanut butter off her body.
Another time, he remembered
how he was forced to watch his parents have sex. These memories, which came first as body memories of disgust and fear, helped him to realize what he had consciously forgotten for years. His past history of abuse was seriously affecting his relationships with his family.
THREATENED AGAIN
Perhaps you have had experiences similar to Evans. Nothing really stands
out about your childhood. Life is going along relatively well. And then, out of the blue, something happens that sets you
off, brings you to tears or makes you very nervous; you can’t seem to find your way back to your “normal”
life.
You are left wondering what
just hit you. Your family notices how depressed you have become; you no longer have energy to enjoy their company. Or perhaps you start to argue over the smallest things
with your partner and talking with your children creates a battleground.
Physical Intimacy is impossible. At work you are on-guard around your new supervisor; work that once was enjoyable now makes you continuously
anxious. On the other hand, co-workers may shrink away from you because you have a no tolerance for anything less than perfect. Physically, a low-grade pain becomes intense or your sleep worsens and is interrupted with nightmares. In short, daily living becomes a struggle.
SYMPTOMS OF TRAUMA
What has turned your world
upside down could have its roots in childhood abuse. Most likely the current stressor is connected to the past. This thread to the past. could be anything:
What makes the thread so potent is that there is enough similarity between what happened around
the abuse and the current stressor. The tricky part is that initially you may not recognize the connection or that you are acting out a threat response. Anger, anxiety, depression and compromised health can all be signals that you are overwhelmed and have spun back
into the trauma of childhood abuse.
THREAD TO THE PAST
However the current situation is connected to the past, your nervous system is acting as though
the threat of the past is happening again. Your rational thinking mind may say this is not true, but your body has a different reaction.
It’s as though the snapshot that your nervous system took of everything that happened during the abuse is being flashed
continually in front of you making it nearly impossible to see that the current situation is not the real source of threat.
CHILDS’ NATURAL RESPONSES
TO ABUSE
When the body experiences threat several things happen. One is that all the details of the threatening event register in the body. These details may include
such information as identifying characteristics of objects used in the abuse, the perpetrator’s tone of voice, words,
clothing, the location of the assault and season or day of the year to name a few.
Another
common response is forgetfulness about the abuse. At the time of the abuse, you were too young and small to fight or run away.
These natural responses to threat were not an option. Instead, to help anesthetize you from the physical and psyche pain,
you probably became numb in order to turn off what was happening.
By being able to block out
what happened, you were able to stay connected enough with caregivers or other important people in your life , however, what
happened when you were numb.
Thirdly, you may simply not have the words to say what
happened. When a child is terrified the brain produces chemicals that make thinking in language about what happened very difficult.
As a child you may not have been able to create words to describe what happened. Instead, you registered the abuse as pictures
or via other sensory channels including physical sensation. Years later this may still be the case.
However you responded to threat, it’s important to understand that what you initially label as childhood abuse may not be the case. When we are in
a threat response, it’s natural to want to locate the source of threat. If you do this prematurely, you may assign the source of threat to someone wrongly.
For example, you may conclude
that a certain pain in the body originated in childhood abuse but, in fact, came from a surgical procedure. It’s best
to stay open-minded when you follow the threads back into your history and be patient and curious about what your body reveals
to you.
TREATING CHILDHOOD ABUSE
Adults who were abused as children can recover from this kind of traumatic event. Let’s
look at how this can happen.
The first step is to look at your current behavior
and mood as an expression that your nervous system is stuck in a threat response. By starting out with paying attention to how you experience the present situation in your body, the thread to the
past often appears. The remainder of the treatment then will focus on relating to the “real” source of danger-
the perpetrator(s) of the abuse.
In ideal circumstances, the abused child will have
allies to help her or him to move through a natural biological sequence of steps to resolve the
trauma. If this does not happen, the energy that rises at each step has the potential of getting stuck in the body.
Over time this undischarged energy can get bound in the body as symptoms such as physical pain, nightmares, anxiety and depression.
The natural response to threat, when allowed to complete, avoids trauma. Of course, if you did not have supportive people around you who understood what
was happening, it may have been impossible to have a natural response. However, it is important to understand the steps that
did not get to happen, in order to fully heal. These are:
Step 1. Stop and startle. This gives your nervous system
a chance to register that something potentially dangerous is near.
Step 2. Scan the environment to locate the threat.
Step 3. Evaluate the situation to determine if it is dangerous
Step 4. Fight or flee if the situation is dangerous. Even
though you are too small or young to take effective action, your body will still send chemicals coursing through your body
in an attempt to protect you. If, however, you perceive the threat as life threatening, you will freeze like a deer caught in the headlights.
Step 5. Release any residual energy then rest. This may happen
by crying or shaking followed by deep relaxation. These options may have been not available to you as a child because they
brought further assault, and resting was out of the question when the perpetrator acted unpredictably.
As you proceed through each step, you move through time so the snapshot of the abuse no longer runs repeatedly.
The threat response to the abuse becomes something in the past.
But Wait…
I’m in a terrible situation at work. How do I know if my reactions are due to work or to
childhood abuse?
This is a common concern. This question is best answered by starting
out with looking at what is happening right now. Your current situation may be abusive and require that you recognize its
impact on you and take action to address the situation. To do this, it can be helpful to view your response to the current
stressor in the context of the five biological steps I listed above.
If you are able to complete
each step and still feel a threatened, then there may be some underlying childhood abuse that is contributing to your reaction. By asking your self, “Does
anything about the current situation seem familiar?” you may find the thread back to the original abuse.
I have always thought of myself as no good and worthless. My current life proves it. How do I
know if I’m dealing with childhood abuse?
The messages you received as a child
can strongly influence how you think of yourself as an adult. While thinking of yourself as “no good” does not
necessarily mean you were abused as a child, it is important to explore the messages you took in as a child. Ask yourself
if you felt really seen by those close to you.
Many perpetrators do not have the
capacity to understand their victim, nor do they care how the victim feels. In fact, they may think that the victim wants
or deserves the abuse and treat the victim as though they were invisible. The child ends up thinking that she doesn’t
matter. Thinking this way, the child makes choices into adulthood that reflect this self-image.
I’m not sure I want to know if I was abused as a child. Isn’t it better to just not go there?
Intentionally avoiding knowing about childhood abuse can be an effective way to cope. Childhood
abuse is often a well-kept secret. To break the taboo about not talking of childhood abuse may put your reputation and personal
relationships at risk.
If you think this may happen to you, it ‘s best to
begin with finding allies whom you trust will respect and support you regardless of what you discover. In addition, work with
a professional who can help guide you at a pace that does not retruamatize you and who can support you as you face all that
happened.
More About Treating Evan
In Evan’s case, his
mother sexually abused him for many years beginning when he was three. Once Evan and I found the thread back to childhood
abuse, we focused on ways to discharge the unexpressed survival energy that he still held in his nervous system.
Some guidelines that I followed in my work with him included:
1. inviting Evan to imagine having just the right kind and
number of allies who could stand up to his perpetrator;
2. inviting him to remember a time when he felt safe any time
in his life. By having a safe time to recall he could face the frightening times much easier.
3. encouraging him to go into the story, just one step at
a time. I also asked him to tell the story in a non-sequential way. This helped him to not be overwhelmed and retraumatized.
4. observing his body movements, coloration and breath closely.
I also invited him to comment on his internal experience of body sensations and urges to move. This helped me guide him at
a pace that allowed him to complete the necessary biological steps in his own unique way. At one point in a session, his legs
began to move spontaneously in a running movement so he could escape an assault. I did not need to tell him how to defend
himself; his body knew exactly what to do.
His treatment took
a year to complete. During this time we did not have to go into every incident, as there was a positive spill-over affect
as he proceeded with therapy.
As he felt more
confident with the process of attending to body sensations, focusing on small bits of his story and using his imagination
to create scenes in his mind where he saw his uncle defending him, Evan’s nervous system more quickly and effectively
discharged bound energy. With each success, his “I can” attitude became stronger. At discharge, his sleep had
improved; he enjoyed sexual intimacy again and was less easily angered by his son.
Summary
.
· It’s not uncommon that a child forgets the abuse and it may not come into his awareness until, as an adult, something
happens that is similar to the abuse.
· When this happens the adult may act as though the childhood threat is happening now.
· It may be difficult to find the words to describe what happened. Noticing body sensations may
help reveal what happened.
· Healing from the effects of childhood abuse is possible. The most effective paths include
bringing in awareness of the body. Typically, traditional talk therapy alone is not an efficient path to resolving trauma
symptoms.
Next Step?
If you suspect or
are not sure if your current behavior to a recent stressor is related to childhood abuse, consider talking to friends or family
whom you trust will support you regardless of the outcome. If you need additional support sorting out the source of your reactions
and resolving trauma symptoms, consider working with a professional who understands the biological response to threat and how to treat you in way that does not overwhelm or retruamatize you.
Author's Bio
I bring a total of over 15 years experience to this kind of work. This has included over 10 years of experience with clients
with serious dissociative disorders as a result of prolonged childhood traumas.
Drawing upon my training as a licensed
massage therapist and as a licensed professional counselor, I am skilled in working in ways that help the client integrate
and reverse the psychological, emotional and physical effects of trauma.
Since 2004 in addition to maintaining a private
practice, I have worked in the public health sector as an emergency mental health clinician for those in crisis, shock and
pain. As a life long learner, I am committed to ongoing professional development. This has included five years postgraduate
specialized training in treating trauma.
Holding a Masters of Arts degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa
University, I am a licensed professional counselor and adjunct faculty member at Naropa University. I am a graduate of the
Hakomi Institute and of Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing© trauma training and a member of the International
Society
for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.
PTSD & the Family
A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet
By Eve B. Carlson, Ph.D. & Joseph Ruzek, Ph.D.
How does PTSD affect family members?
Because the symptoms of PTSD & other trauma reactions change
how a trauma survivor feels & acts, traumatic experiences that happen to one member of a family can affect everyone else
in the family.
When trauma reactions are severe & go on for some time w/out treatment, they can cause major problems
in a family. Here we'll describe family members' reactions to the traumatic event & to the survivor's symptoms & behaviors.
It's no wonder that family members react to the fact that their loved one has gone through a trauma. It's upsetting
when someone you care about goes through a terrible ordeal. And it's no wonder that people react to the way a traumatized
family member feels & acts.
Trauma symptoms can make a family member hard to get along w/or cause him or her to
withdraw from the rest of the family. It can be very difficult for everyone when these changes occur. Just as people have
different reactions to traumatic experiences, families also react differently when a loved one is traumatized.
In the
section below, many different types of reactions are described. A family may experience many of these reactions, or only a
few. All of the reactions described are common in families who've had to deal w/trauma.
Sympathy
One of the first reactions
many family members have is sympathy for their loved one. People feel very sorry that someone they care about has had to suffer through a terrifying experience. They feel sorry when the person continues to suffer from symptoms of PTSD and other trauma responses.
It can be helpful for the person who has experienced the trauma
to know that his or her family members sympathize with him or her, especially just after the traumatic event occurs.
Sympathy from family members can have a negative effect, though. When family members' sympathy leads them to "baby" a trauma survivor and have low expectations of him or her, it may send a message that the family doesn't believe the trauma survivor is strong enough to overcome the ordeal.
For example,
if a wife has so much sympathy for her husband that she doesn't expect him to work after a traumatic experience, the husband may think that she doesn't have any confidence in his ability to recover and go back to work.
Depression
One source of depression for family members can be the traumatic event itself. All traumas
involve events where people suddenly find themselves in danger. When this happens in a situation or place where people are
used to feeling safe, just knowing the event happened could cause a person to lose faith in the safety and predictability of life.
For example,
if a woman gets mugged in the parking lot of a neighborhood shopping center, her family may find they feel depressed by the idea that they're not really as safe as they thought they were, even in their own neighborhood.
It
can also be very depressing when a traumatic event threatens a person's ideals about the world. For instance, if a man gets traumatized in combat by seeing someone tortured, it can be very depressing to know that people are capable of doing such cruel things to each other.
Before
the man was faced with that event, he may have been able to believe that people are basically good and kind.
Depression is also common among family members when the traumatized person acts in a way that causes feelings of pain or loss. There may be changes in family life when a member has PTSD or other symptoms after trauma.
The traumatized person may feel too anxious to go out on family outings as he or she did in the past. The traumatized person may not be able to work because of PTSD symptoms.
As a result, the family income may decrease
and the family may be unable to buy things and do things the way they did before the traumatic event. A husband may feel unloved
or abandoned when, because of her depression, his traumatized wife withdraws emotionally and avoids being intimate or sexual.
Children
whose father can't be in crowds because of combat trauma may feel hurt that their father won't come to see them play sports.
When PTSD lasts for a long time, family members can begin to lose hope that their loved one or their family will ever get "back to
normal."
Fear & Worry
Knowing
that something terrible can happen "out of the blue" can make people very fearful. This is especially true when a family member feels unsafe and often reminds others about possible dangers.
Very often, trauma survivors
feel "on edge" and become preoccupied with trying to stay safe. They may want to get a guard dog, put up security lights, have weapons in the house in order to protect themselves
and their family members.
When one person in a
family is very worried about safety, it can make everyone else feel unsafe too. However, something that helps one person feel safe, like a loaded weapon under the bed, may make another person feel unsafe.
Family members can also experience fear when the trauma survivor is
angry or aggressive. As described above, trauma survivors can become angry and aggressive automatically if they feel they're in danger.
Trauma survivors may also become angry and aggressive because they're frustrated that they have trauma symptoms, or because they learned to be aggressive as a way to protect themselves in the trauma situation.
No matter what the reason for the anger and aggression, it naturally makes family members fearful.
Many trauma
symptoms can cause family members to worry. A wife might worry that her traumatized husband who becomes angry and violent at the least provocation will be injured in a fight or get in trouble with the police.
A daughter may worry that her mother will make herself ill by drinking heavily as a result of a traumatic event.
A man's inability to keep a job because of trauma-related problems
may cause his family to worry constantly about money and the future.
Avoidance
Just
as trauma survivors are often afraid to address what happened to them, family members
are frequently fearful of examining the traumatic event as well. Family members may want to avoid talking about the trauma or trauma-related problems,
even with friends.
People who have experienced
trauma hope that if they don't talk about the problem, it'll go away. People also don't
wish to talk about the trauma with others because they're afraid that others won't understand
or will judge them.
Sometimes, if the traumatic
event is one associated with shame, such as rape, family members may avoid talking about the event and its effects because of social "rules" that tell us it is inappropriate to talk about such things.
Family members may also not discuss the trauma with others because they fear it'll bring their loved one more shame.
Family members may avoid the things that the trauma survivor avoids because they want to spare the survivor further pain, or because they're afraid of his or her reaction.
For example, the wife of a combat veteran who's anxious about going out in public may not make plans for family outings or vacations because she's afraid to upset her husband. Though
she doesn't know what she can do to "fix" the problem, she does know that if the family goes to a public event, the husband
will be anxious and irritable the whole time.
Guilt & Shame
Family
members can feel guilt or shame after a traumatic event for a number of reasons. A family member may experience these feelings if he or she feels responsible for the trauma.
For instance, a husband whose wife is assaulted may feel guilt or shame because he was unable to protect her from the attack. A wife may feel responsible for her husband's car accident if she thinks she could've prevented it if
she'd gotten the car's brakes fixed.
A family
member may feel guilt and shame if he or she feels responsible for the trauma survivor's happiness or general well-being,
but sees no improvement no matter how hard he or she tries to help.
Sometimes, after years of trauma-related problems in a family, a family
member may learn about post traumatic stress disorder and realize that this is the source of their family problems. The family member may then feel guilty that he or she was unsupportive during the years.
Anger
Anger is a very common problem in families that have survived a trauma. Family members may feel
angry about the trauma and its effect on their lives. They may be angry at whomever they believe is responsible for the traumatic event (this includes being angry at God). They can also feel anger toward the trauma survivor. Family members may feel that the survivor should just "forget
about it" and get on with life.
They may
be angry when their loved one continues to "dwell" on the trauma. A wife may be mad because
her husband can't keep a job or because he drinks too much or won't go with her to social events or avoids being intimate
with her or doesn't take care of the kids.
Family
members may also feel angry and irritable in response to the anger and irritability the trauma survivor directs at them.
Negative Feelings
Sometimes
family members have surprisingly negative feelings about the traumatized family member. They may believe the trauma survivor no longer exhibits the qualities that
they loved and admired. A person who was outgoing before a trauma may become withdrawn.
A person who was fun loving and easy-going before a trauma may become ill tempered.
It may be hard to feel good toward a person who seems to have
changed in many ways. Family members may also respond negatively to behaviors that develop following a trauma.
For instance, family members may be disgusted by a woman's over-drinking
in response to a trauma.
Family
members may also have negative feelings about the survivor that are directly related to the traumatic event. For example, a wife may no longer respect her husband if she feels he didn't behave bravely during a traumatic event.
A husband whose wife was raped may feel disgusted about what happened and wonder if she could've done something to prevent the assault. A son may feel ashamed that his father didn't fight back when he was beaten during a robbery.
Sometimes people have these negative feelings even when they know that their assessment of the situation is unfair.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Drug and alcohol abuse can become a problem for the families of trauma survivors. Family members may try to escape
from bad feelings by using drugs or drinking. A child or spouse may spend time drinking with friends to avoid having to go home and face an angry parent or spouse.
On the other hand,
spouses sometimes abuse drugs or alcohol to keep their loved ones "company" when they're drinking or using drugs to avoid
trauma-related feelings.
Sleep Problems
Sleep can become a problem
for family members, especially when it's a problem for the trauma survivor. When the trauma survivor stays up late to avoid going to sleep, can't get to sleep, tosses and turns in his or her sleep, or has nightmares, it's difficult for family members to sleep well.
Often family members are also
unable to sleep well because they are depressed and/or they're worried about the survivor.
Health Problems
Family
members of trauma survivors can develop health problems for a number of reasons.
Bad habits, such as drinking, smoking and not exercising may worsen as a result of coping with a loved one's trauma responses.
In addition, many illnesses can be caused by trauma-related stress if it goes on for an extended period of time. When family members constantly feel anxious, worried, angry, or depressed, they're more likely to develop stomach problems, bowel problems, headaches, muscle pain and other health problems.
What can families do to care for themselves and the survivor?
Trauma survivors and their
families often don't know what to do to care for themselves. First, it's important to continue to learn more about trauma and its effects.
Some books are listed below that may be helpful. For veterans,
educational classes may be available through a local VA Medical Center or VA Readjustment Counseling Service Vet Center (see
below).
Treatment for PTSD is available in most communities through psychologists and social workers in private practice. Insurance may help
pay for this treatment. Community mental-health centers and private mental-health clinics (such
as those run by charitable or church organizations) may also provide treatment, sometimes at low or reduced
fees.
To find phone numbers
for mental-health professionals, you can look in the yellow pages of your local phone book under "Mental Health Services" and "Therapists."
Veterans can receive treatment at a local VA Medical Center
or VA Readjustment Counseling Service Vet Center. Insurance may help pay for treatment at a VA center and treatment for some
veterans is provided at no cost (when their PTSD is determined to be service-related).
To find phone numbers for local VA Medical Center or VA Readjustment Counseling Service Vet Centers, you
can look in the "Government Pages" of your local phone book under "Veterans Affairs". In that section, look under "Medical
Care" for a VA Medical Center phone number and under "Vet Center" for the Readjustment Counseling Service Vet Center phone
number.
Family members of
a traumatized person should find out as much as they can about PTSD and get help for themselves, even if their loved one doesn't seek treatment. Family members can encourage the survivor to inquire about education and counseling, but they should not pressure or try to force their loved one to get help.
Classes or treatment may also
be useful for stress and anger management, addiction, couples communication, or parenting.
While in the process of getting help, if family members feel comfortable, they should let their loved one know that they're willing to listen if the survivor would like to talk about his or her trauma. But the family should stop
if anyone gets too upset or overwhelmed.
If everyone is able, it's also important to talk about how the trauma is affecting the family and what can be done about it.
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i feel that on this side of the page, the adversary, memories
of what were perhaps the most painful moments of my life - stand before me - unwilling to relent in their vigil over my mental
well-being....
as if a towering brick wall - an eternity thick & infinity
tall.... the horrendous memories of the nothingness of being engulfed in such tormenting pain that you are sure you would
rather be dead to end it all
it stands before me every minute - every second
of my life - sometimes moving only to surround me again...
Trauma and Anxiety
by Kathleen Young, Psy.D.
Anxiety is more than just
a feeling. As a product of the body's fight-or-flight response, anxiety involves a wide range of physical symptoms. Because
of the numerous physical symptoms, anxiety sufferers often mistake their disorder for a medical illness. You may have visited
many doctors and made numerous trips to the hospital before your anxiety disorder was discovered!
Trauma survivors often experience some type of anxiety. In fact, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder itself is classified
as an anxiety disorder.
Other anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Phobias
If
you are experiencing any of the following over a month or more, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
Symptoms of anxiety and/or panic attacks:
* Sudden onset of intense
fearfulness, terror or feelings of
impending doom
* Shortness of breath
* Pounding heart, chest pain
or discomfort
* Sweating
* Stomach upset or dizziness
* Muscle tension
* Feeling dizzy, unsteady,
lightheaded or faint
* The urge to escape or fear
that you would be unable to
escape or get help if you needed to
* Excessive concern about
the outcome of routine activities
particularly those related to health, being separated
from loved-ones or finances
* Irritability
* Trouble concentrating
* Catastrophizing: Anticipating
the worst
* Fear of losing control
or going crazy
* Avoidance of places or situations
where you experienced a
panic attack in the past
Experiencing
symptoms of anxiety like these can be terrifying and disrupt many aspects of your life. Contact me and I can help you manage
and recover from anxiety.
Author's
Bio
Dr. Young is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience. She has been in private practice
in Chicago, Illinois since 1992. She incorporates aspects of psychodynamic, relational therapy and dialectical behavior therapy
into her approach to psychotherapy. Her career focus has been on treating trauma and its aftermath.
She is also an
EMDR trained therapist and has completed the Illinois 40-hour Domestic Violence Training. She has coordinated a program dedicated
to providing education about and treatment for intimate partner, interpersonal and community violence in the LGBT communities.
Dr.
Young received her doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in 1990.
Areas
of expertise:
• Survivors of childhood abuse
• Intimate partner violence
• Anxiety
•
Depression
• Eating disorders
• Post traumatic stress
• Dissociative disorders
• Lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender issues
• Gender identity
• Relationship issues
• Personality disorders
•
Self-injury
• Adult children/partners of alcoholics
The Homeopathic Treatment
of Trauma
by Ed Schmookler, Ph.D.
The Promise & The Challenge
Healing the vital
force damaged by trauma is a critical challenge most homeopaths face. Most of our clients have experienced some trauma, many of them severely,
some of them catastrophically.
As homeopaths we
can play a key role in the healing of trauma, because we can stimulate healing of the vital
force, which receives much of the impact of trauma.
Psychotherapists
can help clients face the emotions that surface when long buried trauma emerges and can help the person forge a new life.
But homeopaths can bring relief to a vital force misshapen by trauma.
Trauma can bruise,
oppress, beat, puncture, fragment, shatter and even destroy the vital energy that shapes our lives.
Homeopathy is an especially
good modality of healing the kind of damage that trauma causes. Trauma freezes people in time.
Years after a trauma is over, people are still living it:
Trauma locks people into the
past. Homeopathy unlocks frozen functioning:
- Sulphur releases rage pent up in depression
- Sepia moves a woman out of post-partum immobility
- Nat Mur moves old salted away grief into tears again
Successful homeopathic treatment allows immobilized life to flow again.
The Disturbing Terrain of Trauma
Treating trauma requires the best that is in us. Traumatized people can be the most rewarding people to treat, because the possibilities for recovery can be miraculous, but treating
them may require us to face parts of life & of ourselves that most of us would rather avoid.
Treating trauma is an intense confrontation with life and with oneself. Many of us prefer to surround ourselves with
comfortable pictures of reality in which we can live our lives without excessive disturbance.
Listening to the traumatic life stories of others can severely disrupt these pictures. Even if we
have grown up with trauma, hearing about the violation and violence inflicted on our clients can be a violation in itself of how we would prefer to experience our world.
Our first obstacle in dealing
with the reality of our clients' experience can therefore be our own denial.
About 25 years ago, a woman
came into my office and announced that her father had been having intercourse with her and that, as a result of his remorse and fear of discovery, he had committed suicide.
I told her that I thought she believed what she was saying, implying, of course, that I didn't. She had the wisdom not to return. This was denial in its most blatant form:
- I had no conscious context in which to believe what she told me. At that time, almost no one talked about incest or other forms of abuse. Since then, thanks to the women's movement and the recovery movement, the truth about life in many homes has emerged.
Even now, people refuse to
believe in the reality of more horrific forms of abuse such as ritual abuse, because the horror is too great for most people to tolerate.
Our first major challenge in treating trauma is to remain open and be willing to hear people's stories, even when they violate what we like to hear. Even if we can't believe what we hear, it's important to keep our doubt to ourselves and to consult with others outside the treatment session.
Once we let the truth of others' experience in, we are confronted by another major challenge:
- the intense states and emotions of trauma.
If we as homeopaths are to
treat effectively, we must understand the basic state our clients are in and this may require a willingness to experience within ourselves the experience of our
clients. As Rajan Sankaran says:
"Each remedy has a peculiar
state of mind which is characteristic to it. Each remedy produces a state. Each patient has a state of mind. If you compare
symptoms, you'll be lost in the jungle. If you understand the state, you'll find that there's only one remedy which produces the state.
Aphorism 211 says, 'The state
of disposition being characteristic, which can least of all remain hidden from the accurately observing physician.' You have
to look, you have to see, you have to understand and you have to feel the state. You have to experience the experience of the patient. This
is the art of case taking."
It isn't enough to list symptoms
mechanically; we must understand from within where our clients are stuck and with trauma this can be especially challenging, because the states are so intense.
The world of trauma is a strange and tortured landscape. It's made up of volcanoes of rage, sagging mountains of sadness and despair, frozen seas of horror, streams of fear running throughout, pits of depression, black holes of frozen terror, blasted fields of shock and devastation and oceans of grief.
This is where our clients
are stuck and what we can release them from with our remedies. But to choose the right remedy may require us to be willing
to feel, at least briefly, these deep and intense feelings.
Trauma is perhaps as universal
as the miasms and as devastating in its impact. Homeopathy is a great tool in returning to people what trauma has taken
away. To connect with our clients and to find the right remedy, we need to do our best in being open, vulnerable and authentic. The rewards can be not only healing for our clients but for ourselves as well.
Betrayal Trauma - Want to know more? click here
A Homeopathic Approach
The 3 Levels of Trauma
Trauma can impact different
levels of the organism, and it's helpful to be clear at what level one is working when working with survivors of trauma.
The three levels of trauma
are:
- Basic trauma
- Interpersonal trauma
- Developmental trauma
We shall examine each in turn.
Level One - Basic trauma
This level is common to all
trauma, from car accidents to ritual abuse. No matter what the trauma,
all trauma shares some features in common. This has been a surprise to me. I worked for
many years with Vietnam vets. Many of them shared features in common:
- a broiling
- brooding rage
- a sense of injustice
- shock
- an inability to move out of the past
- mistrust
- difficulty maintaining relationships
My surprise came when a man
who had an auto accident, a woman robbed at gunpoint, and a man raped as a child all looked like Vietnam vets! Their suffering
was similar and so was their way of being in the world.
Examples of purely Basic trauma are:
- accidents of all kinds (car,
sports, industrial)
- natural disasters (earthquakes,
floods, hurricanes, fires)
The Features of Basic Trauma
The primary feature of all
trauma is overwhelm. Trauma by its very nature presents
the organism with more than it's accustomed to handle.
By definition, trauma takes us beyond our ordinary capacity for coping. I'm accustomed to going down an elevator at normal
speeds.
I may be a bit pushed to be
crowded in with far too many people.
I would be very stressed to
be stuck in an elevator all day caught between floors in the dark.
But I am entirely unprepared for it to descend
suddenly 4 stories without brakes. That would be traumatic.
But in going beyond what we're
used to coping with, trauma doesn't catch our system entirely by surprise, for we have survival
mechanisms built in to deal with overwhelming experience.
The two major responses
that arise in response to sudden and extreme danger are hyper-reactivity and shutdown.
The hyper-reactive response is the primary defense/attack mode of fight or flight. People become hypervigilant, startle easily and are ready to run or attack at the slightest stimuli. They also have repeated
flashbacks and nightmares relating to the trauma.
Picture of Hyper-reactivity
You come out to the waiting
room to meet your client and he looks up in surprise. He looks you intently in the eye and pulls his hand away quickly when
you shake his hand.
"I'm not myself," he says,
when you settle down in the office.
"I'm jumpy and I can't sleep.
Ever since the accident, my
mind isn't working right.
I keep going over and over
what happened.
I can't seem to make it stop.
And then," he says, starting
to get agitated, "every time I go out, I react in ways I shouldn't.
I don't understand what's happening with me. Sometimes, I think I'm going crazy. When people are walking on the sidewalk towards me, I feel like they're coming right at me. I get mad. I
get mad real easily these days.
The other day, at a fast food
place, I almost got in a fight with this kid that bumped into me. People just piss me off. I didn't use to be this way."
The other pole in traumatic response is shutdown.
When an organism becomes overwhelmed, it has built-in responses to protect it from too much reaction. Physiological shutdown is shock. The periphery closes so that the vital functions within the core
of the organism can be preserved.
Shock has a quality that is
unmistakable once you become familiar with it. It's a combination of frozenness, pallor and brittleness. This can be lodged
in the system and emerge many years after the trauma, when the trauma
is accessed.
Psychological
shutdown in trauma is emotional numbing and avoidance of stimuli that remind people of the trauma.
People become:
The deepest level of
shutdown is depression, which often accompanies Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Picture of Shutdown
She sits on the chair facing
you.
She looks stunned.
You ask her questions and
there's a short pause before she answers.
She sometimes draws a blank.
Her face looks blank, staring
straight ahead.
She slumps back in her chair.
"What are you feeling these days?" you ask.
"I don't know. Not much."
She sits and waits. You ask for more.
"I stay home and watch TV
a lot. I just sit in the house. I don't really want to do anything. My boyfriend comes over, but it isn't the same anymore.
I really don't care if he comes over or not. It bothers me that I feel that way. I know I should feel different. Ever since
I got hit by the car, I don't really have interests in anything."
Long silence. Her eyes look
sunken in.
Most trauma
survivors have both the activation and the shutdown going on simultaneously:
They're driving full speed ahead with the brakes
on!
One reason that trauma has such devastating effects on the economy of the organism is that it's a real burnout.
Hyper-reactivity combined
with shutdown can overload and consequently exhaust the nervous system, the immune system and the neuro-endrocrinological
system.
People with disorders of these
systems often have trauma in their background. Trauma
thus becomes fertile ground for homeopathic treatment.
Prototypical Case Example
Here is a prototypical example of Basic Trauma, which combines
a number of different stories of actual clients.
A man working on the job falls from a considerable height. He
loses consciousness in the fall & has injuries to his back. Since that time, in addition to pain in his back, he has:
- flashbacks of the accident
- he feels severely withdrawn
- he can't go back to work
- because he feels panicky at the thought
- he feels irritable
- he's jumpy & hypervigilant
- he has nightmares several times per week
Even though it is 8 months after the accident & his physical
injuries have stabilized, he feels he is not himself.
When asked to visualize the accident, he gets disoriented, dizzy,
& frightened & doesn't want to go on w/the visualization. He uses drugs occasionally to numb out & "feel better."
Here are examples of some rubrics one might use in such cases.
- Fear, happen, that something terrible will
- Sensitive, (oversensitive)
- Disturbed, nightmare by
- Irritability
- Shock, injury from
- Sleeplessness, frightened easily
Examples of remedies one might consider would be:
Aconite
Aconite is perhaps our best first aid in trauma, along
w/Arnica. For the shock stage of trauma. Shock becomes embedded in the energy structure & doesn't necessarily pass after
trauma is over.
It can remain in the system for decades, emerging only as the
trauma is uncovered again. Aconite can be used many, many years after traumas of all kinds to help remove shock from the system.
The best picture of Aconite is to my mind in Gibsons Studies
of Homeopathic Remedies, where he describes the nature of the poisoning by this plant. It's a state of freezing anoxia.
The feeling state associated w/Aconite is,
"It happened too suddenly for me to accommodate,
so I'm stopping & going inside to preserve myself."
Arnica
The primary remedy for treating physical injuries, including
physical abuse. Again, even years after the trauma, Arnica can be successfully used to bring about healing of trauma.
A key aspect of this remedy is that the person doesn't wish
to be approached for fear of being hurt again. Its feeling state is:
"I need to stay still & go inside to
heal. Don't come near or draw me out."
Level Two - Interpersonal Trauma
A car accident, an industrial accident, an earthquake, or a
fire can leave people suffering from PTSD. But when the injury is at the hands of another person, when it comes from intentional
violation, new features enter in.
Even though all trauma has impact on a persons relationships,
interpersonal violence is more devastating.
People lose their trust & their sense
of personal power more deeply.
Thus, what you are treating is different & in a sense deeper
than when treating Basic Trauma alone.
Examples of Interpersonal Trauma are:
- war
- rape
- armed robbery
- murder - another example which can impact others related to
the victim
Another kind of Interpersonal Trauma is loss of a loved
one, especially sudden loss.
The Features of Interpersonal Trauma
The two kinds of Interpersonal we encounter most frequently
are interpersonal violence & loss.
Interpersonal Violence
When one person commits violence upon another, all of the responses
of Basic Trauma are activated hyper-reactivity & shutdown. But in addition to this, deeper levels of the self are violated
& different responses occur.
This occurs at two levels:
- one is in the relationship to others
- the other in relationship to oneself
When people have been violated:
- they not only fear & avoid the perpetrator
- they also tend to generalize & mistrust all other people
as well
Basic Trauma breaks the bubble of invulnerability people carry
around themselves. We generally go around assuming ourselves safe, even though we may know that things can happen to us.
When we're traumatized this illusion of safety is broken. Energetically,
the aura around a person which serves as a cushion against intrusive stimulation collapses & the person feels exposed
to danger.
But, in addition, when people have been violated by others,
the native trust that people feel toward others is fractured & they live in mistrust. They also often feel abandoned.
This is universally true in abused children, but it often happens w/adults who were raped or who were harmed by war.
Where was the protection? Why did this happen to me?
Interpersonal violence also disrupts the sense of self. Through
violation, people experience helplessness & powerlessness.
The usual impact of Interpersonal Trauma is"
- a lowering of self-confidence & self-value
- people feel bad about themselves
- very often this is experienced as shame
Being beaten or raped by another is a deeply shaming experience.
In addition, people feel immense rage at being violated.
The sense of self is marred & the relationship to others
disturbed.
Because trust, empowerment & value have been so violated
in Interpersonal Trauma, it's important for us as practitioners to treat such clients in a way that builds trust & supports
empowerment.
Even when the treatment is not psychotherapy, the relationship
is essential in the healing process.
Trust is supported by empathy, authenticity & mirroring.
Letting your clients know that you understand something of how they feel, being yourself & telling them what you understand
about how they experience their lives will help them feel "met" by you.
Being open & being yourself will help people feel safe.
Expressing doubt about their experience, minimizing its impact, or being cold or arrogant will reduce trust. It may take a
long time for a trauma client to come to trust you.
You can help your clients feel empowered by including them in
your understanding of the healing process & allowing them as much choice as makes sense. Make sure that informed consent
is complete, let them know what can happen from the remedies, & let them make choices about when & how they're to
be treated.
For example, some clients who have been abused by oral sex may
prefer to take the remedy themselves rather than have the remedy put under the tongue by the practitioner.
Picture
of Interpersonal Violence
She sits, crying. "Ever since the rape, Im not the same. I used
to enjoy life. Id go out and have a good time. I loved my boyfriend. I guess I still love him, but were not getting along
any more, at least not like we used to. We fight, about nothing really. I just dont trust him. He wants to have sex all the
time, and I dont like it as much as I used to. To tell you the truth, Id just as soon hed leave me alone. I tell him I dont
want to, but then I feel bad about myself. Sometimes I feel like Im just no good. Then other times, I think its him."
Prototypical Case Example
Here is a prototypical example of such a case, combining several
actual cases. A woman comes in who was a victim of a robbery two years ago. Since that time, in addition to the standard symptoms
of Basic Trauma, she has also had a severe disturbance in her relationships. She has difficulty in trusting anyone. She feels
she was "shafted" by her employer, whom she warned about the possible dangers of robbery. She is angry at the employer and
at its representative, the insurance company who is paying for her treatment. She also has trouble trusting her own judgment,
since she feels she should have left her employment after they failed to heed her warning. She is depressed, her relationship
with her partner has deteriorated, and she doesnt like herself much, because she is ashamed of her distrust and even dislike
of other people that has come about since the robbery.
Rubrics one might use could include:
- Suspicious, (mistrustful)
- Confidence, want of self
- Rage, (fury)
- Aversion, (to being approached)
- Aversion, persons, to all
- Forsaken, feeling
- Ailments, from mortification
Remedies that one might use might be:
Staphysagria
When a man sexually abuses his daughter, he feels shame, and
often he will project this shame into her: look what you made me do, you are so bad. In addition, sexual abuse, because it
is so secret and because it arouses feelings of pleasure at the same time as it violates, is deeply shaming. This shame does
not go away.
Staphysagria is one of our best shame remedies (ailments from
mortification; suppressed mortification), and it is one of our best remedies for sequelae of sexual abuse. It is good for
the suppressed rage that arises in abuse. A child often cannot afford to express the rage she or he feels against the perpetrator;
it would make the situation even more dangerous. Staphysagria can bring rage back to the forefront and return shame to its
rightful owner, the perpetrator.
Staph is also, incidentally, almost a specific for trauma involving
cuts. Its feeling state is, "There is something rotten in me; I dare not fight back."
Ignatia
Ignatia is a prominent remedy for sudden loss or the loss of
relationships that dont go too deep. It is also good for people who get stuck in a "black hole," one of the common subjective
phenomena that accompanies trauma.
In trauma, including sudden loss, feelings often get stuck,
unable to release. Ignatia can sometimes be of use here. Like Nux-v, Ignatia has strychnine as one of its constituents,
and so like Nux-v it has the spastic working-against-itself quality. So it has somatizing and tensing shared by Nux-v
and Rhus-t. I think Ignatia is primarily tensing against the expression of grief and rage. A client obsessing
about a boyfriend, calling him and going to his house at all hours and raging at him, collapsing in constant grief, unable
to move on, came out of it after a dose of Ignatia. The feeling state of Ignatia is, "I am tightly immersed
in grief."
Level Three - Developmental Trauma
When Interpersonal Trauma (or severe Basic Trauma) impacts early
during childhood, then it has the deepest impact of all. It is while the tree is still growing, that the limbs can become
most easily deformed. People with Developmental Trauma suffer from more than PTSD; their personality structures have become
altered it is more than a condition, it becomes part of the being. As one of my clients put it, "Recovery from incest is like
trying to remove egg from the batter after the cake is baked." Thus, the tasks of healing are more complex than with Basic
Trauma or Interpersonal adult trauma. You must help the person heal from Basic Trauma, Interpersonal Trauma, and the impact
on the whole personality structure.
Most Developmental Trauma comes in the form of abuse. The different
kinds of abuse are physical, sexual, emotional, spiritual, and ritual. Well talk on a different day about the different features
of each kind of abuse and what remedies can be helpful.
As we go through the layers, from Basic, to Interpersonal, to
Developmental, we are, generally speaking, moving from acute to chronic. People usually recover faster and more easily from
an earthquake than from a rape and from an adult experience of rape than from childhood sexual abuse. Therefore, the choice
of remedies will sometimes reflect the depth of the trauma. Generally, in treating Basic Trauma we will be thinking of acute
remedies; in treating Interpersonal Trauma, well be using remedies that work at an intermediate depth; and in treating Developmental
Trauma, we will work with remedies that reach much deeper into the organism, even down to the miasmatic level.
Developmental Trauma shares all the features of Basic and Interpersonal
Trauma, but it has the added dimension of impact on personality and character structure. When we treat Developmental Trauma,
our work tends to be more complex, deeper, and slower than when working with purely Basic Trauma or adult Interpersonal Trauma.
Most trauma cases I see are Developmental Trauma cases.
Even in situations where there has been an accident or a rape or war experience, very often there is also a background of
childhood trauma. This results in a more prolonged recovery. If you are treating someone for a recent trauma and recovery
is slower than seems reasonable, it may be that there is additional trauma in the background, which can sometimes be discovered
through inquiry.
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