Fighting injustice can trigger trauma — we need to learn how to process it and take healing action

From the August 28, 2020 blog item at Waging Nonviolence by Kazu Gaga

“Perhaps you have noticed signs of trauma playing out in your own life, in your relationships and in your household. Common responses to trauma can include anxiety, short tempers, hyper-vigilance, withdrawal, fatigue, cynicism, lack of empathy and restlessness, among countless others.”


“When trauma is triggered, we lack the ability to take in new information, to be creative, consider different perspectives or think about long-term consequences.”

How do we engage? Study trauma, move through trauma, slow down, and open up.

Read the entire article here.

[Reblog]Recovery from trauma is different for everybody

From the 13 May 2015 post at The Conversation

The very public trials of the Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and the Colorado theater shooting suspect, James Holmes, put images and stories about these traumatic events once again in front of the public.

During both phases of the Boston Marathon bombing trial, testimony from survivors and first responders, as well as graphic images of the bombing, were front and center on television, the internet, and print media. And survivors of the Colorado theater shooting have vividly described in their trial testimony that night in detail and their terror and anguish seeing loved ones next to them dead or dying.

So what are the psychological and health effects of exposure to traumatic events like these?

What is trauma?

Traumatic events are those experiences that are perceived to be threats to one’s safety or stability and that cause physical, emotional and psychological stress or harm. In other words, these are events that fall outside the range of normal human experience and to which reactions vary according to the individual person.

Trauma is defined by the American Psychological Association as the psychological and emotional responses to those terrible events.

Traumatic events aren’t always violent. They can range from moving somewhere new to a mass disaster or even war.

For most people, trauma is experienced during and immediately after the event. But for many, the trauma may be relived for months or even years, as has been the case, for instance, with the aftereffects of the September 11 attacks.

…

New trauma can bring back old memories

In addition, people with histories of previous trauma such as combat veterans may be more vulnerable to the effects of new traumatic events.

…

How can people cope with trauma?

What, then, can people do to alleviate the negative aftereffects of such events in order to return to their normal daily lives? The American Psychological Association recommendsmaking connections with others, accepting change, meeting problems head on and taking care of yourself.

It’s also important to remember that one never completely forgets such events, nor do professionals suggest that is the goal of recovery. Healthy recovery involves acknowledging that the events were terrible but at the same time not allowing them to interfere with daily living. Even if, 10 years later, a sudden noise triggers momentary fear.

…

[Press release] What makes some women able to resist or recover psychologically from assault-related trauma?

Regions of the brain affected by PTSD and stress. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

From the 2 March 2015 press release

In a study of 159 women who had been exposed to at least one assault-related potentially traumatic event, 30% developed major depressive disorder, which may be attributed to self-blame common to survivors of assault. Fewer women (21%) developed chronic posttraumatic stress disorder.

Mastery–the degree to which an individual perceives control and influence over life circumstances–and social support were most prevalent in women who did not develop a trauma-related psychiatric disorder after assault exposure, while mastery and posttraumatic growth were related to psychiatric recovery. These factors were less established in women with a current psychiatric disorder.

The Brain and Behavior findings have significance for the health and wellbeing of women, and for identifying individuals who are most in need of resilience-promoting interventions. “Women exposed to assault may present with post-trauma depression in lieu of posttraumatic stress disorder. Resilience factors like mastery and social support may attenuate the deleterious effects of an assault,” said lead author Heather L. Rusch. “The next step is to determine the extent that these factors may be fostered through clinical intervention.”

Related articles

• Some First Responders Suffer From PTSD

[Booklet] Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters: What Parents Can Do

Practical ways parents and others can help children in the days, weeks, and months after traumatic events.
From the US National Institute on Mental Health.
Tips are practical and some are arranged by age groups.
An excerpt from the booklet 

How Parents Can Help:

After violence or a disaster parents and family should:

• Identify and address their own feelings — this will allow them to help others
• Explain to children what happened
• Let children know:
  • You love them
  • The event was not their fault
  • You will take care of them, but only if you can; be honest
  • It’s okay for them to feel upset
• DO:
  • Allow children to cry
  • Allow sadness
  • Let children talk about feelings
  • Let them write about feelings
  • Let them draw pictures
• DON’T:
  • Expect children to be brave or tough
  • Make children discuss the event before they are ready
  • Get angry if children show strong emotions
  • Get upset if they begin:
    • Bed-wetting
    • Acting out
    • Thumb-sucking
• If children have trouble sleeping:
  • Give them extra attention
  • Let them sleep with a light on
  • Let them sleep in your room (for a short time)
• Try to keep normal routines (such routines may not be normal for some children):
  • Bed-time stories
  • Eating dinner together
  • Watching TV together
  • Reading books, exercising, playing games
• If you can’t keep normal routines, make new ones together
• Help children feel in control:
  • Let them choose meals, if possible
  • Let them pick out clothes, if possible
  • Let them make some decisions for themselves, when possible.

 

Related articles

• How to talk with children about the Connecticut shooting, other tragedies (q13fox.com)
• SAMHSA Coping with Violence and Traumatic Events (samhsa.gov)
• How to Cope With Fear After School Shootings (livescience.com)
• NAEYC Tips for Talking to Young Children (drcindysimpson.com)
• Save the Children Offers 10 Tips to Help All Children Cope (5minutesformom.com)

 

Children and War

The Children and War Foundation was established in 2000 to “improve children’s lives after wars and disasters”.

The home page reflects current efforts, from the effect of trauma and stress on Palestinian children to a Disaster Bereavement Manual to rescue and acute efforts in Japan.

The toolbar Projects option leads to summaries of  current efforts in Africa, America, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

The foundation has developed a number of Measures to screen and quantify the effects of war, disaster and trauma on children.

For example, the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale is “a widely used screening tool measuring children at risk for post traumatic stress symptoms, and is designed to be used in children aged 8 and above. It has been applied in a variety of cultures as post traumatic stress symptoms in children are more similar than they are different from one culture to the other.”

On a more human level, the Stories link on the home page’s left column provides narratives of children caught up in wars and disasters, and given assistance by the foundation.

Elizabeth of Uganda was kidnapped and used as a slave by Ugandan government soldiers. Luay of Iraq was traumatized by carrying the dead out of bombed ruins.

Related Articles

• When a Loved One Has PTSD (everydayhealth.com)
• How Trauma Leads to Depression (everydayhealth.com)
• Depression and Anxiety After a Natural Disaster (everydayhealth.com)
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnostic Criteria (brighthub.com)
• Help for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (everydayhealth.com)
• Child soldier trauma in Uganda shares similarities with Northern Ireland (eurekalert.org)
• Psychological Scarring to Palestinian and Israeli Children when Exposed to War (hellerbrittani.wordpress.com)
• Teachers-based intervention provides stress resistance in war-exposed children (eurekalert.org)
• How to Help Children Cope With a Dangerous World (health.usnews.com)

Trauma patients protected from worse outcomes associated with so-called ‘weekend effect’

Image via Wikipedia

Trauma patients protected from worse outcomes associated with so-called ‘weekend effect’

From a March 21 2011 Science Daily news article

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2011) — Patients who’ve been hurt in car or bike crashes, been shot or stabbed, or suffered other injuries are more likely to live if they arrive at the hospital on the weekend than during the week, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research published in the March 21 issue of Archives of Surgery. The findings, which also showed that trauma patients who present to the hospital on weeknights are no more likely to die than those who presented during the day, contrast with previous studies showing a so-called “weekend effect” in which patients with emergent illnesses such as heart attacks and strokes fare worse when they’re hospitalized at night or on weekends.

The authors say the trauma system’s unique organization and staffing appears to serve as a built-in protection for these critically injured patients, and may provide a roadmap for ongoing efforts to restructure and better coordinate U.S. emergency care, which needs to provide optimal care day or night.

“Whether patients have an emergent illness or a severe injury, the common denominator is time. Patients must rely on the system to quickly get them to the place that’s best prepared to save their lives,” says lead author Brendan G. Carr, MD, MS, an assistant professor in the departments of Emergency Medicine and Biostatistics and Epidemiology. “Trauma systems have been designed to maximize rapid access to trauma care, and our results show that the system also offers special protection for patients injured during periods that are known to be connected to worse outcomes among patients with time-sensitive illnesses.”…

Related Articles

• Rehabilitation for Brain Trauma Patients (brighthub.com)
• Medical Consequences of Testicular Trauma in Childhood (brighthub.com)
• Vulnerable Patients May Lack Access to Trauma Care (nlm.nih.gov)
• Trauma Patients Fare Poorly After Hospital Discharge (webmd.com)
• Trauma patients have higher rate of death for several years following injury (physorg.com)
• Risk of hospital patient mortality increases with nurse staffing shortfalls, study finds(ScienceDaily)
• Military Funds Brain Injury Study: Immediate Nutrition Is Key (April 2011)

  Excerpt: Due to a high level of brain injury in the field, the United States Military commissioned the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to look into the best way to immediately treat traumatic brain injuries. The institute found that a quick infusion of calories, proteins and vitamins should now be a part of standard care in the military. This research will cross over into the public sector as well…