Window of Tolerance
This stress response involves the release of stress hormones including adrenaline and cortisol which causes physical changes including: faster heart rate, quicker breathing, tense muscles in response to perceived threat.
Fight or Flight Response
Avoiding people/places/things, pushing away memories of what happened, not talking about what happened, and using drugs and alcohol to avoid thinking or feeling are examples of what type of trauma reaction?
Avoidance of trauma reminders
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This Iron Man actor has been proudly sober since 2003, citing the 12 steps, martial arts, and yoga for rebuilding his career.
Robert Downey Jr.
This term describes when a person needs increasingly larger amounts of a substance to achieve the desired effect.
Tolerance
This stress response involves the body shutting down or immobilizing in response to threat
Freeze Response
Vivid memories of what happened, nightmares, flashbacks, and re-experiencing trauma through certain sights, sounds, or smells are examples of which type of trauma reaction?
Reliving the trauma
This type of grief occurs when someone experiences a loss then begins to experience trauma reactions including replaying aspects of the death in your mind, intense longing, and a persistent focus on the loss
Traumatic grief/complicated bereavement
This pop superstar and former Disney Channel actress has been incredibly candid about her mental health and recovery journey, even detailing a near fatal overdose in her docuseries "Dancing with the Devil"
Demi Lovato
What does PAWS stand for?
Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome
Name 2 factors that increase our window of tolerance/ability to tolerate distress
Strong supports, coping skills, basic needs being met, stability (housing, finances, employment), etc.
Feeling irritable or jumpy, having difficulty with sleeping or relaxing, feeling unsafe and seeing danger everywhere, and physical stress (racing heart, upset stomach, etc.) are examples of which type of trauma reaction?
Feeling on edge/exaggerated physiological response
Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This 2000 Sandra Bullock film follows a New York newspaper columnist who enters a rehab facility for 28 days to treat her alcoholism.
This term is defined as a substance that, when used, may increase a person's risk of moving onto stronger or harder drugs in the future
Gateway drug
Name 2 factors that narrow our window of tolerance/make it harder for us to tolerate distress
Limited supports and coping skills, instability in my environment, trauma etc.
Blaming oneself for what happened, feeling ashamed or damaged, and having difficulty trusting or connecting with others are examples of which type of trauma reaction?
Distorted thinking/upsetting thoughts or emotions
Someone meets criteria for this diagnosis if they are experiencing intense persistent grief of a loved one beyond one year following their passing. Symptoms include: intense yearning for the person, sense of disbelief about the person's passing, avoidance of reminders of the person, and identity disruption
Prolonged Grief Disorder
This CBS sitcom starring Allison Janney and Anna Faris found humor and heart in the relationship between a dysfunctional mother and daughter who are both recovering alcoholics in AA.
What is Mom?
How do you implement the 54321 grounding technique?
5 things I can see, 4 things I can touch, 3 things I can hear, 2 things I can smell, 1 thing i can taste
Name one strategy you can use to regulate when in fight or flight and one strategy you can use when in freeze response to regulate
Fight or flight: grounding techniques, breathing techniques, meditation, mindfulness
Freeze Response: walking, stretching, working out, yoga, listening to high tempo music
What are the 4 categories of symptoms you must experience to meet criteria for PTSD?
-avoidance of triggers
-excessive physiological response
-altered thinking/beliefs
-re-experiencing the traumatic event
If I go to therapy to treat my trauma related diagnosis, what 3 phases of treatment might my therapist use?
1. Safety and Stabilization
2. Processing of trauma
3. Reconnection and reintegration
Intervention
What does HALT, the acronym that stands for different emotional states that can make someone more vulnerable to use, stand for?
Am I
-hungry?
-angry?
-lonely?
-tired?