Reactions
What is a trigger?
Anything that sets off your emotions/memories of the trauma; The trigger could be something you see, hear, feel, taste, smell or by a place, certain people or activities.
What are the different forms of abuse?
Physical, Emotional, Neglect and Sexual abuse
When kids and teens experience a trauma, they often experience which emotions?
confusion, sadness, anger, numbness, relief, fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, etc
What is sexual abuse/assault?
Child sexual abuse/assault includes any kind of sexual contact between an adult and a child or sexual contact by a teenager that is forced or with a younger child is also sexual abuse/assault. As many as 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18
What is the amygdala and how is it impacted by trauma? (Clue: Lizard Brain)
the amygdala is the alarm system of the brain; it is designed to detect and react to people, places, and things in the environment that could be dangerous. After trauma, the amygdala can become even more sensitive to potential threats in the environment, leading someone to closely monitor their surroundings to make sure they are safe and have strong emotional reactions to people, places, or things that might be threatening or that remind them of the trauma.
What is physical abuse?
a parent or caregiver commits an act that results in physical injury to a child or adolescent, such as red marks, cuts, welts, bruises, muscle sprains, or broken bones, even if the injury was unintentional. Physical abuse can occur when physical punishment goes too far or a parent lashes out in anger.
What is avoidance and how does it impact kids/teens?
avoidance is when you try not to think/feel/talk about something that happened to you. While this can help in managing feelings for the moment, in the long-run, this makes those feelings get bigger, which often turns into anxiety, anger outbursts, etc
In order to protect themselves, kids/teens who experience trauma do many things; what are some common reactions they might have when faced with sexual abuse?
sometimes, kids/teens do whatever the abuser asks/wants in order to protect themselves from further hurt, sometimes kids/teens try to fight off the perpetrator, sometimes the kids/teens freeze and don't know what to do, sometimes kids/teens try to imagine that they are somewhere else, etc
What is a flashback?
A flashback happens when a trauma trigger occurs and you feel as though you are back in that past scary moment; your body and mind cannot tell the difference between present and past, and you feel like it is happening all over again.
What is verbal or emotional abuse?
Verbal abuse often involves hostility, psychological control (meaning, thoughts), intimidation, vulgarity, and humiliation. It is important to note that verbal abuse does not have to include shouting. Adults can threaten and intimidate children and young adults without raising their voices. Emotional abuse can include the silent treatment and witnessing others being abused.
How is trauma connected to anxiety?
Trauma, or chronic stress, can sometimes lead us to believe that we are not safe, and that something scary/bad could happen to us at any moment; this leads to anxiety about safety in the future.
Why does sexual abuse happen?
All sexually abusive behavior is a matter of choice and people who sexually abuse choose to abuse; sometimes, adults who abuse have been victims of abuse themselves, other times they are attracted to children, etc, but no matter what the reason, it is always a crime.
How can trauma impact how your BODY feels?
Often, kids/teens can feel many things; tense, jittery, feeling like they cannot stop moving, feeling like they cannot move at all, feeling like their heart is racing, etc
Who specifically is at the greatest risk of being physically abused?
Children ages 4–7 and 12–15 are at the greatest risk of being physically abused. Very young children are most susceptible to receiving serious injuries.
Sometimes kids/teens don't feel relief when they disclose a trauma; why is this?
Often, kids/teens who have been sexually abused, or who have been exposed to other forms of trauma, feel connected to the person who harmed them; because of this, they worry for the well-being of the other people involved.
Who abuses children and teens?
93% Are people they know! 34% are Family members and 59% are other people they know and 7% are strangers.
what are the fight/flight/freeze responses?
Fight: anger, inability to concentrate, aggressive behavior, seeing only the negative, increase impulsivity, lashing out
Flight: anxious, wanting to hide/run away, racing thoughts, avoidance, withdrawing from others
Freeze: dissociation, depression, suicidality, anxious, shutting down/freezing, problems with memory
What are some long-term affects of abuse or negative consequences that can affect someone who has been abused?
Delinquent behavior (a young person who commits crimes), depression, aggression, conduct disorders, substance use, they also will abuse others, negative effects to your physical health
Sometimes kids/teens feel scared to talk about what happened to them; why is this?
they worry that people won't believe them, that they will get in trouble, that they will get someone else in trouble, that they will be made fun of, etc
True or False: Sexual Abusers often do not use physical force?
True: Many abusers use play, threaten, lie or manipulate to get their victim to agree to the abuse. They might even buy gifts or spend extra fun time with the victim to gain their trust, which leaves victims feeling confused.