Emotions
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. Sexual contact by a teenager that is forced or with a younger child is also sexual abuse/assault
What is a "trauma trigger"?
anything that triggers your emotions/memories of the trauma; something you see, hear, feel, taste, smell...places, people, activities...
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 perpetrator 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 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
Who does sexual abuse happen to?
Children of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds, etc, are vulnerable to sexual abuse; 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?
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.
True or false: kids/teens should be able to manage their emotions about the traumatic/stressful event on their own
False; all kids/teens/adults need others to support them in processing and managing the experiences/emotions that they have. Social support is the key ingredient in thriving after a trauma.
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.
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.
Often, kids/teens who experience past interpersonal trauma have troubles in their current relationships; what kind of troubles might they have?
Kids/teens can experience trouble communicating, trouble asking for help, trouble trusting others, trouble connecting with others, etc
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?
7% are strangers, 59% are acquaintances, 34% are family members. 50% of perpetrators are over 30.
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
Often, kids and teens can feel unsafe in situations where there isn't actually a current threat; why is this?
This is due to the amygdala; something in their environment reminded them of the past trauma, which triggered the alarm system in their brain to go off, making them feel unsafe so that they can be on guard to protect themselves
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
What happens to adults who sexually abuse children/teens?
Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults; 310 are reported to police, 50 reports will lead to arrest, 28 cases will lead to a felony conviction, and 25 perpetrators will be incarcerated
what are the fight/flight/freeze/appease 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
Appease: doing whatever the person asks of you/going along with whatever is happening
true or false; all kids/teens react the same way when experiencing a trauma?
False; while there are many common ways that kids/teens react to trauma (many of which are mentioned in this activity), they can all still react in unique ways---and they are all OK