Trauma & the Brain
Addiction & Coping
Shame & Connection
Safety Skills
Recovery in Action
100
What is the nervous system?
Trauma can make this body system act like an overly sensitive smoke alarm.
100
What is pain?
Gabor Maté suggests asking, “Why the addiction?” and also “Why the _____?”
100
What is “I am bad”?
Guilt says, “I did something bad.” Shame says this.
100
What is see?
In 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, the first step is naming five things you can do this with.
100
What is a protective factor?
A person, place, routine, purpose, or skill that supports recovery is called this.
200
What is freeze?
These are three common survival responses to danger: fight, flight, and this.
200
What is disconnect?
Substances may temporarily numb pain, lower fear, increase energy, or help a person do this.
200
What is connect?
Shame often tells people to hide, while recovery encourages them to do this.
200
What are emotions?
In 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, “feel” means physical sensations such as your feet on the floor, not this.
200
What is crisis?
The emotional thermometer helps you notice stress before it reaches this level.
300
What is the thinking brain?
Trauma can cause the body to react before this part of us has time to decide whether we are actually safe.
300
What is harm?
A coping strategy can help in the short term and still cause this over time.
300
What is secrecy?
Brené Brown teaches that shame grows stronger in this.
300
What is the present?
Seeking Safety focuses on coping and safety in this time period instead of requiring detailed trauma stories.
300
What are early warning signs?
Tight shoulders, racing heart, restlessness, and wanting to isolate can all be these.
400
What is Effect?
In the 3 E’s model of trauma, the three E’s are Event, Experience, and this.
400
What are needs?
Recovery is not only about taking away substances. It also involves building safer ways to meet these.
400
What is accountability?
Safe connection, honesty, empathy, and this can help reduce shame while still taking responsibility.
400
What is Reason?
Bruce Perry’s sequence is Regulate, Relate, and this.
400
What is a choice point?
Trigger → body signal → urge → this → skill → safer action.
500
What is reacting to a trauma reminder or trigger?
A person hears a loud noise, their heart races, and they want to run even though they are safe. This is an example of the body doing this.
500
What is excusing the behavior?
Understanding why a harmful coping pattern developed does not mean doing this.
500
What is shame?
A person says, “I made a bad choice, but I can repair it.” This is more like guilt than this.
500
What is regulation or calming the body?
If someone is at a 9 out of 10 emotionally, this should usually come before complicated problem-solving.
500
What is taking the next safe step?
Instead of trying to make the perfect decision while overwhelmed, the group emphasized doing this.
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