Definitions
What is trauma?
Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope
What can be affected by our trauma symptoms?
Trauma can impact our behaviors, mental health, relationships, emotions, physical health, and how our brain functions
How does trauma affect our emotions?
Difficulty controlling emotions, difficulty recognizing emotions, difficulty using coping skills, increased sensitivity to stress, feel shame, guilt, anger, worry, hopeless, helpless, or scared, more reactive and irritable.
What is my name?
Paige
Name three examples of traumatic events
Physical, emotional, sexual, vicarious, generational, historical. (examples can be given)
Name two ways in which sleep can be affected by trauma
Sleeping too much, not sleeping enough, not being able to fall asleep, not being able to stay asleep, distressing dreams, night terrors, nightmares.
How does trauma affect our behaviors?
trouble regulating ourselves, more aggression, poor impulse control, substance use/abuse, sexual acting out, more withdrawn/isolated, reactive
What is my job?
Mental Health Therapist
What are coping skills?
Actions we take to deal with stress, problems, or intense emotions. We use them to help us calm down and think clearly.
Name five examples of trauma reminders (triggers)
People, places, smells, tastes, sounds, touches, thoughts, etc. Anything can be a trigger.
How does trauma affect our emotions?
Difficulty identifying and expressing a full range of emotions, become angry, stressed, anxious, depressed, irritable more often than not, no emotional regulation, lower self esteem, increased pain and guilt, etc.
Myth of....
Sisyphus
What is resilience?
The ability to overcome difficult times or experiences.
When a person's body suddenly kicks into high alert as a result of thinking about their trauma. Even though real danger may not be present, their body acts as if it is, causing lasting stress after a traumatic event.
Hyperarousal
This response refers to involuntary physiological changes that happen in the body and mind when a person feels threatened. This response exists to keep people safe, preparing them to face, escape, or hide from danger.
Fight-flight-freeze
FREE
FREE
The ACE Questionnaire measures and helps to identify experiences of what?
Childhood abuse and neglect.
The elevated state of constantly assessing potential threats around you.
Hypervigilance
Trauma is the quickest form of learning. Our emotional and rational brain do not have time to adapt to the traumatic event and assess, therefore we do not have the capacity to engage in coping skills.
Where do I work?
Cor Therapeutic Services