Trauma Basics
The emotional memory center; the brain's smoke detector that sounds the alarm when a trauma occurs
What is the amygdala?
Negative thinking patterns that aren't based on fact or reality
What are cognitive distortions?
Relaxation therapy, exercise, breathwork, massage and meditation
What are examples of physiological interventions?
To promote health and well-being
What is beneficence?
Feeling disconnected from the present moment (from environment, people around you or your body)
What is dissociation?
The three-stage process describing physiological changes in the body during stress: Alarm, Resistance and Exhaustion
What is the General Adaptation Syndrome?
A strong, safe and trusting therapeutic relationship
What is the most important predictor of success in therapy?
The ability to manage negative emotions in stress-inducing situations
What is distress tolerance?
The therapist's emotional reaction to the client which can result in emotional entanglement
What is countertransference?
A condition where a child does not form healthy attachment and emotional bonds with caregivers, often as a result of abuse or emotional neglect at an early age.
What is Reactive Attachment Disorder?
Hopelessness, sleep difficulties, decreased concentration, anhedonia, irritability, memory issues, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, loss of sense of self
What are symptoms of trauma/the way "the body keeps the score?"
The longest, most complex nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system that controls specific body functions such as digestion, heartrate and the immune system
What is the vagus nerve?
Habituation, extinction, emotional processing and self-efficacy
What are the mechanisms of Prolonged Exposure Therapy?
Do no harm
What is nonmaleficence?
Symptoms of long-term trauma which cause changes in self-concept and the ability to adapt to stressful situations.
What is complex-PTSD (C-PTSD)?
Neocortex, Limbic System and the Reptilian Brain
What is the Triune Brain?
Gradually exposing someone to an anxiety-producing object, thought or experience while simultaneously performing relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety
What is systematic desensitization?
A treatment method designed to help one heal from trauma by using bilateral stimulation to process the traumatic memories
What is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)?
Clients are allowed to make their own choices
What is autonomy?
A condition that can occur in the first month after experiencing a traumatic event
What is acute stress disorder?
"Don't just sit there, DO something!" and "Don't move -- It's not safe!"
What are the fight-flight and freeze responses?
Emphasizes how negative/faulty thoughts about past traumas can generate powerful secondary emotions that keep clients trapped in a negative spiral
What is Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)?
Assumption that the individual has had some degree of trauma in their life; looking at the little "ts" and the big "Ts," and providing safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration and empowerment
What is Trauma Informed Care?
Inappropriate or unnecessarily strong emotions or emotions directed at the therapist
What are signs of transference?
A sudden episode of intense fear or anxiety accompanied by physical arousal symptoms, based on a perceived threat rather than imminent danger.
What is Panic Disorder?