Definitions
Trauma
An emotional response to a horrifying, stressful, or dangerous event, relationship or circumstance that threatens a persons sense of health and safety.
Everyone has experienced trauma
False
40-90% of people report having experienced trauma
Name the three common reactions to a traumatic or stressful experience
Fight, flight, or freeze
Resiliency
A persons ability to "bounce back" after an event or situation
True/False. Trauma is stored in our nervous system.
True!!
Coping Skill
Strategies to reduce unpleasant emotions
How we think impacts how we feel?
True.
You may notice your body and emotions feel one way when you have a certain thought
Someone is yelling in class and you can feel your hands tense up. What would you do to regulate your emotions?
-Ask for a break with staff
-Take 10 deep breathes
-Try a grounding exercise
What is the freeze response
Our bodies reaction to a real or perceived threat-may include, drawing a blank, saying "I don't know", feeling frozen/numb.
True/False-We have the ability to re-regulate our nervous system
True!
Big T
Examples: war, physical/sexual abuse, natural disaster
Coping skills can be negative or positive
True
What is an example of a healthy and unhealthy coping skill?
Unhealthy: Reacting with anger, shutting down, aggression, oversleeping, using substances, isolation, self-harm
What is the fight response
Our bodies reaction to a real or perceived threat-may include, yelling, hitting, arguing, having muscles tense up.
Do symptoms or impact of traumatic events show up immediatly?
Not always. Sometimes, symptoms show up right away. Other times, they may appear as time goes on.
Little T
Examples: Divorce, legal trouble, financial trouble
It is normal to have a hard time remembering parts before, during, or after trauma
True
What makes up the nervous system?
The brain, spinal cord, and a series of threadlike nerves.
The brain is what controls all the body's functions.
The spinal cord runs from the brain down through the back. It contains threadlike nerves that branch out to every organ and body part.
This network of nerves relays messages back and forth from the brain to different parts of the body.
What is the flight response
Our bodies reaction to a real or perceived threat- includes feeling trapped, wanting to run away, rapid breathing, restless legs
What are some lasting effects of trauma?
PTSD, trouble regulating emotions, depression/anxiety, poor relationship skills, health problems, etc.
ACE
Adverse Childhood Experience
(study we watched video on)
Everyone will react the same to a traumatic situation
False.
Everyone has their own reaction to trauma. No one reaction is "correct".
What is the job of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system?
The sympathetic nervous system activates the fight or flight response during a threat or perceived danger
The parasympathetic nervous system restores the body to a state of calm.
What is the nervous system
The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and a complex network of nerves.
The nervous system controls much of what you think and feel and what your body does. it also controls how we react in an emergency
According to the ACE study, what are some health problems that can occur as people age, who have had traumatic experiences?
Some include: Heart disease, cancer, addictions, depression, anxiety.