Trauma 101
Which of these would not cause trauma? A. Being abused B. Being separated from a loved one C. A scary natural disaster D. A fun day at the park
D. A fun day at the park
Which of these is not a type of trauma response symptoms?
A. Reexperiencing the trauma
B. Avoidance
C. Sports and Hobbies
D. Negative mood and beliefs
E. Hypervigilance
C. Sports and hobbies
True or false? The symptoms of trauma can never be healed.
False! TF-CBT and other therapies help people with their bodies, brains, feelings, and behaviors.
What part of the body controls our 4 Fs responses?
What are examples of things that cause trauma?
Natural disasters, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, serious injuries, seeing someone be hurt, bullying, when a loved one dies, scary medical procedures, being around war, being separated from someone we love
What are the four Fs of trauma response?
Fight
Flight
Freeze
Fawn
How does trauma affect your brain?
Difficulty concentrating, thinking, learning, and remembering
When someone tries to defend themselves from a threat. They might yell, feel angry or irritable, start arguments, and be hypervigilant (on the lookout for danger).
Fight response
What is trauma?
Trauma is an emotional response to a scary or stressful event.
True or false? Kids who have experienced trauma might have thoughts like "I won’t have a good life," "no one can be trusted," or "the whole world is unsafe."
TRUE! Sometimes after trauma, kids develop unhelpful thoughts about themselves and the world around them. These thoughts usually aren't helpful or true and can be helped during trauma treatment.
How does trauma affect emotions?
Low self-esteem, feeling unsafe, difficulty regulating emotions, feeling distant from people, difficulty trusting, depression, anger, anxiety
When someone's body wants them to RUN AWAY from danger. They might have trouble sitting still, feel trapped, or try to avoid.
Flight response
What kinds of feelings might kids have after trauma?
Scared, angry, embarrassed, depressed, abandoned, hurt, confused, ashamed, lonely
Name three symptoms you may have after experiencing trauma
Upsetting memories, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, feeling upset when reminded of what happened, strong feelings in your body when reminded, trying not to think about, talk about, or have feelings about trauma, staying away from triggers, memory loss, negative thoughts, guilt/blame, negative feelings, less interest in activities, not feeling close to people, less positive feelings, anger outbursts, unsafe behaviors, overly on-guard, jumpiness, problems paying attention, trouble falling or staying asleep
How does trauma affect behavior?
Impulsivity, fighting, aggression, running away, isolation, easily frightened
When someone's body decides they can't fight back or run away from a threat. They may feel stuck, can't move, hold their breath, or feel a sense of dread.
Freeze response
What are trauma triggers?
Places, people, memories, situations, sounds, smells, or other things that remind someone of the traumatic experience
True or false: Avoiding thoughts, feelings, and reminders about the traumatic event helps me in the long run.
False! This is a symptom of a trauma response and teaches your brain to feel scared for longer.
How does trauma affect your body?
Physical responses (headaches, stomach aches, heart racing, sweating) and illness later in life
When someone tries to avoid or minimize distress or danger by pleasing or calming down the threat. Someone responding in this way would do whatever they can to keep the threat, or abuser, happy despite their own needs and wants.
Fawn