Sexual Abuse
What has helped you the most since you disclosed your experience of sexual abuse?
Please answer.
What does PTSD stand for?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
What are the four main categories of PTSD symptoms?
Negative mood/ beliefs.
Avoidance.
Hyperarousal.
Intrusive thoughts or memories.
What are examples of disaster or crime that can lead to developing PTSD?
Being a crime victim or seeing crime happen (ex: seeing a shooting in the neighborhood, having home broken into, etc.)
Natural disasters like tornados, floods, wildfires, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.
Our brain's main job is to _______ us
Protect
True or False: In TF-CBT, it is not important to learn about what trauma is and how we may react to trauma
False. Learning about different types of trauma and different trauma responses are key to understanding our symptoms and learning that we are not alone!
A deeply distressing event that overwhelms a person's ability to cope.
Give examples of symptoms that fit under "Negative Mood/Changes in Thoughts and Mood"
Trouble remembering trauma details
Negative beliefs about self or the world
Blames self for the trauma
Feels mostly negative emotions (fear, anger, guilt)
Less interest in doing enjoyable activities
Feels distant from other people
Inability to experience positive emotions
What are types of injuries, accidents and illnesses that can cause PTSD?
Medical illness
Injury
Medical emergency
Death of a loved one
Car accident
When we are in actual or perceived danger, our brain responds with ________, _______, or _________.
Fight, flight, or freeze
Name three common feelings that someone can have after a traumatic experience
Sadness, Fear, Worry, Anger, Lonliness
What is PTSD?
PTSD is a collection of symptoms someone may develop as a reaction to a traumatic or life-threatening event.
Give examples of symptoms that fit under the "re-experiencing/intrusive thoughts" category
Upsetting memories pop into your brain uninvited
Nightmares
Feel as if the trauma is happening all over again
Strong emotional reactions to trauma cues
Physical reactions to trauma cues
Name two of the six main types/categories of abuse.
Physical abuse
Verbal or emotional abuse
Domestic violence
Sexual abuse
Neglect
Substance abuse of a family member
True or False: The brain can mistake something harmless as a threat because it reminds us of something that was threatening in the past.
True! Things that resemble a prior trauma are called "trauma cues" or trauma reminders", and we can react to trauma cues the same way we reacted to the original threat.
(Think: Snake and stick metaphor!)
Name 3 symptoms someone might have after being sexually abused.
What is Re-experiencing?
What is hyperarousal?
What is avoidance?
What is negative mood and thinking?
Who can get PTSD?
All ages, all genders, all cultures, and all backgrounds. PTSD does not discriminate
Give examples of symptoms that fit under the "avoidance/withdrawal" category
Avoiding anything related to the trauma (thoughts, feelings, feelings). (May use humor)
Avoiding anything that may look similar to the trauma
What is trauma?
What is an automatic response to a very stressful & disturbing experience.
What is the snake and stick metaphor?
A metaphor that describes our fight or flight response to a trauma cue.
If we're walking through the park and see a snake, we'd go into fight or flight mode. Next time we're walking through that park and we see a stick on the ground, our brain will assume is a snake and go into fight or flight mode.
What is the hardest part about talking about sexual abuse?
Please share.
True or False: once you are diagnosed with PTSD, you will always have PTSD. In other words, it is permanent.
False-PTSD is considered a mental "injury" because symptoms are a natural reaction to a distressing event where someone felt overwhelmed, afraid or helpless.
"Trauma" comes from the Greek word for "wound" (seriously!) Just like the body heals physical wounds the brain heals mental.
Give examples of symptoms that fit under the "hyper-arousal" category
Irritable outbursts
Reckless behavior
Always feeling "on guard" or like you're looking over your shoulder
Feeling jumpy, on-edge
Problems concentrating
Trouble sleeping
Hypersexual arousal
Why do some children do not tell someone about their abuse.
They are worried about what will happen.
Worried they will be looked at differently.
The grooming process.
True or False: Trauma changes the brain?
True! Thanks to something called neuroplasticity, our brains can be re-wired and we can "unlearn" some unhelpful responses or behaviors.