Vocabulary
What is TRAUMA and how does it effect people?
A trauma is when something very scary or threatening happened to you (or someone you love) that keeps you feeling overwhelmed with a bunch of strong thoughts and feelings long after it’s over.
We call these “traumatic events.”
Trauma can change the way people think about themselves and the world around them. Trauma can trigger false alarms!
What are the three elements (corners) of the cognitive triangle?
Thoughts
Feelings
Behaviors
Fill in the blank!
When something makes us feel afraid or worried, or even just uncertain or uncomfortable, we _____ it.
Avoid
What is BELLY BREATHING? Demonstrate :)
Why do people tend to avoid reminders of their trauma?
It makes us feel better in the moment (but not in the long run!)
What is GRIEF?
Grief is a set of feelings, reactions, and experiences someone has following the death of someone close to them. Sometimes grief can make you feel overwhelmed with a bunch of strong thoughts, feelings, and memories long after the person is gone. We call that experience “traumatic grief.”
What does the cognitive triangle tell us about the relationship between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors?
What are some possible trauma reminders?
What is GUIDED IMAGERY?
Guided imagery is a technique in which you imagine a safe and beautiful place to calm yourself down- think abuot what you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel in that place
Why is it important to face our fears?
Facing our fears (like trauma reminders) makes them less scary in the long run
Beliefs are the central ideas that people have about themselves, other people, and the world.
What is the name of the strategy where we change a negative, unhelpful thought to a positive, helpful one?
The FLIP IT strategy
Why do we NOT want to avoid our trauma reminders?
What is PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION? Demonstrate :)
The process of clenching and releasing muscle groups throughout the body (pay attention to how the body feels and changes when it is tense versus when it is relaxed)
Changing our thoughts from negative, unhelpful thoughts to positive, more realistic thoughts can change our feelings and behaviors
What is a THINKING TRAP?
Thinking traps are a habit of thinking a certain way. They pop into our minds under a “false alarm” scenario, when we think there’s a real threat of some kind, but we’re actually okay.
When we experience a trauma, these can happen more frequently and cause us to feel even more upset, and then act on these feelings in an unhelpful way.
Create a NEGATIVE, UNHELPFUL cognitive triangle for Chicken Little when he feels something hit his head
Thought: THE SKY IS FALLING!!
Feeling: Terrified, hysterical, frantic, panicky
Behavior: Running around, making everyone else nervous
What is thought replacement? Can you give an example?
Thought replacement is when you replace an unpleasant thing with something more pleasant
When we are anxious, how might our bodies react?
Muscles may tighten and tense up
Problems falling and staying asleep
Stomach pains, poor appetite
Give two examples of a supportive statement when someone has shared a traumatic experience:
1. I am so sorry for your loss
2. Thank you for sharing that story with me. You are very brave.
Any others?
Can you name some COMMON NEGATIVE BELIEFS that people have after trauma?
“I am weak.”
“I can’t trust anyone.”
“My life is ruined.”
“I’m bad.”
“Nobody likes me.”
“I’ll never be good enough.”
“I’m messed up or crazy.”
“I’m not loveable.”
“Nothing ever goes right.”
“I can’t do anything right.”
“I’m worthless.”
“I’m disgusting or gross.”
Create a POSITIVE, HELPFUL cognitive triangle for Chicken Little when he feels something hit his head
Thought: I wonder what that was? Maybe I should check it out.
Feeling: Curious, a little nervous, pretty calm
Behavior: Checks out surroundings, notices it was just an acorn!
What are some coping strategies to use when you are facing your fears?
Distraction
Thought replacement
Relaxation
Positive Imagery
When can we use these relaxation techniques?
Whenever! Especially when we feel like we are having intense, negative feelings on the feelings thermometer. We can use these strategies to manage intense feelings when we are reminded of traumatic events of of loved ones who have died
Why might it be helpful to talk about trauma and traumatic loss with others who have had a similar experience?
BONUS POINTS (100) : What is GRADUAL EXPOSURE?
We can help each other cope with grief
We can learn coping strategies and helpful thoughts/beliefs from others
We can see that we are not alone and that our feelings are normal, even though they are really hard
Gradual exposure is a process during which, over a long period of time, we become more and more comfortable talking about certain difficult topics in safe environments with people we trust