Let’s Talk Trauma: Part I
Let’s Talk Trauma: Part I
There is a lot of talk about trauma these days. It’s a big topic, and as our understanding of trauma evolves, so does our ability to heal and transform it.
Over the next few weeks, we are going to take a closer look at what trauma actually is, how pervasively it shows up as an obstacle in relationships without partners even realizing it, and what you can do about it.
The experience of psychological trauma occurs on an individual level, but its effects ripple out into our relationships and our communities. Trauma is NOT the event that happens to you, but rather it’s the internal wound that develops as a result.
Trauma is the emotional response to a distressing or life-threatening experience. An event often becomes experienced as trauma when there is no witness to your pain, no one with whom to confide, or the event overwhelms your ability to cope in that moment or over time.
The most common and easily understood examples of this are what is often referred to as “big T trauma,” such as having fought in a war, rape, molestation, a car accident where people were injured or killed, overt racism, and domestic violence.
Then there is what is often referred to as “little t trauma,” which is the emotional response to wounding that might be less obvious, but still very painful. This type of trauma usually occurs over time. Examples of this type of trauma include emotional abuse, neglect, bullying, medical illnesses, subtle racism and divorce.
The overarching effects of trauma upon individuals, families and society finally gained national attention when the CDC-Kaiser Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study was published in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The researchers collected data from over 17,000 Kaiser members over a 2 year period exploring how childhood abuse, neglect, and household challenges affect later-life health and well-being. (For more information about the ACE study, click here).
ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood. ACEs can also negatively impact education, job opportunities, and earning potential. However, ACEs can be prevented.
The benefit of this extensive study of childhood adverse experiences and the impact on one’s life is that a great deal of attention has now been given to those who score even a “1” on the ACE assessment, indicating they are at “intermediate risk for toxic stress.”
Given that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common (about 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported they had experienced at least one type of ACE before age 18, and nearly 1 in 6 reported they had experienced four or more types of ACEs), the likelihood of trauma – big T or little t – affecting you and your partner in some manner is fairly high.
While the news might sound grim, if you or your partner have been affected by previous trauma, you do not have to be defined by it. Trauma is something that can be healed. Relationships can be healed.
Next week, we will address how to identify when trauma shows up in relationships and how to differentiate between a ‘trauma reaction’ vs. a present-day upset. Stay tuned.
Tip of the Day:
If you’d like to watch an exceptional documentary about the effects of trauma, check out this link: The Wisdom of Trauma ~ Can our deepest be a doorway to healing? with Gabor Mate. (It does require a $7.99 donation.)
If you have any questions about trauma and its effects, please feel to email us and we will do our best to address in the next couple of broadcasts.
We’d love to hear from you! If our blog resonates with you, you have comments, questions or ideas for us to address, please feel free to reach out. Also, please feel free to share and invite your friends to sign up here to receive our newsletter each week!
Ashley Taggart, MFT and Phylis Wakefield, PhD are both psychotherapists in Sonoma County. Ashley specializes in working with couples and relationship issues, and Phylis specializes in relationship issues, parenting issues, addiction and trauma.
Hebu tuzungumze Trauma: Sehemu ya I Hebu tuzungumze Trauma: Sehemu ya I Kuna mazungumzo mengi kuhusu majeraha siku hizi. Ni mada kubwa, na kama uelewa wetu wa majeraha inabadilika, hivyo hufanya uwezo wetu wa kuponya na kubadilisha yake. Katika wiki chache zijazo, tutaangalia kwa karibu zaidi nini trauma ni kweli, ni jinsi gani inaonekana kama kizuizi katika mahusiano bila washirika hata kutambua, na nini unaweza kufanya kuhusu hilo. Ugonjwa wa kisaikolojia hutokea katika kiwango cha mtu binafsi, lakini athari zake huenea katika mahusiano yetu na jamii zetu. Mshtuko si tukio ambalo linatokea kwako, bali ni jeraha la ndani ambalo linatokea kama matokeo. Mshtuko wa akili ni mwitikio wa kihisia-moyo kwa jambo lenye kusumbua au lenye kuhatarisha uhai. Mara nyingi tukio huonwa kama trauma wakati hakuna shahidi wa maumivu yako, hakuna mtu wa kuwasiliana naye, au tukio hilo hufadhaisha uwezo wako wa kukabiliana na wakati huo au kwa muda. Mifano ya kawaida na rahisi kuelewa ya hii ni kile mara nyingi inajulikana kama "T kubwa trauma," kama vile kuwa na mapigano katika vita, ubakaji, unyanyasaji, ajali ya gari ambapo watu walikuwa kujeruhiwa au kuuawa, wazi ubaguzi wa rangi, na vurugu za nyumbani. "Kisha kuna kile kinachoitwa ""maumivu madogo,"" ambayo ni majibu ya kihisia kwa jeraha ambayo inaweza kuwa wazi kidogo, lakini bado ni chungu sana." Kwa kawaida majeraha ya aina hiyo hutokea baada ya muda. Mifano ya aina hii ya majeraha ni pamoja na unyanyasaji wa kihisia, kupuuzwa, udhalilishaji, magonjwa ya matibabu, ubaguzi wa rangi na talaka. Matokeo ya jumla ya majeraha juu ya watu binafsi, familia na jamii hatimaye alipata tahadhari ya kitaifa wakati CDC-Kaiser Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) utafiti ilichapishwa mwishoni mwa miaka ya 1990 na mapema miaka ya 2000. Watafiti hao walijumuisha data kutoka kwa wanachama zaidi ya 17,000 wa Kaiser kwa kipindi cha miaka miwili, wakichunguza jinsi unyanyasaji wa utotoni, kutojali, na changamoto za nyumbani zinavyoathiri afya na ustawi wa baadaye. Kwa maelezo zaidi kuhusu utafiti wa ACE, bonyeza hapa. ACEs zinahusishwa na matatizo ya afya ya muda mrefu, ugonjwa wa akili, na matatizo ya matumizi ya dawa za kulevya katika ujana na utu mzima. ACE pia inaweza kuathiri vibaya elimu, fursa za kazi, na uwezo wa kupata mapato. Hata hivyo, ACEs inaweza kuzuiwa. "Utafiti wa ""Uchunguzi wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa wa Ugonjwa.""" Ingawa habari hiyo inaweza kuonekana kuwa mbaya, ikiwa wewe au mwenzi wako umepatwa na majeraha ya zamani, si lazima uelewe kwa sababu ya hali hiyo. Maumivu ni jambo linaloweza kutibiwa. Uhusiano unaweza kuponywa. Wiki ijayo, tutazungumzia jinsi ya kutambua wakati trauma inaonekana katika mahusiano na jinsi ya kutofautisha kati ya'matokeo ya trauma' dhidi ya hasira ya leo. Endelea kusikiliza. Kidokezo cha Siku: Ikiwa ungependa kutazama filamu ya kipekee kuhusu athari za majeraha, angalia kiungo hiki: Hekima ya Majeraha ~ Je, kina chetu kinaweza kuwa mlango wa uponyaji? Gabor Mate (Hii inahitaji mchango wa $ 7.99.) Kama una maswali yoyote kuhusu trauma na athari zake, tafadhali kujisikia kutuma barua pepe na sisi kufanya bora yetu kushughulikia katika maonyesho ya pili. Tungependa kusikia kutoka kwako! Kama blog yetu ina resonates na wewe, una maoni, maswali au mawazo kwa ajili yetu kushughulikia, tafadhali kujisikia huru kuwasiliana. Pia, tafadhali jisikie huru kushiriki na kuwakaribisha marafiki wako kujiandikisha hapa kupokea jarida letu kila wiki! Ashley Taggart, MFT na Phylis Wakefield, PhD wote ni psychotherapists katika Sonoma County. Ashley ni mtaalamu wa kazi na wanandoa na masuala ya uhusiano, na Phyllis ni mtaalamu wa masuala ya uhusiano, masuala ya uzazi, ulevi na majeraha.