A sneak peak at a portion of my upcoming Hope for Healing newsletter scheduled for delivery July 1st. Subscribe at Hope for Healing newsletter or on my website at www.teriwellbrock.com. Thanks!
Defining Trauma-Sensitivity
I love the idea of having a trauma-sensitive society. "Trauma-sensitive" is another one of those buzz phrases making its way into the mainstream. I am over here jumping up and down, clapping my hands and shouting out a "WOO HOO!". Because the more society, as a whole, understands the impact of trauma on survivors, the quicker we can implement strategies to aid the healing process and help survivors build resilience through compassionate measures.
How do we do that?
- Educate the masses: As more people understand the impact of trauma, particularly early childhood adversity (see last month's newsletter for an ACEs article) and the increased risks appearing in adulthood, we can move toward more compassion. Social media has been blamed for numbing us to the horrors of mass shootings. Yet, I believe we are more in tune to the sufferings of others as we become aware of the true impact of such traumatic events. Yes, we need action along with those prayers and positive thoughts, but it's in those well-intentioned prayers and positive vibes that the power of compassion resides. A great step in the right direction for trauma-sensitive awareness.
- Provide support: Those who have experienced adversity, a traumatic event, toxic stress, or secondary trauma, can be experiencing a whole host of symptoms related to that exposure. And many times, there is an underlying current of fear. Providing supportive environments on physical, social, emotional, and spiritual (think holistic) levels is crucial to promoting healing.
- Patience: Just as with grief, everyone heals in their own way on their own time. There is no set cut-off date to be "over it". Some people will shut down, some will lash out. Some will experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), some will not. Some will be able to self-regulate and communicate their emotions, some will not. Some will have physical symptoms (panic attacks), some emotional symptoms (anger outbursts), some spiritual symptoms (God-blaming), some social (isolating friends), while some will experience no symptoms right away yet something will surface later. Awareness brings about understanding, allowing us the gift of patience.
- Adaptation: As our understanding grows, so does our ability to adapt to newfound coping strategies. Being able to offer suggestions, such as alternative therapy modalities like Brainspotting, Narrative Exposure Therapy, and Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy, or the idea of utilizing a tool box full of coping skills from breathing techniques to mindfulness exercises, can offer even more of that much needed hope that trauma-survivors crave.
These are just a few ideas we can implement on a community level. What are YOUR suggestions for creating and growing a trauma-sensitive society? I'd love to have you share them with me by email at info@teriwellbrock.com or via my website at https://teriwellbrock.com/contact-us/. Thanks!
Coming next month: A discussion on trauma-informed care.
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