Over a decade ago I was introduced to Gary Craig's Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and watched a video of 6 Veterans with PTSD and their families undergoing treatment with EFT. By the end of one week, each Veteran has resolved between 50 and 100% of their symptoms. The first Veteran in the video was a Gulf War Veteran, Andy Hodnick, of Fairbanks, AK.
In his first interview, you see him Tremoring, a classic fear response that is attempting to dissipate fear chemicals triggered by a dump of Cortisol into the body. His hands are folded in his lap as he tells a story that he believes might be the trigger. I felt great empathy for Andy as he struggles with the memory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQerP14LgP0
Andy's attempts to deal with his fear response included alcohol and drug use, but what struck me as an important consideration was his description of going to a restaurant. He had to find a secure table where his back would be up against a wall. He was concerned about line of sight. He wanted to make himself hard to see. And he scanned the environment constantly. Andy stayed mostly at home, which was his safe place. He felt vulnerable elsewhere, which highlighted the imporance of safety.
About five years later, I began to understand that space can be designed for people with trauma. But I didn't know how it would be done. In the past 5 years, the field of architecture has taken up the construct of Trauma Informed Design. I am grateful for the Innovators and Early Adopters who understand what triggers trauma and are identifying countermeasures to slow or stop design triggers.
For almost a decade, I worked with a number of fantastic colleagues who were addressing the concept of forensic interviews for child victims of crime as a part of the Native American Children's Alliance. We were unable to secure enough funding to continue our mission and closed it down. But I was pleased that child victims of crime are being thought about in designing spaces for mitigating the trauma of victimhood. I am attaching a link to photos of such a space.
https://traumainformeddesign.o...intervention-center/
Public Policy in the U.S. adopted the Americans With Disabilities Act. Perhaps its time to begin looking at a similar act for designing for trauma victims.
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