Trauma & PTSD

By: Marian Ayvazyan, LMHC

Understanding Trauma and Its Impact 

What is trauma and who is affected? 

Definition of trauma 

• The three E’s of trauma: An event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual  as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse  effects.  

Types of Trauma 

• Natural disasters: hurricanes, fires, flood etc. 
• Human-caused disasters: accidents, wars, environmental disasters, acts of terrorism  • Community violence: robberies, shootings, assault, gang-related violence, hate crimes, group  trauma affecting a particular community
• School violence: threats, fights, school shootings, bullying, loss of a student or staff member
• Intergenerational trauma: cumulative emotional and psychological wounding across  generations, including the lifespan, which emanates from massive group trauma (Examples: Genocide survivors, American Indian and Alaska Native communities, LGBTQ communities)
• Family trauma: abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing domestic violence, incarceration of  family members, family substance abuse, sudden or expected loss of a loved one
• Refugee and immigrant trauma: exposure to war, political violence, torture, forced  displacement, migration and acculturation stressors, fears of deportation
• Medical trauma: pain, injury and serious illness 
• Poverty: lack of resources, support networks, or mobility, homelessness
• Racial trauma: racial harassment, racial violence, discrimination and institutional racism 

Intergenerational Trauma 

• Intergenerational trauma occurs when trauma is not resolved, subsequently internalized, and  passed from one generation to the next
• Present trauma is whatever vulnerability today’s youth, families, elders, communities, continue  to experience on a daily basis. 
• Dysfunctional ways of coping can continue for generations and these unhealthy behaviors then  become a “normal” way of raising children with the family.

Impacts of Intergenerational Trauma 

• Unresolved emotions and thoughts about a traumatic event 
• Negative repeated patterns of behavior including beliefs about parenting 
• Untreated or poorly treated substance abuse or severe mental illness 
• Poor parent-child relationships and emotional attachment 
• Complicated personality traits or personality disorders 
• Content attitude with the way things are within the family 

What happens when you experience traumatic event(s)? 

• Your body creates a stress response (fight or flight response) 
• Raised blood pressure 
• Increased heart rate 
• Increased sweating 
• Reduced stomach activity (loss of appetite) 
• Shock and denial 
• If above feelings persist, it can lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 

• Feel anxious years after the trauma 
• Symptoms include: 
• Re-experiencing the event in nightmares or flashbacks  
• Avoiding things or places associated with the event 
• Panic attacks 
• Sleep disturbance and poor concentration 
• Depression 
• Emotional numbing 
• Drug or alcohol misuse  
• Anger 

Acute Stress Disorder

Acute stress disorder (ASD) is a mental disorder that can occur in the first month following a trauma. The symptoms that define ASD overlap with those for PTSD. One difference, though, is that a PTSD diagnosis cannot be given until symptoms have lasted for one month. Also, compared to PTSD, ASD is more likely to involve feelings such as not knowing where you are, or feeling as if you are outside of your body.

Depression 

Different from feeling down or sad. Will experience intense emotions of: 

• Anxiety 
• Hopelessness 
• Negativity 
• Helplessness 

What to do after experiencing a traumatic event? 

• Turn to others for support 
• Look after yourself  
• Seek professional help

Free Psychological First Aid Courses

• John’s Hopkins PFA Course
  • Learn to provide psychological first aid to people in an emergency by employing the RAPID model: Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition.
  • https://www.coursera.org/learn/psychological-first-aid 

• National Children’s Stress Network
  • Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) are promising practices for disaster behavioral health response and recovery. PFA and SPR intervention strategies are intended for use with children, adolescents, parents and caretakers, families, and adults who are survivors or witnesses exposed to disaster or terrorism. PFA and SPR can also be provided to first responders and other disaster relief workers.
  • https://learn.nctsn.org/course/index.php?categoryid=11 

Helpful Links:

• National Child Traumatic Stress Network https://www.nctsn.org/ 
• Child Trauma Academy https://www.childtrauma.org/
• National Center for PTSD https://www.ptsd.va.gov/
• Support for Veteran Caregivers https://www.caregiver.va.gov/