Trauma and recovery from Trauma

Trauma comes from many different sources. Events such as;

• Birth trauma
• Loss of a parent or child
• The breakup of a significant relationship
• Any form of Abuse
• Domestic violence
• Witnessing violence
• War/conflict
• Natural disasters i.e floods, fire, earthquakes
• Serious lllness, especially Cancer Diagnosis
• Surgery

Trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter our sense of security, making us feel helpless and in danger.
Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life but any situation that leaves us feeling overwhelmed can be traumatic, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm.

It’s not the objective facts that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience.
The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.

Following a cancer diagnosis, for example, or living with conflict and the on going relentless stress of this diagnosis or trauma people frequently feel stunned, disoriented or unable to integrate distressing information.
You may be anxious, nervous, overwhelmed or grief-stricken. You may also feel more irritable or moody than usual.
You may experience in the body rapid heartbeat or sweating. It may be difficult to concentrate or make decisions. Sleep and eating patterns also can be disrupted —
You might also become withdrawn, isolated or disengaged from your usual social activities.

What people that experiences trauma have in common is that they feel that their lives are threatened and that they are in danger of Death.

Where we feel a danger of death, as in a car accident, war, or with a serious illness diagnosis, the response to these life threatening events or diagnosis and the overwhelming emotions that accompany these events, is that the body (unable to take in the enormity of the situation, and unable to process the emotions) the result is that we can experience in the body, in the nervous system what we know as Freeze..
We don’t want to talk about the diagnosis, WE find it difficult to reach out for help, we don’t know what’s happening, we cannot manage our emotions.

Overload

If you overload an electrical system with too much energy and too much stimulation, the circuit breaker activates and shuts everything down. The human nervous system is also an electrical system, and when it is overloaded with too much stimulation and too much danger, as in trauma, it also shuts down to just basics. People describe it as feeling numb, in shock or dead inside.
The juice turns off. Intellectually, you lose from 50 to 90 percent of brain capacity, which is why you should never make a decision when you're "in the trauma zone." Emotionally you don't feel anything. Spiritually you're disconnected, you have a spiritual crisis or it doesn't mean anything to you at all.
Physically all your systems shut down and you run on basics. You go into survival mode.

Freeze is a common reaction to a traumatic event, It can support our capacity to survive the event. We then devise a story that explains it to ourselves, that gives us a sense of control over it and it is this story that is stored in the body
In the freeze zone we can still carry out all the responsibilities of our everyday lives, but the diagnosis/ the accident/ the trauma or the past is a closed book.

It may be significant to understand the human vulnerability to traumatization. We should not forget that it was in the frightening symptoms manifested by some of the soldiers who returned from combat that the effects of trauma were first recognized.
In Northern Ireland for example people separated only by clothes lines and different religion watched their children wage war on each other rather than playing together.

There is research to show that where parents have lived through conflict/war or with a serious illness diagnosis that the children too are affected. This does not mean that we give our children trauma, what it does mean however is that trauma needs to be recognized and proper support put in place to support people dealing with trauma, and the effects of trauma.

How to cope.

Fortunately, research shows that most people are resilient and that recovery can be expected.

There are a number of steps you can take to build emotional well-being and gain a sense of control following a cancer diagnosis, following treatment or following any stressful life events.

• Give yourself time to adjust. Anticipate that this will be a difficult time in your life. Allow yourself to mourn the losses you have experienced and try to be patient with changes in your emotional state.

• Ask for support from people who care about you and who will listen and empathize with your situation.

Social support is a key component to recovery. You can find support and common ground from those who've been through a similar experience. You may also want to reach out to others not involved who may be able to provide greater support and objectivity.
Family and friends can be an important resource.

• Communicate your experience. Express what you are feeling in whatever ways feel comfortable to you — such as talking with family or close friends, keeping a diary and/or engaging in a creative activity (e.g., drawing, molding clay, etc.).

• Find a local support group
Slainte an Chlair the local cancer support centre in Kilnamona runs support groups for people affected by cancer and also supports the families. We also run a mens group and have special events where speakers and consultants talk about the cancers, and offer help and support with a variety of issues.

• Group discussion can help you realize that you are not alone in your reactions and emotions. Support group meetings can be especially helpful for people with limited personal support systems.

• Engage in healthy behaviors to enhance your ability to cope with excessive stress. Eat well-balanced meals and get plenty of rest. If you experience ongoing difficulties with sleep, you may be able to find some relief through relaxation techniques. At Kilnamona we hold a weekly relaxation and meditation group, Here we learn skills like How to relax, taking some time for ourselves, being kind to ourselves, acknowledging the difficult life situation we find ourselves in. and where the service users help and support each other through this difficult time.

Recovery

Trauma is a terrible event in a persons life but remember it doesn’t have to be a life sentence. You have already survived it for this long
The human system is destined to recover, to seek equilibrium—
Recovering from any traumatic experience requires that the painful emotions be thoroughly processed. This can be a difficult time for people. Sometimes its after treatment has finished or years after war/conflict or accident that the emotional effects are felt.

The more that feeling can be encouraged, the better. The more you feel the more you heal.
The expression of feelings can take many forms. For most people it may be easiest to talk. But others may need to write. Or draw. However they tell their stories, the rest of us have an obligation to listen.
Many people go up and down emotionally. They are in touch with their feelings but their feelings are all over the place. Emotions comes in waves, they flail about, and then the wave recedes; they discover that they're still alive and they feel better.
People need to take action and this makes a difference even in the smallest ways.

Taking action restores a sense of control and directly counteracts the sense of powerlessness that is the identifying mark of trauma. Taking action can be getting in touch with Slainte an Chlair, seeking out the support group, making an appointment with the counselor, coming for a massage, having reflexology, joining in the weekly tai chi class or the relaxation/meditation group or simple picking up the phone and coming along for a cup of tea.
You do whatever you can and never assume that any gesture is too small. In a situation that is overwhelming, you don't go for the big picture. You go for what is closest to you and where it can make a difference.
In the experience of Trauma and going through cancer treatment a person can feel so alone, At Slainte an Chlair we want you to know You are not alone, Pick up the phone and make contact. Together as a group one can learn to expand their capacity to bear what was once unbearable.

In the wake of trauma it is possible to learn and grow.
You can learn much that is deep and profound. You do this by interacting and by working together on the meaning of the difficult experience. Those who have the courage to become part of the trauma tribe, to experience and share their pain, or to help them overcome their pain, also have the opportunity to share their growth.
Everyone who goes through this process ends up better, stronger, smarter, deeper, and more connected.

Together as a group you can learn to expand your capacity to bear what was once unbearable and to find ways back to full health.

It is like having a broken bone. If it heals properly, it is stronger in the spot where it fractured than it was before the injury.

Traumatic experiences are broken bones of the soul. If you engage in the process of recovery, you get stronger. In this stage of recovery, you reintegrate your self and your values in a new way. You incorporate meaning in your life. You integrate deeper and more authentic ways of communicating.
People may experience a new sense of the preciousness of life, a clarification of goals and renewed commitment to them, and new understanding of the value of ties to others.

In Conclusion

Lets take a moment together. Invite you to close your eyes take a breath together. and to focus on your heart centre. Breathing the breath into the heart. And just like a pebble dropped into a well letting the words that I say ripple throughout your Being. Repeat these words silently to yourself,

• May I be free from Suffering?
• May I be as happy ad as healthy as it is possible for me to Be.
• May I have ease of Being.
• May all beings have ease of Being.