When faced with a life altering situation although Molly’s characteristics and personality aid her in courageously defying them, the effects of facing this traumatic event will lead to long term psychological repercussions. When severe harm is inflicted on a person’s psyche, it is viewed as an emotional trauma (Levers, 2012). The emotional harm inflicted on Molly’s psyche originates from different dimensions; like her upbringing, her trauma is multidimensional too. As a child of the Indigenous community, whose ancestors and elders were killed violently in inter-group conflicts, and whose children were forcefully removed from families, Molly is would experience intergenerational trauma (Atkinson, 2002). Intergenerational trauma is trauma passed down from one generation to another; as a close knitted community group, the grief experienced by family members of losing their loved ones, would have been transferred across generations (Atkinson,
Robinson, L., Smith, M. M., & Segal, P. J. (2013, July). Emotional and Psychological Trauma. Retrieved from Help Guide: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/emotional_psychological_trauma.htm. Retrieved on 10/15/13
Reyes, G., Elhai, J. D., & Ford, J. D. (2008). The Encyclopedia of Psychological Trauma. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
“PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.” (NIMH)
The symptoms of trauma are hyperarousal, intrusion, and constriction. The symptoms of trauma are, “attempts to … prevent another traumatic experience like the last.” (Herman) Hyperarousal is a, “persistent expectation of danger” (Herman). Mai’s hyperarousal is comprised of her avoidance of anything related to Vietnam and thus could remind her of My Hoa. A specific example of Mai’s hyper...
Childhood Trauma is defined as “The experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects.” (The National Institute of Mental Health). Childhood trauma is an epidemic that seems to be running its way throughout the world. Childhood trauma is a worldwide problem that can affect anyone and everyone. People tend to just try and help the problems that occur due to the childhood trauma, but not the problem itself. Many of these issues will also follow the child into their adult years and will cause negative effects. This paper will discuss the negative outcomes for a child who suffers from childhood trauma, and the negative outcomes that can follow them into adulthood.
When people experience a traumatic event it normally will have an impact on every facet of their being. God created us as triune being made of a body, soul (mind, will, and emotions). Crisis immediately impacts a person physically, cognitively, and emotionally. After some time has passed you can expect to see symptoms of the effects of the critical incident in relationships horizontally with family and friends; as well as the person’s vertical relationship with God. It is critical in crisis intervention that all three parts of a person be assessed and cared for appropriately to aid victims of crisis in healing from the critical incident.
How is trauma related to suicide risk? According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, it states, “A body of research indicates that there is a correlation between many types of trauma and suicidal behaviors. For example, there is evidence that traumatic events such as childhood abuse may increase a person 's suicide risk (4, 5). A history of military sexual trauma (MST) also increases the risk for suicide and intentional self-harm, suggesting a need to screen for suicide risk in this population
It becomes important to acknowledge the existence and validity of this theory in order to provide an understanding of where many of the effects originate from, a necessary part to make it possible to cure. Brave Heart states that the symptoms of historical trauma are similar to PTSD (military definition), but the difference stands in that the trauma has not been caused by personal experience alone, but as a communal experience over a span of generations (Brave Heart 2005). Some of the symptoms she associates with the trauma include: survivor guilt, depression and psychic numbing (under which substance abuse can be categorized), compensatory fantasies, and internalized oppression (Brave Heart 2005). To this I would also include one other symptom identified by Patrisia Gonzalez, which is: rejection- feeling rejected by Latin...
Lanius, Ruth A., et al. The Impact of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease: the Hidden Epidemic. Cambridge University Press, 2011.