Trauma Theory

Trauma Theory

Traumatic events are external, however they quickly become incorporated into the mind. When the internal and external resources are unable to assist the person in coping traumatization occurs (Bloom, 1999) Stress is often used as a descriptor to define trauma, however, trauma differs from stress; because trauma is caused by severe stressors, whereas stress can be caused by minor stressors (Basham, 2011). Traumatization has been often denied or suppressed by the victims, as well as society; inability to understand the trauma has led an unclear understanding of trauma from micro, mezzo and macro-level (Basham, 2011). Basham (2011) discusses the example of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; the nation became unconcerned of the

Freud broke ground on the idea of trauma theory by recognizing hysteria. Freud stated that hysteria was a result of internal conflicts between traumatic events that were no longer in the conscious level, but the feelings had remained within the conscious level for the patients (Basham, 2011). Breuer, broke from Freud’s theory and stated that patients experiencing trauma were experiencing two different states of consciousness as a result of a traumatic event. Freud moved towards his theory of oedipal conflict and this theory stated that patients expressing stories of abuse were likely based on fantasies of the patient, and not actual abuse in the past. Breuer believed that trauma patients dissociated from trauma, whereas Freud believed that they struggled with the conflict between the conscious feelings and unconscious memory of the event (Basham, 2011) Trauma theory eventually involved into the understanding of the human’s neurobiological response and how the response leads to trauma in

Individuals who have been able to cope with the events that have occurred find themselves living with a greater level of optimism and hope (Basham, 2011). The ability to continually cope with stressful or traumatic events leads to “resilience” (Basham, 2011). The greater that humans are able to adapt and cope with problems the greater their levels of resilience will be. The more resilient an individual is can lead to higher levels of optimism and ability to cope with problems they encounter. If children are constantly exposed to danger they are more likely to become increasingly sensitive to dangerous predicaments and even minor threats can trigger the fight-or-flight reaction. Experiencing overwhelming fear can destabilize our internal system of arousal and leads to a destruction in the ability for the individual process emotions