How Trauma Impacts Function - Essay Sample

Introduction

The first-way trauma impacts function is through reflex action where the memory of a traumatic event is triggered by something associated with that trigger. Triggers can range from a specific smell, a person, mood, event or object, etcetera (Associative Awareness Technique, 2012). For instance, I was intrigued to learn that someone can associate a rainstorm with rape if memories of when she was raped are of a torrential evening when it happened. In that regard, the body's reflexes tend to associate rainy days with the experience of rape since the event brings back memories of rape. Consequently, a person experiencing reflexes of trauma will always be stuck in that moment of trauma once the trigger is noted.

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Another notable element that I learned from the course material as pertains to how trauma affects function is the fight or flight reaction that trauma presents. Notably, I learned that habits such as depression, alcoholism or dependency, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), etcetera are various categories that can be grouped under either flight or fight reactions. In that regard, trauma plays a significant role in the traits and habits that one assumes even if the trauma happened in childhood such habits can be carried all the way through into adulthood (Associative Awareness Technique, 2012).

ACE Study Implications

The implications of the ACE study are such that they serve a critical role in allowing psychologists, physicians, and behaviorists among other specialists concerned with psychology and behavior, understand why certain traits and characteristics are persistent among adults. By creating a relationship of association between ACEs and an adult's current habits it can help explain why tendencies tend to persist in adulthood (Associative Awareness Technique, 2012). For instance, dependency is a habit that can be associated with the ACE of a parent who was an alcoholic and never took care of the child. Once the child is grown, he or she may also become dependent on alcohol to deal with the fact that he or she is like his or her alcoholic parent because he or she cannot also take care of his or her children. Consequently, the implication of ACE studies is such that understanding adult traits requires explanations that can be traced back to ACEs.

Chronic Traumatic Stress Case Study

My case study's name is Juliet; she was 8 years old when her uncle, brother to her dad, sexually abused her. She was later at the age of 14 sexually molested again by her older cousin who was 17 at the time, and when she was 15, she was gang-raped by a group of homeless men when she was heading home from school. This series of traumas of the same kind have left Juliet distrusting of men and very afraid to get close to all men. She even does not have a relationship with her father because of this since she believes that all men are sexual predators. As an adult at the age of 21, she has vowed never to get married let along trust a man enough to be in a relationship with him. Based on my assessment, Juliet's trigger or reflexes come when she is around men because she finds them to be predators and notes that she cannot trust men because they are interested only in ravaging her body sexually without her consent. That explains her discomfort, fear, and distrust of men, in general.

Different Treatment Approaches

Various treatment options are necessary for different traumatic experiences. No single traumatic experience can be likened to another even if they are under one category of sexual abuse, for instance. In the same line, no single way of coping with trauma or reacting to trauma is the same between two individuals, even if they underwent the very same trauma. Take the example of 9/11 attacks, the traumatic event affected victims variously some of whom have coped while others are having difficulty (Associative Awareness Technique, 2012). In that regard, social workers should approach victims of trauma with different treatment approaches that are in tandem with their coping skills as well as the magnitude of the traumatic episode. To that end, assessment, treatment planning, and engagement should place into consideration the specific psychological needs of each victim of trauma for the most effective option for treatment to be implemented.

Addressing Trauma and Victimization

Empowering people to move beyond victimhood should first pursue the need to help victims understand and accept the traumatic event for what it was. Owning up to the fact that they were victims and that nothing in their power at the time would have helped improve the situation is the first step towards healing. That would be my foremost action in working with victims of trauma to equip them with the courage and strength to move on from the traumatic episode. The second step would involve dealing with triggers that develop reflex reactions to reminders. To this end, I recommend reflexercise, which is a concept that assists victims of trauma to overcome their habits associated with a traumatic event (Associative Awareness Technique, 2012). Such habits are not limited to fear, dependency, depression, and PTSD, etcetera all of which are triggered when memories of the trauma come to mind. Through these two steps, my approach would be centered toward complete healing of the victim of trauma from the traumatic event and; hence, empowering the victim to positively take charge of their destiny moving forward.

References

Associative Awareness Technique. (2012, October 05). Understanding Trauma: How Stress and Trauma Cause Pain, Anxiety, Depression, & PTSD. Retrieved 02 19, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byQBP7fq5vQ&t=2s