TRAUMA AND ABUSE

Life events can cause mental and emotional damage that takes a long time, and a great deal of help, to heal. Accidents happen and people lose loved ones for all sorts of reasons. Government statistics report that large numbers of soldiers and civilians are being traumatized by current wars. We also know that many people are abused in innumerable ways. People can be seriously hurt by life events, and sometimes develop symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The symptoms include recurrent intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, automatic efforts to avoid anything associated with the trauma, feeling detached or estranged from others, inability to feel some emotions like love, experiencing insomnia, irritability, explosive anger, exaggerated startle response, and other symptoms of anxiety and depression.

These symptoms can be understood as the best ways that people could find to protect themselves from being overwhelmed at the time of the injury. Rather than seeing them as signs of an illness, I view them as signs of the strength of the human spirit for survival. They are different for each individual, and can be used in ways that help the person become strong and whole again. As a person heals the painful signs of distress are replaced by more adaptive strategies for protecting oneself.

Talking with professional trained in Dynamic therapy can be enormously beneficial for people who have been mentally and emotionally injured. Sometimes telling the story of the trauma to someone who listens carefully and who cares can bring a great deal of relief. Beyond listening to the story, part of the job of a Dynamic therapist is to help clients develop new ways to protect themselves from the pain of these experiences, and to help them feel safe and understood. Some people who are not familiar with this type of therapy have worried that the victims of trauma and abuse are somehow blamed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dynamic therapy has always recognized the impact of trauma and abuse and has developed effective methods for helping injured people heal and grow.