MODULE FOUR: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

No two people experience the same event or set of circumstances in the same way or as a traumatic experience. What one person experiences as trauma may not be traumatic for another person. An event experienced by a large group of people will likely be experienced differently by each individual person. For example, the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center in New York City impacted people across the city, country, and world. It was a traumatic event for many people. While it was a traumatic event for many, its effects varied greatly depending on a number of direct and indirect factors.

TRAUMA, BELIEFS & VALUES

As mentioned in the last module, trauma can change a person’s worldview. For example, some people dealing with trauma symptoms may believe the world is not safe or cannot trust anyone again. Some people who have traumatic experiences describe being shattered or shaken to one’s core. Trauma can impact a person so profoundly that it alters the core of what they believe in and changes their values to incorporate the reality of the traumatic experience. As one struggles to integrate new information due to trauma, our beliefs and values play a role in how we think about it, as well as our values and beliefs can change as we try to make meaning of the trauma. This point is further illustrated by the work of Pearlman and Saavitne, who explain that:

Based on life experiences, people develop beliefs, founded in these needs (safety, trust, esteem, control and intimacy) and their ability to meet them, which in turn, shape their perceptions of new life experiences. When, as a result of trauma, and individual believes certain basic needs cannot and will not be met (e.g. “I am never safe,” “People are not trustworthy,” “I am not worthy of being loved”) these beliefs can shape relationships, identity, and access to hope or despair. {*}[Pearlman, L. A., & Saakvitne, K. W. (1995). Treating therapists with vicarious traumatization and secondary traumatic stress disorders. In C. R. Figley (Ed.), Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (pp. 150–177). Brunner/Mazel.]

TRAUMA’S IMPACT ON IDENTITY

Experiencing a traumatic event can profoundly affect a person, potentially leading them to internalize the trauma and integrate it into their core identity moving forward. This process represents the brain's attempt to make sense of traumatic experiences, integrating them into our broader understanding to provide psychological awareness and protection against future events. The integration of the trauma may create an identity of being a “victim” or being a “survivor” rather than maintaining a separation between self and traumatic experiences through perceptions like “I am a person that experienced trauma” or “My trauma doesn’t define me.” Traumatic experiences may become significant life events that influence one's worldview and how one moves forward. For instance, experiences like war often serve as turning points, reshaping how individuals perceive themselves and their place in the world.

Activity: Ask the group to think of examples of significant life events they experienced or heard about. What influence did that event have on your life? Did it change your thoughts about yourself, others, or the world?

“Each of us is more than the worst thing we have ever done.”

-Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy

INDIVIDUAL RESILIENCE FACTORS

Resilience factors are circumstances that promote an individual’s ability to “bounce back to baseline” after a traumatic event. Supportive relationships and a personal sense of purpose and meaning in life are important factors that influence resilience. Supportive relationships can be in one’s family of origin, their chosen family, friends, close community members, mentors, or even therapists. Supportive relationships with others are ones that build us up, hold us up, and are protective and safe. As it relates directly to trauma, who was “there for you” directly after a traumatic event occurred? How did they provide you with a sense of safety?

Activity: Timeline of my life. Create a timeline of significant or impactful events in your life. Think about the people in your life who you looked up to, used as role models, trusted, counted on, and went to when you needed advice. Who were those people? How much did that relationship impact your life? In what ways did they impact your life?

SENSE OF PURPOSE & MEANING

Having a sense of purpose and meaning in life can promote resilience during times of stress and potentially traumatic events. Employment or meaningful activities can provide a sense of purpose and a clear role in society. Cultural beliefs shape our overall thinking and can positively influence how we deal with trauma, guided by cultural norms and historical ways of dealing with specific types of traumas. For example, religious or spiritual beliefs can give life meaning and provide comfort and connectedness to the community. However, how we interpret these beliefs and the meaning we give them can influence whether they promote resilience or increase vulnerability.

THE SWINGING PENDULUM OF RESILIENCE & VULNERABILITY FACTORS

Some factors can enhance resilience or vulnerability, depending on their influence on our lives.

Individual circumstances that may make one more vulnerable to experiencing events as traumatic include the recency and severity of the trauma, physical and mental health status, previous traumatic experiences, and whether the trauma is ongoing or repeated.

Things to consider: How recently did the traumatic event occur? How deeply did the trauma affect the person? How serious was it?

Those who are physically stressed may have a reduced capacity to handle the additional stress of a traumatic experience. Similarly, if a person’s mental health is already strained, events that might not otherwise be experienced as traumatic may end up feeling that way. How one has healed from or resolved previous trauma can impact their ability to deal with future traumas. A history of trauma can lead to re-traumatization when faced with new traumatic situations. Many of those who experience events as traumatic deal with repeated similar incidents, which cumulatively affect their thinking, perception, and experience of the world. Ongoing trauma can create a general sense of fatigue in coping and managing traumatic or stressful events, making healing more difficult. “How is one supposed to heal when it keeps coming at you?”

LIVED EXPERIENCE OF TRAUMA

What are “triggers”?

Triggers are anything that activates an emotion or feeling. In short, emotional activation occurs when something outside us reminds us of a memory, affecting our current thoughts. Anything in our five senses — seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, or tasting — can vividly bring back a memory.

The word “trigger” is commonly used today, often in exaggerated ways to describe anything that makes us feel a certain way. This might sound like: “That was so triggering,” “You are triggering me,” or “I was so triggered by that.”

When we talk about triggers related to trauma, we are referring to past traumatic experiences being brought into our current thoughts. When past trauma is re-activated or triggered, we can have unconscious responses like when we first experienced it. Being “triggered” by a traumatic memory is not to be taken lightly.

Although the initial reaction is unconscious, practical steps can be taken to de-activate the response. By activating our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) through breathing exercises, we can calm our nerves and refocus on our work with community members. The following activity can help activate our PNS and is used by many people, including Navy SEALS, to remain calm in the face of challenging and stressful situations.

Activity: Breathing Exercise: “Box Breathing,” or sometimes called “4 Square breathing.”

Stand or sit comfortably in your chair, replicating a situation where you might use this exercise. Inhale deeply for a count of 4 (1,2,3,4). Hold your breath for a count of 4. Breathe out slowly to a count of 4, then hold for another count of 4. Repeat as long as needed.

Box Breathing is one of the simplest breathing techniques to teach and remember. However, facilitators can choose to use or teach different breathing exercises during training.

Suggested video: Box Breathing Exercise | Take A Deep Breath. YouTube.

STORY FROM THE FIELD: “JUMPING INTO THE WORK”

STORY FROM THE FIELD: “SHOTS FIRED”

STORY FROM THE FIELD: “REACTING FAST”

STORY FROM THE FIELD: “ENGAGING TRAUMATIZED YOUTH”