Trauma informed: What does it mean?

Harvard medical school website:

THE PREVALENCE OF TRAUMA

The CDC statistics on abuse and violence in the United States are sobering. They report that one in four children experiences some sort of maltreatment (physical, sexual, or emotional abuse). One in four women has experienced domestic violence. In addition, one in five women and one in 71 men have experienced rape at some point in their lives — 12% of these women and 30% of these men were younger than 10 years old when they were raped. This means a very large number of people have experienced serious trauma at some point in their lives.

Medical exams by definition can feel invasive. They often involve asking sensitive questions, examining intimate body parts, and sometimes delivering uncomfortable — even painful — treatments. So, it is important that healthcare providers are mindful of the fact that so many people come to that healthcare interaction with a history of trauma.

Psychology today:

It is sometimes said that traumatic reactions are normal reactions to abnormal situations. As true as this statement is, it’s also true that individuals’ coping reactions post-trauma remain poorly understood, even by many of the people who are in the best positions to offer support and treatment to trauma victims. It is important for everyone to understand that victims of traumatic events, such as human trafficking, will not always react or behave in the way that we might expect.

Psychology today:

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente assessed associations between childhood trauma, stress, and maltreatment, and health and well-being later in life. Almost two-thirds of the participants (both men and women) reported at least one childhood experience of physical or sexual abuse, neglect, or family dysfunction, and more than one of five reported three or more such experiences.

Women were significantly more likely than men to report more traumatic experiences in childhood. ACE scores were found to be highly correlated with serious emotional problems, health risk behaviors, social problems, adult disease and disability, mortality, high health care and other costs, and worker performance problems. Higher scores were also significantly correlated with liver disease, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, heart disease, autoimmune disease, lung cancer, depression, attempted suicide, hallucinations, the use of antipsychotic medications, the abuse of substances, multiple sex partners, and an increased likelihood of becoming a victim of sexual assault or domestic violence.

It is important when interacting with others that we take the stance of understanding them rather than judging them. Understanding someones past and why they may act the way they do can support healthier communication and lifestyles.

Trauma informed approaches to relationships, businesses, and especially health care need to be at the forefront of our systems change. When we enter into any kind of relationship, there is a whole truck load of information that we cant possibly understand about the other people or person. When someone at work acts outside of what you may consider normal, think first about trauma and how this persons life may have been impacted before they met you.

Sometimes the unruly child, bitchy woman, or angry man, is just a hurting person waiting for understanding.

Next time you are judging someone or isolating them from your social group, consider that maybe they are different because they have experienced terrible things. Compassion first. judgement second.

If you have experienced terrible things and need supports consider calling

Counseling and therapy for trauma recovery

Karen Van Acker LPC