Overcoming Adversity
by Shara Turner, LPC, MSC, NCC, Eagala
Over this past week we were bombarded by images of an American icon doting over his beautiful daughter. Although I did not know them, each time I glance at those pictures I feel a pang of sadness in my heart as I imagine the grief one mother and wife must be enduring. Unfortunately tragedy happens every day, in every country, city, and neighborhood around the world, and images like these are another reminder of how precious and fragile life really is.
When I was 17 I lost my best friend, my father to a tragic accident. 28 years later I watched my own children mourn the loss of their father, best friend, and mentor.
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Early life trauma can stem from physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, loss of a loved one, bullying, witnessing violence, or from involvement in a serious accident, injury, natural disaster, terrorism or war. It can also result from growing up in a chronically dysfunctional home, where emotional neglect and indifference are the norm, and healthy attachments are never formed...and this is just the short list.
The list of acute responses to a traumatic event are long and often last into adulthood, creating a set-up for a life that is emotionally painful and difficult for the victim to achieve full potential:
Irritability hostility
Depressive Symptoms
Mood Swings, emotional instability
Anxiety (e.g., panic attacks, specific phobia, generalized anxiety)
Fear or traumatic reoccurrence
Grief reaction
Shame
Feeling vulnerable and fragile
Emotional detachment, unwilling to engage in discussion regarding emotions
Crying
Peritraumatic Disassociation: A form of psychological escape during or just after the event.
Adjustment Reaction Disorder (clinically significant depressive symptoms and/or intrusive anxiety symptoms in the wake of a distressing event. Symptoms usually resolve within 6 months.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The life trajectory of chronically traumatized persons will veer from the hopes and dreams they once possessed, as their life becomes increasingly and pathologically organized around the event(s), the aggressor(s) or alleviating the emotional pain that lingers like a frightening shadow.
Effects on Neurodevelopment
The fact that traumatic life experiences are predictive of mental illness and substance abuse is not surprising. What is surprising is the extent of neuroadaptive changes in the brains of traumatized children and teens.
Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Research
Two recent studies showed that experiencing childhood trauma is common among people undergoing addiction treatment as adults.
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Everyone experiences feelings of sadness at times. For those with depression, it is persistent. They often don’t find joy in those things that used to bring them joy. Fatigue may be present and there may be sleep issues.
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