Remembering, A Way Forward – Veteran Mental Health Support
November 7, 2024Managing Exam Stress
November 25, 2024When an individual or group has experienced a traumatic event, the impact can be significant and ongoing. Symptoms such as high stress, distraction, disconnection from others and self, loss of purpose, and feeling powerless or unsafe may follow a traumatic incident. This experience could impact one’s ability to succeed at work, enjoy time with family or friends, and overcome regular obstacles.
Moving Towards Safety
When someone experiences a trauma response, it can feel like their brain and body are acting against them to cause harm. Yet this is how our internal systems are set up to keep us safe and alert us to danger. This becomes problematic when our ‘alarms’ stay switched on even once we are safe again. These internal systems keep trying to protect us and may disrupt our ability to deeply rest for a time. How can we let our internal systems know we are safe again so this trauma response can subside?
Adaptive Coping Strategies
Establishing a safe environment is a foundational first step. If what caused the trauma is still ongoing this is the priority to address. Who might be able to help or be with you if the source of danger is still present?
Once safety is established, the next step might be noticing it and helping yourself realize that you and those around you are safe now. Ask questions like: what is happening in the space you are in? What can you see, hear, touch, smell, or even taste right now that lets you know things around you are ordinary or even good?
Noticing the reality of safety like this is a part of what are called grounding exercises. When we are already feeling stressed or overwhelmed a simple grounding practice is to not ask questions, simply notice the ground or chair holding you up, and maybe take a slightly deeper breath from your abdomen.
Practicing breathing exercises, mindfulness, journaling, and physical activity might also be helpful. If you try these and notice you instead feel distressed, that is okay and completely normal. In these moments go slow and consider if your internal systems need you to adjust something, need a different activity, or if the distress is low enough that you want to work with it. We often focus only on what is not going well, so try to notice when something does help and what makes you know it is beneficial.
Support Systems
Having spaces, both alone and with others, where you can explore what happened and what you are experiencing now is crucial to coping. Identifying your support system—including friends, family, aspects of yourself, and maybe professional or spiritual resources—will be important for long-term well-being after a traumatic event.
Here are Some Additional Resources for More Information:
If you’re seeking to connect further or receive support for Critical Incident Stress Debriefing or need other assistance, please reach out to us at 250-718-9291 or email us at info@okclinical.com.
For specialized services, our team is ready to help you explore what an embodied life can look like through our various counseling programs. You can also check out our General Counseling Services, learn about the Types of Therapy we offer, or visit our booking page here.
The following resources are excellent places to start exploring support for CISD, going at your own pace:
- No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz
- Transforming The Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists
- or check out our Critical Stress Incident Debriefing (CISD) Page
Written by: Emily Beckett, Practicum Student
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