During extreme trauma like there is no doubt the sensory overload that leaves a trail of emotional different in mind. Neurological there are three significant areas of brain activity between the pre-frontal cortex, the amygdala and hippocampus which will shoot quickly neuro-receptors to process ‘experience’ while at the same time trying to calculate a solution for the event ..
Such extreme stress will leave very clear visual traces in the hippocampus, which is responsible for episodic memory and is closely related to negative emotional stimuli through the amygdala. That is why one of the ingredients for diagnosing PTSD record ‘flashbacks’ which seems to recur repeatedly, tortured innocent victims of the brain while trying to find that particular bit of the events that will allow it to understand. I’m sure once the victims know that others understand what they have gone through then there will be a recovery ignition.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are about 8 million Americans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most of them are 18 years and above the median even though it seems to be 23 years old. Some people involved in these statistics are war veterans – those who fought in Vietnam and in Afghanistan. In fact, research shows that 19 percent of the soldiers who were deployed in Vietnam suffer from PTSD at some time after they have been called back and sent home to their families.
It is not only the soldiers in battle who suffer from PTSD. Think about it. Trauma may be associated with anyone who has been on the receiving end of the attack group, was involved in a major car accident or fall victim to poor rape incidents of violence. Even the recent succession of natural disasters can leave a trail of appalling emotional for those who survived.
What are the signs and symptoms of PTSD? Is that clear to see? Well it was not in my client. After 1st met him at a training seminar, she was a woman who looked distinguished and firmly maintained.
Or in the back is generated a very strong self-defense mechanism that will not leak a single iota of information to the outside world. Why them, the world will simply not understand anyway.
Manifestations of severe trauma are grouped into 3 – intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing the emotions, and the emotional arousal or hyper-arousal. More often than not, these symptoms appear 3 months after the traumatic event. There are cases in which even though may take years for symptoms to appear.
Symptoms include flashbacks intrusive memory of traumatic events while you are awake. For a minute or even days, you seem to be reviving the horror that you meet and you find it very hard to snap out of it. Through conscious effort you are able to control the memories when you’re awake, despite our conscious attention is not functioning 24/7, sometimes they haunt you in your dreams. Your subconscious does not have a conscious mind barriers that you have and so you might get nightmares frequently.
People with PTSD may break away from society, or at least for the kind of people involved in the original event. Avoiding this is a coping mechanism for emotional scarring caused events. It may go as far as the people they care for.
When I asked people with PTSD ‘how can I help? They would always say ‘if I say, you will not understand’. I would always respond by saying ‘it’s true I do not understand’. Too many therapists are trying to issue an authoritative and omnipotence claim that they know exactly what the client has and how to deal with it. This is a huge mistake and a complete disrespect for the client, because unless you are that person, or at least witness the incident how you can hold the position of understanding.
If you are an existing PTSD tend to be small dialogue especially if the topic is related to the incident. Have you noticed their war hero who survived the war and when pressed by their grandchildren about what it was like back then they became quiet and distant? It was quite an answer to tell you how horrible it is to live during the war.
There is a tendency to not have aspirations and excitement about the future and may even suffer from partial memory loss. The ability to focus tends to be disturbed and family relationships around them are gradually destroyed by the pain is too much to be close to someone.
There is an array of negative emotions experienced such agitation and anxiety, and being overly emotional. Combine this with an underlying anger and mood swings you’ve got someone pretty much disengages from society completely.
Shame and guilt is interesting because this is a learned behavior or emotion so it may have come from prior experience traumatic events. Traumatic events but reignites and brought back to the present clearly how to feel this way. Emotions can encourage victims to use drink or drugs and in some cases dependence. This was their attempt panacea but unfortunately it is rude behavior because the action does not meet the intent, it just makes it more bearable to handle while slowly killing them.
The visual representation of victims of past traumas so now that it is as if they have lost their future time when they replay the event like a broken record. This is why some victims were so jumpy or startled by the smallest thing. They can even suffer from visual or auditory hallucinations which resulted in difficulty to focus and really engage in conversation or activity.
Of course what I am describing here is extreme PTSD, but some survivors develop coping mechanisms funny that allows a person to appear very compost mentis, although they are in the pot bubbling guilt and anger are so stressed that it makes you wonder if it was as bad as they described it. Through sheer will be a few can manage to hide the deep pain of their humiliating.
Client
JB My client involved in a relationship with a black man for 7 years and for the relationship he expressed fear of him at times because he could appear as threating and aggressive. Before they met he started his own music company and know this man on his musical ability with a strong network of followers.
He also knows his reputation as a womanizer. Although this drive and enthusiasm to get the company and got him to set up business partnerships with individuals. Finally, they develop an intimate relationship that has all the signs of stress and tension from the start.
Finally, toward the end of his relationship severely attacked by this man where he was hospitalized for several days. He did not press charges even though after this confidence shattered and very afraid of this person. When she explained what happened to the other members of the company’s music they accused her of lying and basically turned around and he was forced out of his own company for property rights and feelings of betrayal. To support this article I will inform the other members of the music companies are also black men.
In the chart you will observe a time line of people seeking help through therapy for symptoms of paranoia and betrayal, fear of blacks, underlying anxiety sweating sleep, and nightmares. Physical attacks are more than 4 years ago. Clients are asked to be as they were before the event never happened and I immediately said that was not possible because it has happened and you can not go back in time. In addition, if they become people who they before the event ever occurs then the same thing will happen all over again. Bit pointless really.
This exercise allows the victim to put down on paper exactly what happened before, during and after the form is a different perspective. This exercise allows the client to the bottom piece and identify the exact point that integrates all the other parts together. To understand the end and for the first time since the event say what it is that this maintains traumatic memory and reveal traces of negative emotions.
Dealing with PTSD – An Approach Movement & Motion Metaphor
Metaphor mixed in our everyday language among other linguistic models of sensory and conceptual. To help make a difference from all three linguistic model, reading the description as follows: –
Sensory – When I saw the keeper the eyes and hear the roar of my teammates, I feel I hit the net cord ball in the net.
Conceptual – I took the ball in my chest and went round a defender with a clear shot on goal.
Metaphor – As if I were a cheetah close the gap on its prey.
Metaphors are the vessels of complex information that is used to help us interpret our experience of the world, others and ourselves. The metaphor we can limit or empower and until we raised awareness on what the symbols of the complex will continue without a shadow of what they mean to us.
Exploration of the landscape metaphor we are nourishing process that allows the subconscious mind searching for adapting itself not only what we metaphor but a relationship and their respective organizations in relation to each other. Having this awareness in order to reorganize the landscape and patterns, creating new strategies and thus the new movements and behavior.
Just to give a clear distinction metaphor of movement and motion is not the language clean. Clean Language explores different metaphors in which the clients landscape MoM tend to see the metaphor is problematic and current strategies to try and deal with it. Keeping a clear focus on speed and destination clients range mode, the MoM approach would be contrary to the Clean Language You always describe what the client is not a metaphor.
This is done on the premise that the client very well to explain what their experience is not because there are always people do not know what they want. Tell them what it is not the level of attention and awareness is raised and their automatic correction mechanism comes into play to tell what it was. A neat trick is very strong.
Using tone of disbelief and sympathy various clients suddenly become ‘awake’ for the first time in several years, finally able to understand what is in the order of their subconscious mind.
When I first asked me what the problem of PTSD clients there are many explanations frontal lobes in the description language classical sensory and conceptual listing suffer like me “I feel ashamed” and ”
The transition from the sensory and conceptual linguistic when he said “I just feel scared all the time”.
And then came “and this feeling of fear, and it is like what?”
“I feel like I’m in the ground is unstable and I was drowning”.
JB stated view was that he had himself from the right side as if he was watching her from the sea and he was in the golden sand was dry and he stepped forward with his left foot and just slid back with a tremendous feeling just stay where he is.
The beach is done on the eve led him eventually to a big bustling city full of busy people. Behind again is much beach though she could not see what was beyond it. I asked him to explain what there was left and he said there was a lot of sand and over the horizon there are sand dunes with the Chinese people to play with the ball and they are happy and having fun.
Outside the sand is a big bustling city that he described earlier even though it was just very big and not very interesting because he felt insignificant.
I then established how Jenny was built some time and he has a linear time line from front to back.
I then asked him what he was barefoot and she said she had a great run clumpy shoes sinking in the sand. This is what is stopping him from getting out of the sand. His general experience is exhausting and frustrating and its current strategy for dealing with this is just to stay there and feel shameful and guilty.
Provoke creative side to generate new solutions he said he could take his boots off and just run. It was very refreshing to run him in a bear even though he felt confident when he gets close to the Chinese people in the sand because he felt as though he did not belong. He had these feelings because the Chinese people are maintenance free and he knew it was part of him he did not have.
I asked him to create a new strategy 3 to deal with these feelings and she said she could only accept all the different people and just live in the moment and just go in there and start to believe again. Trying to choose one of three new behavior she decided to blend 3 all and when trialled she has a wonderful feeling of acceptance and fun although it then after a while he felt as though he had to leave them to have fun yourself.
I got Jenny to speed this time a new strategy for the situation to come and while doing this he has a wonderful insight into remembering that when he was little he was the one who always played the piano and practice when all the other kids play and that in adult life conflict does not fit in is because he has always been a leader and never one to follow and that he is equally happy to be a facilitator for others to have fun and when she saw it was equally satisfying to know he was the one who created it.
For work I asked him to draw metaphors and be aware of any new sensations, insights and behavior in relation to the previous problem.
One week later I asked him to answer a few simple questions and here is his response: –
Hi Steve
I am pleased to say that I’ve felt great since our last session!
In answer to your specific question:
What have you noticed in comparison to before we begin the work of Metaphor?
I feel much more relaxed in myself and have lost the sense of anxiety that I have.
What have you noticed in your feelings?
I feel more confident, happier, more positive about the future and my ability to cope.
What have you noticed in your general thoughts?
I feel much stronger in myself. The session made me realize that I’m really fed up with fear and anxiety about the future. It reminded me that I had a choice. I can choose to stay where I am or I can embrace my life again and enjoy it!
What have you noticed in your sleep patterns?
Since the last session I’ve slept soundly without dreaming that I remember.
What have you noticed in the case of others?
I have made a conscious effort to connect with people in my everyday life and I’ve had a positive response back. I have become very afraid to initiate contact with people but I certainly get my confidence again.
What kind of insight you have?
I understand why I had struggled so much since the events of four years ago. I lost confidence in people and that makes me become insular. The insular again I became, the more I emotionally disconnected, and the more difficult it becomes to deal with people. The world seems friendly now and I feel much more hopeful about my future. Thank you!