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Ozark Guidance – Torture is a Form of Trauma, Trauma Causes PTSD
Grief, interrupted: PTSD in the time of Tsunami and war
“The crayon on the wood took the abuse out of the present and put it into the past, properly, physically. The crayon marks told Sybil she no longer had to convince anyone of anything. It told her the therapist knew, and believed her and it validated her anger and pain.”
from The Internet Connects Trauma Survivors
The images, taken while patients remember a traumatic event, show how areas of the right hemisphere of the brain – those associated with emotional states and autonomic arousal – are lit up. The ‘imprint of trauma’ he says, ‘is located mainly in the limbic system, the part that interprets what is safe or dangerous in the world and in the brain stem that modulates arousal levels – sleeping, breathing, urinating and chemical balances. At the same time, parts of the frontal lobe that deal with the capacity to plan, to rationalise, to inhibit inappropriate behaviour – and specifically one area associated with speech – are shown to be shut down.’
What this suggests, says van der Kolk, is that ‘when people relive their traumatic experiences, the frontal lobes become impaired and as a result they have trouble thinking and speaking. They are no longer capable of communicating to others precisely what’s going on.’ Nor, he argues, are they capable of imagining how things could change. This ability is located in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area that needs to be engaged if someone is to have the possibility of transforming their experience and moving on.
Meanwhile, he says, research also shows the way in which the possibility to physically move at the time of the trauma is a key factor in a person’s experience. Movement, he points out, is organised in the limbic system where a part of the brain known as the amygdala acts as a ’smoke detector’, sending out alarm signals when a person is in a sensory situation similar to the trauma. The more immobile a person felt at the time of the experience when the original alarm was going off, the more sensitive this detector is likely to be in the future – and the more they are at risk of trauma.
The nature of this person’s ‘fight or flight’ response is also affected. For example, children – often less likely to be in a position to physically flee a traumatic environment – may well resort to freezing, numbing or dissociating as their only options for ‘leaving’.
from The Future of Trauma Work, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal
Your esteemed self (this one is really good)
Letting the steam out of self-esteem
Self-value (about financial abundance and the ego)
Lessons for living: self-esteem
Health and goodness: self-worth
Toxic-shame and low self-esteem
What is the essence of self-worth? (California State Univerisity, excerpt from ‘You can choose to be happy’) (see also this link)
If your self-doubts and fears stop you from getting things done, here are some techniques and processes that can help you break through them.
- Make a list of your fears. Only by admitting that they exist can you seek solutions.
- Write down how these fears affect your life.
- Become aware of the voices in your head and write down those negative messages.
- Start building a support system of friends and eliminate people from your life who foster feelings of negativity.
- Join a support group of people who have similar issues.
- Change each negative message to one that is affirming and constructive.
- Read books that help you feel better about yourself.
- Be aware of your past, and be willing to let go of it.
- List your goals and the actions you need to achieve them.
- Take one of those actions every day. Each time you do something that brings you closer to achieving your goals you will feel better about yourself.
From “Break Through Self-Doubt and Fear” by Simmer Lieberman
Yesterday I took a look at the Square Enix website to see about cancelling my FFXI subscription. Its been gradually seeping dollars from my VISA card since 2004, and for most of the last two I’ve barely touched the game. Of course my character had lots of hours invested, and I always thought I would find time to get back into it. Now I’m not surrounded by FFXI mania and the old gang have moved on, it doesn’t appeal the way it used to – and even when it does, it just isn’t the same. Having got back into my own routine, its also tough to justify the hours you’d need to spend to progress; its the kind of game that you could lose yourself in for about four years, if the landlord didn’t evict you first for losing your job and defaulting on your rent. I like to remind myself these days that when the power goes off, games like that leave you with nothing. Invest that time in a martial art, practical hobby, social activity or sports, and its yours to keep (no subscription required).
13 Things to Avoid When Changing Habits at zenhabits.net
Fagitue – get your energy back at WomanToWoman.com
Become a Lifestyle Entrepreneur at CultivateGreatness.com
The 5 Myths of a Positive Mental Attitude at ThinkSimpleNow.com
6 Ways to be Positive in any situation at ThinkSimpleNow.com
9 Ways to Live a More Positive Life at RirianProject.com
Wake Up Feeling Great with These 22 Tips for High Self-Esteem at RirianProject.com
Positive Mental Attitude by Rob Davies (Rob Davies Comic Career Articles, rec.arts.comics.info)
Thinking Positive at 100ventures.com
