“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral’s Kiss
Trauma but not traumatized.
When our trauma experiences over time cause physiological and psychological distress we become traumatized. Being traumatized derails our quality of life. Trauma is subjective; therefore, the objective facts don’t matter as much as the sense one of feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope with the situation(s). Time and Human bonds are as essential as they are powerful in curtailing trauma from becoming traumatizing. The sooner we experience the human bond of support after the trauma the less likely they will be traumatized.
Trauma Unavoidable
Life is filled with trauma; they can be little t’s or big T’s. Generally speaking little t’s are more common, everyday such as: a move, starting a new job, having a baby, getting married, losing your keys, traffic on the beltway, rejection, arriving late, or a divorce. Although big T’s can feel more earth shattering, little t’s overtime can become big T’s.
Examples of Big T’s are: rape, war, terrorism, a plane crash, a car accident, perceived threat of harm, a natural disaster, a major illness, death, and chronic child abuse and/or neglect.
Human Bond
As part of the Behavioral Health Response team (BHRT) for District of Columbia, our objective is to be present in times of big T’s in order to offer victims of such tragedies psychological first aid. When we think of traditional first aid, we think of chest compressions and AED machines; psychological first aid however, consists of offering an emotional connection with someone who cares, essentially breeding a human bond.
The human bond is a beginning of a dynamic relationship between individuals, one that is so deep, it gives each individual the ability to influence the other’s psychological and physiological (body’s) state. BHRT offers the emotional support needed to curtail trauma from becoming traumatizing in big T’s. We each have our own BHRT to help us with little t’s. These individuals are those whom we love and trust. Don’t suffer in silence alone, the road to recovery is found in supportive human relationships.
Salus Vita!