It makes sense. Not so sure it is ‘odd’ for PTSD to encourage those behaviors. ‘The score’ is not something to provide pride or shame because it is based on things we cannot control. That said, overcoming circumstances is a reason to feel pride and recognize an accomplishment that also helps those around you. Chances are the adults in yo…
It makes sense. Not so sure it is ‘odd’ for PTSD to encourage those behaviors. ‘The score’ is not something to provide pride or shame because it is based on things we cannot control. That said, overcoming circumstances is a reason to feel pride and recognize an accomplishment that also helps those around you. Chances are the adults in your life had similar exposure. It is very difficult to assess for “resilience” ... being able to deal with adverse experiences. There are key things known to add or grow personal strengths. For children it is key to have a trusted adult in their lives. For everyone - a connection to community, culture, having basic needs met (including health care & housing).
I retired a few years ago. The last several years I spent getting advice from professionals (I’m a “layperson”) & devising ways to explain to adults, especially survivors of abuse and stressed parents to see the value, instead of the hassle, of managing a few things as much as possible - making sure everyone gets adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindfulness (which can mean soothing activities like music etc), and healthy relationships. These can reduce toxic stress. There are little things like caps on our DNA called “telomeres” that protect the tips of our chromosomes. Chronic / toxic stress appears to wear them down making us more susceptible to disease etc.
I was also fortunate to have opportunities to speak to & work with a variety of groups and city employees. People want information & insight. One time I was with a group of human trafficking advocates who were mostly survivors. My objective was to connect the dots of their experiences, issues that came into their lives (like substance abuse) and how the work they do as advocate is a resilience factor for them & other survivors. Sort of a toolbox for them to understand themselves, other survivors & be able to explain why people do things that seem inexplicable to everyone, police, social workers etc.
As I spoke one advocate, who I knew, was tearing up and a little agitated. She suddenly jumped up (I almost had a heart attack) and loudly proclaimed, “ I understand why it’s not my fault!.” Graduates of substance abuse programs and their families were more subdued but often asked how to share the information with their friends & family.
ACEs Too High is where I would send them. It’s a great website.
It makes sense. Not so sure it is ‘odd’ for PTSD to encourage those behaviors. ‘The score’ is not something to provide pride or shame because it is based on things we cannot control. That said, overcoming circumstances is a reason to feel pride and recognize an accomplishment that also helps those around you. Chances are the adults in your life had similar exposure. It is very difficult to assess for “resilience” ... being able to deal with adverse experiences. There are key things known to add or grow personal strengths. For children it is key to have a trusted adult in their lives. For everyone - a connection to community, culture, having basic needs met (including health care & housing).
I retired a few years ago. The last several years I spent getting advice from professionals (I’m a “layperson”) & devising ways to explain to adults, especially survivors of abuse and stressed parents to see the value, instead of the hassle, of managing a few things as much as possible - making sure everyone gets adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindfulness (which can mean soothing activities like music etc), and healthy relationships. These can reduce toxic stress. There are little things like caps on our DNA called “telomeres” that protect the tips of our chromosomes. Chronic / toxic stress appears to wear them down making us more susceptible to disease etc.
I was also fortunate to have opportunities to speak to & work with a variety of groups and city employees. People want information & insight. One time I was with a group of human trafficking advocates who were mostly survivors. My objective was to connect the dots of their experiences, issues that came into their lives (like substance abuse) and how the work they do as advocate is a resilience factor for them & other survivors. Sort of a toolbox for them to understand themselves, other survivors & be able to explain why people do things that seem inexplicable to everyone, police, social workers etc.
As I spoke one advocate, who I knew, was tearing up and a little agitated. She suddenly jumped up (I almost had a heart attack) and loudly proclaimed, “ I understand why it’s not my fault!.” Graduates of substance abuse programs and their families were more subdued but often asked how to share the information with their friends & family.
ACEs Too High is where I would send them. It’s a great website.