EBRR Class Report #19 : Trauma Part 2.
Begin: 12/13/2024
Finish: 2/6/2025
Title: Trauma Part2, PTSD and Addiction
Instructor: CO Cota.
Why did I choose to take this class:
To learn more about the affect of PTSD and addictions are linked together. Learn about the techniques: coping skills, compassionate skills, grounding techniques, coping with triggers, self nurturing and boundary for trauma. This information will help me manage trauma problems.
What I learned from this class:
What is PTSD:
PTSD stands for “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”. A set of emotional problems that can occur after someone has experienced a terrible, stressful life event. Post traumatic stress disorder – After trauma anxiety reaction. There are two type of PTSD : 1) Simple PTSD from a single incident (Such as accident or a tornado). 2) Complex PTSD – from repeated incident such as domestic violence or ongoing child abuse. It is possible to heal from severe trauma. PTSD and substance abuse are closely connected. For many people the first stage of recovery from PTSD and substance abuse are:
1) Safe coping – free yourself from substance abuse, stay alive, build healthy relationship, learn to cope with problems, protect yourself and attain stability.
2) Reconnection – reconnect with the world, thriving, enjoying life, work and relate well to others.
Techniques to Combat PTSD and Substance Abuse:
1) Compassion – Accepting and respecting yourself. It is a way to take back your power. View substance abuse with compassion, you try to eliminate all substance abuse because you will see that substance abuse will bring you misery and disfunction.
2) Grounding – Grounding is a way to turn your attention to the outside world, to shift away from the inner world of negative feeling. You can detach and distance from emotional pain or like changing the channel of a television to get a different control: There are three type of grounding:
a) Mental grounding – think of anything that will create a safe distance between you and your negative feeling. Concentrate on anything other than the negative feeling.
b) Physical grounding – concentrate on anything physical other than your negative feeling i.e. where you are, are you sitting down, touch the chair or look at any object.
c) Soothing grounding – Think of your favorite things, colors, animals, songs, time of the day.
Ground techniques helps reduce the negative feelings an dis a safe coping mechanism. Grounding takes practice, it is similar to deep breathing.
3) Honesty – The foundation for all honesty is being true to yourself. Honesty with others first requires honesty with yourself. Owning your own needs, recognizing your feelings.
4) Discovery – is one of the most powerful tools is recovery. Discovery means finding out, learning from experience, adapting, curiosity, openness, moving forward and growth. Staying stuck is the opposite of discovery it means assuming, avoiding, rigid thinking, hiding, living in the past, being closed to the world.
5) Coping with Triggers: A trigger is anything that sets off PTSD or substance abuse.
a) Stay away from triggers – the safest plan is to stay away from triggers when possible. Don’t watch upsetting shows, don’t go near bars, avoid avoidable suffering by protecting yourself from triggers ahead of time.
b) Never test yourself with triggers – never test yourself to see whether you can tolerate triggers.
c) Triggers are part of life – but you can fight the good fight. You can avoid triggers because it is impossible to live in a bubble. As you can go through your day, you will be faced with triggers at times. Cope with it heroically when they do occur, Fight them, resist them; do not give in to them.
d) Strive for Balance – to best fight triggers, the goal is balance. Being aware, conscious and in touch with reality so the triggers will not control you.
e) Cope with Triggers before, during and after they occur. The Best way is to cope before by preparing in advance, but you can cope well anytime in the process. Never give up.
f) Triggers can be sudden. That’s what makes them so dangerous. They may appear when you least expect them. g) Changing who, what, and where to cope with triggers – you can get to safety by changing who, what and where , who are you with? What are you doing? Where are you? In short put as much space between you and the trigger as possible create a safety zone by changing ,who, what and where.
6) Safe and Unsafe Self Nurturing: Safe self nurturing means seeking fun, you and pleasure in healthy ways without excess. Unsafe self nurturing means seeking pleasure in an activity that cause you harm (legal, financial, social, personal or physical) and /or doing activity to excess.
7) Healthy Boundaries:
a) Flexible – let go of destructive relationship and connect with nurturing relationship.
b) Safe – Protect yourself against exploitation by others. You are able to read cues that someone is abusive or selfish.
c) Connect- Engaged in balance relationship with others an maintain them over time. As conflicts arises, you are able to work them out.
How will this class contribute to my success upon release:
This knowledge about PTSD and techniques to deal with it and substance abuse will enable me to deal with others with PTSD and substance abuse to maintain a healthy relationship. This information will be shared with communities which I hope to volunteer my services.
