John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory Attachment Theory is a well-known and widely accepted concept in human development and psychotherapy. British psychiatrist John Bowlby developed it in the 1950s. The crux of attachment theory is that the early emotional bonds between...
John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory
The Helpful Ideas of Donald Winnicott
The Helpful Ideas of Donald Winnicott Continuing my series on the founders of psychoanalysis I'm exploring Donald Winnicott this month. Donald Winnicott (1896-1971) was a paediatrician who then trained as a psychoanalyst, first to adults and later to...
The Importance of Melanie Klein
The Importance of Melanie Klein Melanie Klein was a groundbreaking and highly creative psychoanalyst. She was born in 1882 in Vienna but spent most of her life in UK, dying in London in 1960. Her life was fascinating, with many losses and tragedies but...
Carl Jung – Is He Relevant Today?
Carl Jung – Is He Relevant Today? Carl Gustav Jung was born into a religious family in Switzerland and studied to be a doctor. During these studies he became fascinated with current philosophy, anthropology and psychological theories and work in...
How Freud Is Still Relevant Today
How Freud Is Still Relevant Today Prompted by last month’s blog on Narcissism, this is the first in a series on some of the founding members in psychoanalysis and some of their ideas, many of which, I believe, are still useful for us today. Widely...
Narcissism
Narcissism The term 'narcissism' is banded around a lot. But what does being a narcissist actually mean? And how do we work out if we are in a relationship with one, or even if we might be one ourselves? Origins of Narcissism The term narcissism comes from...
The Art of Self-soothing 4: Using Our Senses
Using Our Senses This final post in my series is about using our bodily senses to self-soothe. There are lots of ways that we can self-sooth by looking. Sight Natural Vistas As I’ve already mentioned in a previous post, nature and landscapes are very calming. For...
The Art of Self-soothing 3: Creativity
Creativity is a sure way to self-soothe. People have lost themselves in creative pursuits since time began. Getting in touch with our creativity is a way of reaching something within ourselves. By allowing this to develop we can usually make something bigger than...
The Art of Self-Soothing 2: Nature
This month’s way to self soothe is by being in nature. It’s long been known and proven that being outside and preferably in nature can improve our mental health. Take a Short Walk The simplest ways are often the most effective. Such as going for a short walk from your...
The Art of Self Soothing
There is so much going on in the world now. It’s hard watching the news, in fact I am more likely to just quickly check a news ap than I am to watch the news in real time. Many people I speak to are unable to watch the news at all because they struggle to think of the...
Post Traumatic stress
Post Traumatic Stress occurs when we are unable to process the traumatic experience that has happened or more than one trauma has occurred. The latest trauma may evoke previous traumas we have suffered eg the woman that has been attacked may also have been abused by her husband at an earlier time in her life. Each trauma may re-activate more difficult feelings and behaviours
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is something shocking and painful that has happened to us such as: losing someone close in an accident, being made redundant with little or no warning or a medical procedure with unexpected complications. It has physical and psychological affects on us and can happen after one event or several.
Common Causes Of Post Traumatic Stress
- betrayal
- loss
- diagnosis of illness
- abuse
- divorce
- violence
So How Will It Affect Me?
All trauma will throw us off balance for a while: disbelief and numbness is common immediately after the event, then perhaps anger, sadness and eventually acceptance.
We may change our behaviours after a traumatic event to protect ourselves from the pain of further trauma. While these behaviours are useful coping strategies over time they can have a negative impact. For example, a woman who’s been attacked on her journey home may decide never to go out again after dark. We may become trapped and limit our lives considerably.
Symptoms Of Post Traumatic Stress
- numbness
- panic attacks
- nightmares
- flashbacks
- withdrawal and isolation
- depression
- insomnia
- excessive worry
- anxiety
Ways To Alleviate the Affects of Trauma
- Ask others for help. Don’t avoid social contact and suffer alone, even if this feels very difficult. Find a self-help group to join.
- Practice mindfulness meditation and relaxation techniques.
- Exercise, preferably outdoors.
- Learn about post traumatic stress. Babette Rothschild is an expert on trauma recovery and has written several excellent books. Her video introduces her self help programme for survivors of trauma.
Trauma may affect people differently depending on their genetic make up and upbringing. I will talk more about this in my next blog on Neuroscience and Trauma in Childhood.