The Brain &
Trauma
October 4, 2013 – Colorado School
Social Workers Association
Presented By:
Aaron Wiemeier M.S. LPC
Online Power Point & Documents: www.allabouttrauma.com
Trauma
What is Trauma?
Trauma
Definition:
Medical
 Injury or insult to
body/shock
Psychiatric
 Experience that is
emotionally painful or
distressing
Both can be Acute or Long Term
Trauma
Definition:
Psychiatric/Emotional
Subtypes:
 Developmental (1)
 Environmental
 Secondary
Trauma
Important Notes:
• Trauma is relative
• Body/Brain organized to heal trauma
naturally
• Developmental trauma as harmful as single
acute episode (1)
• Be aware  Perception of Trauma  What
one feels is traumatic another may not
Trauma
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Criteria: A)
Both 1) experience/witness/confronted  death/serious
injury/threat of
2) Response  fear/helplessness/horror
Trauma
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Criteria:
B) Recurrent thoughts/dreams/feelings  can happen anytime/anywhere
similar to day dream – how many of your students “zone out”
C) Avoidance of things associated with event  what if the trauma was
verbal abuse for “not working hard enough” or doing something to expectation
D) Persistent symptoms of increased arousal  sometimes less
environmental stimulation is better
E) Duration
F) Causes clinically significant impairment in academic, social,
occupational or other areas of functioning
Trauma
Trauma Memory
Non-Declarative Memory
Trauma
Trauma Memory
 Stored as early as 6 months In-Utero
 Stored in Limbic System (Amygdala &
Hippocampus)
 Much more permanent
 Unconscious
 Similar to procedural memory
Trauma
Trauma’s Effect on the Brain
Trauma
Trauma’s Effect on the Brain
 Smaller Hippocampus (long term memory) (3)
 Short term memory deficits
 Dysfunctional Stress-Response System
(Cortisol) (1)
Trauma
Trauma’s Effect on the Brain
Behavioral
Because the trauma has
affected the structures our
brain uses to deal with
stress/hurt/pain emotional or
otherwise
We resort to
other less natural
and more
dysfunctional
patterns of
dealing such as:
Trauma
Trauma, the Brain & Behavior: Coping
 Anger  The “safest” feeling to express - emotional
dysregulation
PTSD/ADHD/SPD/ASD/RAD/ODD/DMDD Comorbidity
 This new diagnostic category includes children exhibiting persistent irritability and
severe behavioral outbursts 3 or more times per week for more than 1 year
 Emotional Withdrawal/Numbing
 Enuresis/Encopresis  primal soothing mechanism
 Distraction: creating conflict/cutting etc.
 Delayed/Impaired Ability to recognize feelings  categorical
“fight or Flight”/all or nothing response
Trauma
Catatonia
Repression
Identity Disorder/Conversion
Regression
Rage
Anger
Denial/Avoidance
Hierarchy of Self-Protective
Brain Responses
Trauma & Assessment
•
Starting Point: Everyone has experienced some form of trauma! What is yours and how might
it interact with the students? (Anger Clue)
•
Become Familiar with Trauma Symptom Checklist (www.allabouttrauma.com)
•
Know basic differences between common diagnosis (Bipolar/RAD/ADHD comparison)
(www.allaboutrauma.com)
•
Add to assessment measures questions that incorporate secondary/developmental trauma
(i.e. what shows/video games do they or their families frequently watch/play – CSI/Call of
Duty/Reality Shows/Springer Shows)
•
Community based secondary trauma  assessments/interventions/protocols that assist
staff/students in dealing with these experiences in a way that’s consistent with PTSD
integration protocol and current PTSD research
** What is the first and most important step in coping with a trauma initially
regardless of its type?
Taken From An MTSS Presentation out of
Kansas by Dr. Alexa Posny October 9,2009
“I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the
classroom. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess
tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of
torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all
situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated and a
child humanized or dehumanized.”
~Dr. Haim Ginott
“I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the school. It’s my daily mood that
makes the weather. As a principal, I possess tremendous power to make a teachers life miserable or joyous. I
can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it
is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated and a teacher or staff member is humanized or
dehumanized.”
~Dr. Haim Ginott – Edited by Aaron Wiemeier LPC
Trauma
The Road Block To Healing
Negative Cognitive Message – I am powerless, I
deserve bad things, I am not worthy, I am not loveable etc.
Negative
Cognition
Trauma
Emotional
Response
Biological
Response
Trauma
The Aversive State
Outside does not equal inside
 Creates a state of stress that must be reduced eventually
 We reduce the stress on one side or the other (inside
traditionally is harder to “reduce” and because its tied to trauma
and is more permanent. Our environment and thoughts are not
nearly as permanent.
 Explains Self-Sabotage, Messy Rooms etc.
The Brain & Trauma
Practical Applications – General Overview
The Brain & Trauma
Practical Applications for Adults
Adult
Emotional
Regulation
• Our own negative cognitive
message = largest trigger
• Taking Care of Yourself
• Separate the action from the
person – right & wrong choice
• Time is your “ally”
The Brain & Trauma
Practical Applications for Adults
“It’s not how you feel but where you feel”
Non-Verbal Body
Awareness
• 75% of all communication
 Eye Contact
 Facial Expression
 Voice Tone
 Posture
 Gesture
 Timing & Intensity of response (1)
The Brain & Trauma
Practical Applications for Children & Families
Reframing
Behavior as
Fear-Based
• for self as well as child
(www.postinstitute.com)
• not focusing on surface behavior
but what is underneath (Attachment
Disorder)
• Repetition
• Eliminate/Reduce systemic fearSocietyAdminStaffChild
The Brain & Trauma
Practical Applications – Children
Coping Skill Development & Emotional Awareness
• Healing Hand
• Method of Loci (memory
strategy)
• Need to be different types (at
least one internal)
The Brain & Trauma
Practical Applications for Adults
Structure &
Discipline
• Discipline = “to teach”
• Consistency/Follow Through
• 3 Levels of Choice: Open/You
Choose (weighted?) /”I action – base
on emotional needs of child at
current time
Love/Nurturing
•
Attachment Considerations – hypodermic/good
coach approach - how much can they
tolerate/grounding statements
• Chemistry of Connection/The Connected Child
The Brain & Trauma: Resources
The Brain Gym
Challenge Software:
www.cpschallenge.com
My Sensory Book:
Lauren Kerstein
www.laurenkerstein.com
The Brain & Trauma: Resources
www.myfeelingsworkbook.com
Brain, Trauma & MTSS/RTI
Tier 3:
Individualized
Intensive:
Acceptance &
Awareness
Tier 2: Groups
Trauma is
Systemic and
thus intervention
should be
Tier 1: Core Create resiliency
through early Intervention: Build
Emotional Intelligence
Simply stated, emotional intelligence is the ability
to " monitor one’s own and others’ feelings, to
discriminate among them, and to use this information
to guide one’s thinking and action.’’ (Salovey & Mayer
1990, p. 189)
The Brain & Trauma
Family-School-Community = Healthy Resilient Children
Thank You
For All You
Do!
The Brain &
Trauma
References:
www.traumaresources.org (Trauma, Brain & Relationship DVD 2000) (1)
www.brainconnection.com (2)
www.leadershipcouncil.org (3)
www.growingchild.com (4)
http://library.thinkquest.org (5)
Perry, B.D. (1997) Incubator of Terror: Neurodevelopmental Factors in the
Cycle of Violence (6)
Other Helpful Websites:
www.postinstitute.com
www.attachment.org