Trauma Flashcards
What is the new definition of trauma
A person was exposed to one or more of the following events:
- death or threatened death
- actual or threatened serious injury
- actual or threatened sexual violation
Trauma can be experienced in one or more of the following ways
- experiencing event themselves
- witnessing the event as they occur to others
- learning that the event occurred to a close relative or friend
- experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details
Emotional abuse and traumatic exposure
may no longer qualify as traumatic exposure
-can lead to similar psychological outcomes as physical abuse
bereavement vs grief
bereavement- recent loss of a sig person due to death
Grief- Emotional response of bereavement bot emotional and physical
What are 3 common emotional responses to trauma & grief
Dissociation;
-Derealization: the world seems remote, altered or unreal since event
Depersonalization- the self seems unreal and biconnected from emotions
Amnesis- memory gaps about emotionally charged issues
Criteria for dx of PTSD
traumatic even + sig psychological difficulty after the trauma
(DSMV symptoms >1m)
Symptoms of sig psychological difficulty after the trauma may include (PTSD):
- distressing and intrusive memories
- Intense emotional upset/ongoing or exaggerated anxiety
- avoidence of reminders of the event
- reliving the event through dreams and flashbacks
What is acute stress disorder
ASD is a term for PTSD symptoms that don’t last long enough to constitute PTSD
What is adjustment disorders
Adjustment disorders occur when an individual experiences overly emotional rxns to milder life circumstances
(life events such as break ups, moving etc)
What is persistent complex bereavement/prolonged grief
dx for those who have difficulty getting over loss of a loved one and have difficulty moving on w life
brain chemistry perspective on post traumatic stress + drugs used to tx
NT of intrest involved in post traumatic stress response include deficits in norepinephrine and serotonin
tx: Norepinephrin and serotonin
Brain changes noticed in PTSD (3)
hippocampus- reduced volume in PTSD
Amygdala- active in acute and post-traumatic stress
Medial prefrontal cortex- underresponsive
Various changes to HPA axis
What psychological factors make certain people more likely to respond poorly to trauma (2)
Negative Emotionality (tendency towards mood swings)
Being interpersonal cold and domineering
What is the first line therapy for PTSD
exposure therapies
What is the CBT approach to trauma
focus on educating clients about typical responses to trauma
-work on challenging automatic beliefs about event
what is emotional processing theory
This theory attributes post traumatic stress to dysfunctional fear structures
-2 common irrational beliefs in post traumatic stress include
- -the world isn’t safe
- -A persons symptoms prove that they’re craxy and that they cant manage their distress
What is dual representation theory
holds that peiple cognitevely encode trauma through dual representations (VAMs and SAMs)
verbally accessible memories- memories that can be recalled and expressed in words
Situationally accessible memories- memories that are not consciousness available,can only be elicited by stims
How does cognitive processing therapy work
focuses on helping client not overgeneralize from traumatic to other situations
What is negative appraisal theory
negative appraisal theory holds that people develop PTSD when they process past traumas in a way that produces ongoing sense of threat
Goals of therapy for negative appraisal theory (3)
- altering negative appraisals of trauma
- Reducing re-experienceing the trauma by elaborating mems of it and identifying triggers
- Eliminating dysfunctional cognitive and behavioural strategies
What is stress inoculation training
combines various CBT techniques to decrease avoidence/anxiety related to trauma
–education, relaxation, breathing techniques and thought stopping
What is mindfulness and acceptence approaches to trauma
goal to stay in touch w present moment rather than be preoccupied by trauma mems
-mindful and accepting feelings leads to better coping
What is eye movement desenitization reprocessing
clients imagine traumatic events while engaging in bilateral stimulation
bilateral stim: rhymic exposure to alternating left right stim with eyes (auditory and tactile stim also sometimes used)
when effective anxiety rapidly decreases w each set of bilateral movements
What is posttraumatic growth
Positive changes following crisis
–Therapy guids trauma survivors to devise new understandings in light of what they have been thru as rumination may be good
