In the last century, and especially in recent years, in addition to many important developments that will make people's lives easier
, there have also been events with negative effects such as wars and natural disasters
. These negative events caused psychological trauma to people. According to the definition of APA, psychological trauma is traumatic experiences, events that constitute a threat of death or an actual death situation, that pose a threat to people's bodily integrity,
that are experienced or witnessed by the person. (1994). Pearlman & When we look at the definition of saakvitne
trauma is the events and situations that threaten people's physical integrity and vital activities
and that they have difficulty coping with this situation emotionally
(1995) .
Psychological trauma is divided into two according to its formation. The first of these is earthquakes, floods, etc. that occur naturally
without human influence. are natural disasters. The second is the traumas caused by people
. In this second part, it is divided into two. The first of these is accidents such as traffic, nuclear, airplane and train accidents that occur through accidents. The second is events such as rape, genocide, wars, torture and terrorism that are committed knowingly and for a certain purpose.
Trauma is a Personal Phenomenon
Anyone who experiences the same event different individuals may experience different emotions and effects from this event. While this may be a trauma for some individuals who experience this event, it may not be for others. Whether the event is traumatic or not depends on the person's perception, how negatively
it affects his/her feelings and thoughts, and the meaning the person attaches to that event.
Even though the person's perception of the event is different, if If it creates a trauma, regardless of the person's language,
religion, race or gender, the behavior, facial expressions, feelings, cycle and reaction are the same
. These same reactions are an indication that psychology has an international language.
Reactions to Trauma
Emotional reactions: If the person has been exposed to a traumatic event, the fear that arises because he is under intense stress
, feelings such as sadness, pessimism, shock, guilt, helplessness, anxiety,
worthlessness, alienation, loneliness. It is normal for emotional conditions to occur within the first two weeks
. If this situation continues for more than two weeks, it may indicate a psychological problem.
Physical reactions: When a person is under intense stress, headache, nausea, heart and heart problems depend on the body's sympathetic and parasympathetic system. Tightness in the throat,
increased or decreased appetite, resulting in weight loss/gain, sleep problems, tremors, etc.
situations occur.
Mental reactions: The person is intense. Due to the inability to use his mind effectively due to the fact that most of his mind is focused on the event under stress, low time / space perception, memory problems, confusion, confusion, absent-mindedness, etc. reactions are observed.
Behavioral reactions: In cases of intense stress due to the event, the person experiences insecurity, uneasiness, introversion, self-distrust, anxiety, introversion at home, at school, at work
in role relationships such as friendship, spouse, and parent
It can be summarized as feeling lonely and rejected, an increase in prejudiced behavior, and the need to constantly control it.
Emotions Experienced by the Individual After Trauma
Traumatic event Afterwards, the person experiences three main emotions. These are:
1) The feeling of intense anger, some of which is directed to those responsible, but most of it is directed to the target.
2) If there is a loss in the incident, the feeling of intense sadness about it. ,
3) The feeling of intense fear that the event may happen again.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
If we look again at the definition of trauma, the person experiences death or the threat of death. The person has experienced or witnessed a threat to the integrity of his/her body.
The person has reacted to this situation with feelings of extreme fear, helplessness or terror.
According to research, the rate of getting PTSD after a traumatic event shows some differences
: women are 2-3 times more likely than men, those who have experienced psychological problems in the past
compared to those who have not experienced psychological problems in the past, their relatives have psychological problems. Those who have experienced or have experienced problems are at greater risk than those who have not.
PTSSD Symptoms
Two out of every three people exposed to traumatic events experience this event at a mild level. Although they can get through some stress, one in three people experience more intense stress reactions that may be a sign of PTSD. If we give the symptoms of PTSD in items:
1) Memories related to the event come to mind frequently,
2) Frequently recurring nightmares occur about the event,
3 ) Sometimes he feels like he is reliving the event and behaves in that way.
4) Extreme reactions are given even to the smallest detail that reminds of the event,
5) An important part of the moment of the event is forgotten,
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6) A significant decrease in interest in everything he did, was interested in and enjoyed in his life before the incident
7) Distancing and alienation from the people around him is felt.
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While it is considered normal to experience these symptoms for up to 1 month, if they persist for more than this period
in addition to disruptions in the person's social and professional life and sleep problems that continue for more than a few nights, psychological support may be required. There is a need.
Factors Creating PTSD Risk
According to research, the person's experience of similar events before the traumatic event or being in different stressful situations increases the risk of PTSD.
increases. The reason for this is that past events flare up again. Apart from this
determined risk factors are as follows:
Having experienced the event directly,
Exposure to a human-made traumatic event, which is in the second group according to its occurrence,
Groups with less opportunity to struggle such as women, singles, widows, children and the elderly,
Not being able to access medical, psychological and social aid and support institutions,
Low socioeconomic status -economic level,
Presence of psychological or psychiatric problems in the person's or his/her family's history
etc. It increases the risk of developing PTSD.
An interesting study shows that the person who has experienced a traumatic event, contrary to expectations, will experience the same events and situations that will create a traumatic event, or the places that are likely to occur.
It enters a cycle with elements such as time and person. Although this is not a conscious situation
, the reason that pushes the person to do this subconsciously is the desire to change the ending of the story
�r. It creates a continuous cycle by getting involved in the traumatic event in the same way as the effort to control the situation that one could not control in the past.
Unhealthy Ways Individuals Use to Struggle with PTSD
1) Addictions such as alcohol and substances
2) Dangerous sexual intercourse
3) Violence
4) Behaviors that harm oneself and the environment
5) Excessive eating or not eating at all
Suggestions for PTSD
The individual wants to get rid of long-lasting, disturbing emotions and thoughts that occur after the event
. However, it should not be forgotten that this process is not something that will happen immediately
. It is a long, difficult and painful period. The stages of this period are as follows:
1) Acceptance: If the person denies what happened or blocks the thoughts, there will be no recovery.
For this, the individual must first accept the PTSD and the event.
2) Therapy: Coming from priority to importance, the most important step to take is to go to psychological counseling/therapy. During this process, if the counselor/therapist can establish a completely empathetic bond with the individual, the person's whole life can change positively.
3) Desensitization: It is a very emotional and painful process after starting therapy.
>But the confrontation that needs to be experienced begins.
4) Reprocessing: With the help of the therapist, the brain is reprocessed with the revitalization phase
and the negative way of thinking is tried to be changed.
5) Restructuring: During this period, the person becomes lonely and since it is not right to live in this way, activities that will be good for him/her are added to his/her life.
6) Stress reduction: Meditation, yoga, meditation to reduce stress. techniques such as breathing exercises are used. letting go: As mentioned at the beginning, this is a process. Recovery overnight
should not be expected.
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