Van Der Kolks discussion and research on neuroscience was incredibly interesting, but I must admit that I got lost throughout this chapter. The medical abbreviations, methods, and research frequently went above my head. I did find his discussion on sleep at the beginning of this chapter more understandable and how even when we sleep, our internal communication is still wide awake. I wondered how those patients felt about having to wake up post REM sleep and if being startled could have changed any remembrance of the dream. While I understand that they knew about the research and therefore knew they would be awakened, I still wonder if it was shocking to suddenly be pulled from your sleep - especially if the dream that had occurred was pleasant.
The entire concept of the brain and what it tells us is amazing to me. From discoveries like epilepsy and other mental activities to understanding how EEG patterns can be a biomarker for ADHD. To sum up this section, Van Der Kolk states, " brain-wave patterns could explain why so many traumatized people have trouble learning from experience and fully engaging in their daily lives. Their brains are not organized to pay careful attention to what is going on in the present moment" (p.313). This was further shown by an example of soldiers being unable to focus on small choices such as picking out an item at the supermarket. This helps me understand why sometimes Kate appears hesitant or confused when given choices of what to do when we spend time together. I have learned that I cannot provide too many options at once as they may lead to her shutting down and becoming disorganized at the thought of simply doing anything. Lisa's story also stuck out to me and she expressed something that I both circled and highlighted - "if you're still in it, it's hard to talk about" (p.320).
I enjoyed reading about the 10-year-old boy who benefitted from neurofeedback. His drawings from beginning to end were telling of the effectiveness of this model. I wonder if know anyone who is familiar who this modality - this was my first time hearing of such a thing. Many of the people Van Der Kolk knows and discusses seem to be based in major cities on the coasts which leads me to wonder if the midwest is lacking practitioners with such knowledge and expertise in areas of the brain.
The final section of chapter 19 that caught my attention was the discussion of PTSD and addiction and how anywhere from a third to one-half of the severely traumatized people develop substance abuse problems. I am afraid that I am witnessing this in one of my clients currently. He is an 18-year-old male who is diagnosed with PTSD and BPD and has recently begun using marijuana at an alarming rate and recently disclosed that he was seeking other drugs as well. I tried to have a conversation with him about these choices, however, it had little to no impact on him.
I had no idea that there was such a positive correlation between trauma and theater. I was fascinated by just how much theater can play a role in trauma survivors finding themselves and finding their own truths and internal experiences. I found it particularly interesting how children in foster care excel in this art. I also found truth in the statement " abandonment makes it impossible to trust, and kids who have gone through foster care understand abandonment. You can have no impact until they trust you" (p.342). I currently have 4 kids on my caseload who are currently in foster care and while they trust me now, it took a lot of meetings to build rapport and for them to know that I wasn't going to just walk away - this was especially true of the oldest who is 13.
I am sad that our reading of Van Der Kolk has come to an end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and further writing these blog posts as a way to write about some of my experiences at work. I could not have imagined just how much this book and my current work come together and lead me to such reflections. I'd like to send with a quote that I think sums up much of this text that comes from page 344 - " you cannot help, fix, or save the young people you are working with. What you can do is work side by side with them, help them to understand their vision, and realize it with them. By doing that you give them back control. We're healing trauma without anyone ever mentioning the word".
I was totally with you on how I wasn't fully aware of all the correlations between trauma and drama. Such a cool outlet. When you've experienced true abandonment or true pain, you are able to portray that so much better. You feel what you're portraying so deeply, and just thinking about it almost gives me goosebumps! Enjoyed reading all your posts. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMariah, very well done! These last two chapters were very interesting to read! I have always found sleep and dreams to be incredible. When reading about REM cycles and sleep studies, I always thought it would be interesting to witness the process of a sleep study and to see how the information is obtained. As you already mentioned in your blog, I too think it would be interesting to hear how sleep study patients felt when they were startled/interrupted mid REM cycle and whether it was shocking for them to have awakened suddenly. As someone who is only able to fall asleep if certain conditions are met and if I am comfortable, I feel as though it would be very difficult to have to fall asleep and wake up on command. Great job!
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