Youth-focused Organizations Thriving through Trauma

Mosi Mays-Mirembe, MFTDecember 10, 2014

We will be addressing serious, sensitive topics. Monitor your feelings closely and do what you must to take care of yourself.

Caution:

The Challenge

Someone got shot in Oakland recently. It happened at 10:30 P.M. a couple of nights ago. Nobody in the neighborhood had anything to say to the police about the shooting. Several of the youth at the local high school were affected by the tragedy.

Kenny

Kenny says very clearly that he didn’t see anything happen. First, he heard a loud sound that could have been a shot . Then, after a long time, he looked out of his bedroom window and saw somebody laying in the street. Kenny says he will never forget seeing the guy laying there with his head on the sidewalk and his body in the street. In fact, he wishes he could forget it. For the past couple of nights Kenny has had nightmares about the body in the street. He says that he thinks about it all of the time now.

Diego

Diego wishes people would stop asking him about what happened. Yes, it was his cousin George who got shot, and no, it’s nobody’s business where Diego was when it happened. Diego especially wants people to stop asking how he feels. He says that he doesn’t feel anything and that he can’t think about it either. He feels numb. He feels like he’s standing outside of his body looking at himself and at everything happening to him.

Reyna

Reyna says she’ll be glad when people stop asking her about the shooting. She has got enough things to worry about without adding something like that. She has been on edge for two days now. She can’t even concentrate on her school work and she hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since it happened.

Tasha

Tasha doesn’t seem much different since the event occurred. She’s still a very quiet kid who never makes any trouble. She sits in the back of the classroom and never says a word, as usual. She’s not very energetic, but, then again, she never has been. The shooting happened right near her front door, but when a teacher asked if she wanted to talk about it, she replied, “What’s the point?”

Fortunately, all of the youth attend a community afterschool program and have a relationship with a fantastic math tutor, Nicole.All of the young people feel comfortable sharing their feelings with Nicole, and she does a great job of connecting them with supportive resources.This is the fourth shooting in this community in five months. Nicole provided support on each occasion. She also knew all of the victims.

So, how is Nicole feeling?

How can we support Nicole?

Adapted from a graphic found on: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/how-exercise-makes-you-happy-infographic

Stress and the Body

Stress causes or exacerbates many digestive problems, including ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, acid reflux, and heartburn.Stress can contribute to heart disease.Stress can affect blood clottingStress can negatively affect memory.Stress can negatively affect neuroplasticity.

We are just as vulnerable to the effects of trauma as the youth we serve.

Trauma-related stress can negatively impact our ability to do our jobs well.

Have you been affected by trauma-related stress? How?

Humor and Neuroscience

According to neuroscientist Richard Restak:

“At the physiological level, humor reduces levels of stress hormones such as cortisol and is thought to enhance our immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems. Laughter also provides a workout for the muscles of the diaphragm, abdomen, and face. A joke can raise our spirits, or ease our tension. If we're able to laugh during a stressful situation, we can put psychological distance between ourselves and the stress.”

Counteracting the effects of traumaAdequate rest — keep a sleep journal; get a sleep app, take your tail to sleep.Play (e.g., Password, Jenga, Operation)LaughterMindfulness — quietly noting what is happening around and within you without necessarily reacting to anything.Meditation or quiet sitting (Dr. Staggers)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZADKDcXlRQMeaningPsychotherapy

Referenceshttp://truehomewithin.net/psych2/Dharma_essays_files/essay_joy10_brain_on_happiness2.pdf

http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/how-exercise-makes-you-happy-infographic http://consumer.healthday.com/encyclopedia/digestive-health-14/digestion-health-news-200/stress-and-the-digestive-system-645906.html http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/stress-heart-disease-risk http://now.uiowa.edu/2014/06/stress-hormone-linked-short-term-memory-loss-we-agehttp://truehomewithin.net/psych2/Dharma_essays_files/essay_joy10_brain_on_happiness2.pdfRestak, R. (2013). Laughter and the brain. The American Scholar, 82(3), 18-27. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1371422907?accountid=458