In order for sustainable healing to be a reality for those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there has to be systemic changes to certain societal institutions at a macro level to more easily facilitate trauma reporting. There are many reasons individuals experience trauma, and the underlying causes of PTSD need to be understood and derived from interactions with a trauma-sufferers in order to properly help.
Trauma can include physical, mental, emotional, financial, and/or sexual abuse. It can include witnessing an especially horrific event, losing a loved one, and many other factors. In fact, what’s traumatic to one person may not be to another – each individual’s perspective is different and unique.
PTSD can become part of a person’s reality for many different reasons, too, and to complicate matters, time between a traumatic event and the onset of symptoms varies from person to person. Childhood trauma can induce PTSD symptoms long into adulthood. These symptoms can occur immediately in the post-trauma state or they can take years to develop.
Individuals who are marginalized, disenfranchised, or discriminated against for other aspects of self and happen to also experience abuse or trauma all too often are continually treated by the system as if they do not matter. Or, because they are accustomed to feeling “tossed aside” by society, they do not report incidences of abuse or other traumatic events. Disenfranchised grief commonly occurs in these victims because they feel as if they cannot constructively talk about what they’re going through or have experienced.
Traditional gender roles can also impact the way trauma internalize, reported, and handled by authorities. For many years, women who were sexually assaulted were subconsciously trained by society to continue on as if nothing happened because “it’s really no big deal.” This perspective developed as a result of an internal acceptance of males as being the dominant sex and women as being submissive. Certain cultures continue to value this structure, and in many areas of the world, women regularly experience intimate partner violence and accept this as a part of life.
As you can see, there are many factors to consider when determining whether someone will experience trauma, view trauma as traumatic, report trauma, get diagnosed with PTSD, and how they manage their symptoms. There are also many factors to consider when attempting to understand how reporting trauma will be handled by outsiders.
It’s a topic that is certainly not cut and dry. Yet, it’s human nature to view situations from one’s own perspective rather than take a more expansive worldview. This makes questions like, “Why didn’t she just leave?” or “Why did he turn to substances rather than asking for help?” seem silly. They come from a place of being uninformed and are ego-centric rather than others-centered.
It is important for changes to be made at a macro level in order for changes to be made at a micro level. Movements such as #MeToo seek to give a voice to victims of sexual assault and normalize reporting. There has also been a significant push in recent years to normalize mental health treatment. Yet, individuals are largely creatures of habit, each with a set of morals and values that begin to be instilled in childhood. We need to continue to make trauma-reporting and treatment for post-traumatic stress okay regardless of one’s disposition in this world. By the same token, we have to push toward making inducing trauma in another person not okay in order to break toxic cycles.
In terms of abuse-induced PTSD, there is a need for those in the mental health community who are able to identify intimate partner mental, emotional, physical, financial, and sexual abuse in clients. There is also a need to provide more readily available resources for these victims as well as safeguards against continued abuse. When childhood trauma is continuing to affect clients in adulthood, this should be recognized and treated. Mental health professionals should adopt a multicultural perspective in order to properly address associated factors and both micro and macro aspects of a client’s disposition need to be considered when stepping in to help.
It is common for victims of spousal or intimate partner abuse to be isolated from the rest of society by their abusers. Abusers feel the need to disconnect their victims from any social support in order to maintain dominance and continue hurting these individuals without repercussions. In this way, sufferers are marginalized and disenfranchised, unable to interact and enjoy the same privileges as others and unable to voice their concerns to the outside world. We need to develop resources and support systems for individuals who feel trapped to make it safe for them to report abuse, seek treatment for any substance use, and to move to a more stable environment.
Because abuse victims tend to internalize the grief and shame they experience, they often turn to substances to numb the pain of being unable to discuss what is happening. If they eventually are able to escape these circumstances, they often continue to “cope” with this internalized negativity and subsequent mental health conditions with substances unless treatment is sought. Thus, the trauma of abuse remains long after victims have disconnected from their abusers and a sense of marginalization that results from prolonged shame and isolation lingers.
A toxic cycle of abuse and substance use will continue to occur if victims are not guided to the proper channels. Abuse-induced post-traumatic stress is common. This means that symptoms of anxiety, depression, panic, stress, paranoia, hypervigilance, insomnia, irritability, anger, shame – the list goes on and on – can continue to be a part of one’s reality long after the trauma ceases.
Those who have turned to substances need to receive treatment if they cannot quit on their own. If they have taken this step and are sober, this needs to be viewed as a positive rather than a negative by our criminal justice system and those involved in family law who are looking to determine custody. There need to be long-term treatment options more readily available for ex-addicts, and alternatives to prescribing addictive pain medication.
We need to start disseminating more information regarding the benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance-commitment therapy, mindfulness, and twelve-step concepts. These strategies need to be on the forefront of a plan for drug-free sustainable healing. And, drug therapy, if needed is needed. This needs to stop being viewed as a crux used by the weak and, instead, viewed as a viable option for someone who wants to change their life for the better. The willingness to seek treatment should be commended not penalized.
Gandhi said it best – Be the change you wish to see in the world. And, this change starts with each of us waking up willing to fight for it – within ourselves and in society at large. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Is today your day?
Break the silence, break the cycle.