Trauma

trauma photo

In the United States, 61 percent of men and 51 percent of women report exposure to at least one lifetime traumatic event.

What is trauma? It is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. The cause and effect of trauma is wide and varied depending on heredity and culture. Click here to learn about our family trauma conference. The links below represent some of the thinking on trauma in ministry.

Some common sources of trauma include:

  • rape
  • domestic violence
  • natural disasters
  • severe illness or injury
  • death of a loved one
  • witnessing an act of violence

For more info, visit https://www.psychguides.com/trauma/

Examples of traumatic events include:

  • death of family member, lover, friend, teacher, or pet
  • divorce
  • physical pain or injury (e.g. severe car accident)
  • serious illness
  • war
  • natural disasters
  • terrorism
  • moving to a new location

For more info, visit https://www.healthline.com/health/traumatic-events

Resources in Response to the Buffalo Supermarket Hate Crime

The recent racially motivated hate crime at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo New York in which the perpetrator targeted a Black community and has expressed white supremacy and anti-Semitic leanings has evoked a range of emotions and concerns of safety across the United States. In response to this event, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help children, families, and communities navigate what they are seeing and hearing, acknowledge their feelings, and find ways to cope together. These resources include:

 

 

Psychological First Aid and Skills for Psychological Recovery

The NCTSN also has resources for responders on Psychological First Aid (PFA; En Español). PFA is an early intervention to support children, adolescents, adults, and families impacted by these types of events. PFA Mobile and the PFA Wallet Card (En Español) provide a quick reminder of the core actions. The PFA online training course is also available on the NCTSN Learning Center. PFA Handouts include:

 

 

From the National Mass Violence and Victimization Resource Center

 

From the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University

 

Disaster Helpline

SAMHSA has a Disaster Distress Helpline – call or text 1-800-985-5990 (for Spanish, press “2”) to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7/365.