Reply: Reply to 2 other classmates by offering 1 new piece of information to add to their discussion of family systems.

As you provide feedback to peers, you are not grading their assignment, but you are enlarging the conversation to prod a bit more on what could be added to clarify the paper substantively. Please be very specific and share what you would like to see added or what was not clear as you read the paper of your peers. Additionally, please note that I will be providing corrective information for each student to take the assignment to the "finish line". The feedback is not an act of judgment nor an indication of grade. It is simply feedback that each of you can use moving forward.

250 words or more for each feedback along with one reference

Discussion 1:

Trauma can affect individuals in many ways depending on the type that has occurred. The age of the person experiencing the trauma can determine lasting effects. Trauma can occur from anywhere utero to adulthood. It is important to know what trauma is and the lasting effects the come with this exposure. Treatment for the traumatized individual can be significantly enhanced depending on the person's level of spirituality development.

Trauma can occur from any of the following events physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, natural disasters, wartimes and terrorist attacks (Song, Min, Huh, &Chae, 2016). Trauma can be any event that is extremely alarming or upsetting experience that causes physiological anxiety, and impacts the neurological and psychosocial development processes (Song, Min, Huh, &Chae, 2016). Trauma affects individuals differently. Cultural differences around the world may lead in some cases being more socially acceptable in one country and not in others.

One neurological disorder that can develop from trauma is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. "For a diagnosis of PTSD, a person must have experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event so traumatizing that its results in symptoms of re-experiencing, hyper-arousal, cognitive alterations and avoidance (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015 p.528)." Studies have shown that a person suffering from PTSD will have a decrease in volume of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain "plays a role in our emotions, ability to remember, and compare sensory information to expectations (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015p.59) There is an ongoing discussion amongst physicians as to whether PTSD being a curable or just a treatable one. With the reduction of volume in the hippocampus and the memory of the traumatic event that never goes away, most doctors are leaning toward the treatable instead of curable.

Treatment for PTSD and other neurological disorders can come in the form of medications or therapies. People can choose to do one or the other with the most recommended choice being a combination of both. A combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the use of an antidepressant, more specifically an SNRI's because these types of antidepressants can help treat more than one disorder at the same time. Someone with PTSD might have low levels of certain neurotransmitters; antidepressants can contribute to raising these levels. Cognitive behavioral therapy is more of a thought changing treatment. People who have PTSD might blame themselves for the incident that has occurred or have numerous negative thoughts. These ideas may plague a person unable to perform daily task. The goal of CBT is to get the person to understand that the events that happened to them is not their fault. It is also to change the way the way the person thinks to teach them that if a negative thought comes to mind, they need to determine if the thought is rational or not and to change it from a negative to a positive thought.

Many people feel drawn to faith during times of turmoil. Per the video presentations this week we learned that meditation, and meditative prayer stimulate areas of the brain involved in regulating emotional responses. Prayer can give us comfort and release chemicals in the brain allowing us to feel at ease. Spirituality can help the individual to not feel alone and know that God is with them is going to help them through this process. "Studies found positive correlations between the spiritual wellbeing, reduced pain levels, decreased, physical symptoms, increased positive outlook, spiritual beliefs and a greater enjoyment of life (Drescher, Ramirez, Leoni, Romesser, Sornborger&Foy, 2004)."

Trauma can happened to anyone it does not discriminate against age, type or culture. Knowing the types treatments available will help you decide which one is right for you. Understanding that what might be considered a traumatic event for one might be another's social norm. Strength in spirituality can help person dealing with trauma to heal more quickly and though there may be delays knowing that they are not alone in their journey." The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our father: let him not leave us, nor forsake us (1Kings 8:57).

References

Blewitt, P., & Broderick, P. C. (2015). The Life Span Human Development for Helping Professionals. Pearson Education, Inc.
Drescher, K. D., Ramirez, G., Leoni, J. J., Sornborger, J., & Foy, D. W. (2004). Spirituality and Trauma: Development of a Froup therapy Module.Spirituality in Group Psychotherapy, 71-87.

Song, J.-M., Min, J.-A., Huh, H.-J., &Chae, J.-H. (2016). Types of childhood trauma and spirituality in adult patients with depressive disorders.Science Direct, 11-19.

Discussion 2:

Trauma occurs in life. Trauma can affect the development of a person emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It is important to recognize and treat traumas that occur so that healthy human development can take place. Recent studies have shown that trauma can affect human development negatively. There are two types of trauma (Terr, 1991). Trauma I occurs from one particular event in a person's life, typically an unexpected event like an accident. Trauma II is a multiple or repeated exposure to extreme events in a person's life, such as abuse or a high conflict divorce. Children that face traumatic experiences must assess certain resources in order to survive (Milot et al., 2016). The series of events experienced in a child can provoke a series of neurobiological reactions which include activating various systems involved with stress. For example, the limbic system and the neuroendocrine system. Repeated trauma will create chronic stress which over time will impair normal functions of these systems if left untreated.

One way to treat trauma is by recognizing that spiritual development can counter the negative effects. Research done on faith and spirituality have shown that people who engage in acts of worship and prayer can experience a calming effect. Theorists today are able to study the brain in more detail than in the past. In a state level study, Hardy et al. empirically linked morality and spirituality. In doing this, Hardy was able to prove that relationships formed through religious activities provided social support and modeled appropriate behaviors and helped to protect a person against stressful life events (Hardy et al., 2014). While spirituality and religiosity are different, they are similar in that religious practices are connected to spiritual experiences and both can be linked to positive outcomes. For example, if a victim of abuse were to participate in religious activities, like attending church or prayer, they would be able to experience moral emotions like gratitude, empathy, and forgiveness (Hardy et al., 2014) which in turn might change their perspective on their situation at hand.

A child exposed to trauma can experience physical and emotional developmental delays. For example, learning disorders can occur in the educational years. Diagnosed by a school psychologist, speech language pathologist and other professionals a child might experience learning disorders such as: dyslexia, dysgraphlia, dyscalculia, aphasia, dysphasia and dyspraxia. Emotional development can be affected when a child internalizes traumatic experiences. Internalized anger and frustration should be dealt with in order for a child to be socially prepared.

Trauma can differ amongst cultures because the skill set needed to survive is different. Starvation is a universal issue, but in a developing country could be considered to be more traumatic than in the US simply because disease and lack of food. Weather events like tropical storms, tornados and flooding are obviously traumatic experiences, but will differ depending upon where a person is located in the world. However, abuse and family conflict is the same among any culture. In conclusion, trauma is unavoidable but treatable. While traumas can vary in different cultures, the outcome is still the same. Left untreated emotional, spiritual and physical development will be affected.

References:

Hardy, Sam A., Zhang, Zhiyong, Skalski, Johnathan E., Melling Brent S., Brinton, Chauncy T. (2014). Daily religious involvement, spirituality, and moral emotions. Psychology of Religion and Sprituality. 6(4): 338-348.

Milot, Tristan (2016). Intervening with severely and chronically neglected children and their families: the contribution of trauma informed approaches. Child Abuse Review. Vol 25: 89-101.

Terr, LC. (1991). Childhood traumas: An outline and overview. American Journal of Psychiatry 148(1): 10-20.