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Is writing about trauma good?
Research suggests writing about trauma can be beneficial because it helps people re-evaluate their experiences by looking at them from different perspectives. Studies suggest writing about traumatic events can help ease the emotional pressure of negative experiences. In fact, trauma literature is at least as much about the problematics of storytelling as it is about actual traumatic events. It’s about the difficulty of representing the truth of an experience so horribly extraordinary that it cannot be contained within the human mind, let alone within the borders of a page. Literature illustrates the mental trauma by the literary studies. It is a social challenge for gaining the new, fresh, and sharp knowledge by self. Interestingly, trauma has an inherently ethical, social, political and historical dimension. Therefore we cannot limit it only in the psychological studies. In an essay last month, The New Yorker’s Parul Sehgal criticized what she called “the trauma plot” trope — essentially, when trauma discovery or revelation acts as the story payoff. “Dress this story up or down: on the page and on the screen, one plot — the trauma plot — has arrived to rule them all,” she wrote.
Why do authors write about trauma?
Know Your Reasons for Writing (Why) In my experience with authors who want to tell their trauma story, their reasons for writing a book are surprisingly similar. Most often they hope their effort will serve as a warning or a wake-up call for people who might be in a similar situation of danger, addiction, or abuse. It’s important that you show someone reading your trauma narrative the experience rather than just telling them about it. Writing a trauma narrative can also help you discover triggers that you weren’t even aware of. Research suggests writing about trauma can be beneficial because it helps people re-evaluate their experiences by looking at them from different perspectives. Studies suggest writing about traumatic events can help ease the emotional pressure of negative experiences. Literature illustrates the mental trauma by the literary studies. It is a social challenge for gaining the new, fresh, and sharp knowledge by self. Interestingly, trauma has an inherently ethical, social, political and historical dimension. Therefore we cannot limit it only in the psychological studies. When writing memories like these for your character, instead of seeking to capture the complete horror of an event, try narrowly focusing on what would be most upsetting to them. To show what was overwhelming or traumatizing, use things they remember or forget. Be visceral with the sensory details.
How do you write realistic trauma?
Therapists also recommend writing trauma stories in the present tense. The view allows the events to occur in the present moment of your mind rather than keeping them in the past, where many people store negative thoughts to avoid dealing with them. Present tense provides vivid and emotional descriptions. The scar/wound metaphor is a clear and simple way of reminding clients with posttraumatic stress disorder, secondary traumatic stress reaction, apathy, abuse, loneliness or loss that traumatic experiences can sometimes create resilience. Therapists can help clients learn from their scars. However, I frequently hear from people that they’ve experienced multiple traumas or even just one thing specifically that was very “traumatic.” Similar to calling someone Bipolar or OCD, it appears the term trauma is becoming grossly overused to describe an experience that is better accounted for as something that is … ✧ As long as the child is talking about the trauma, what actually happened, remembering a particular incident (not talking globally) and adding in thoughts, feelings, and how their body felt, it can take almost any form. While the trauma itself doesn’t serve as a catalyst for developing a kink (which is a popular misconception), it can be alleviated through play. “For example, a sexual assault survivor might initially feel afraid, weak, and powerless during their actual sexual assault,” Hughes writes in Psychology Today. The trauma-informed approach is guided four assumptions, known as the “Four R’s”: Realization about trauma and how it can affect people and groups, recognizing the signs of trauma, having a system which can respond to trauma, and resisting re-traumatization.
What does a trauma narrative look like?
A trauma narrative takes the jumbled mess of sounds, emotions, and images and forms an empowering story that can be told through writing, talking, and even artistic means. The process of creating the narrative itself helps the client process and reframe their memories. Some primary emotions that could be triggered by trauma would be: fear, frustration, guilt, self-doubt, hopelessness, loss (physical or psychological), powerlessness, loathing, denial, sad, etc. When someone is hit by a tidal wave of primary emotions like that, secondary emotions are triggered. We know how trauma can debilitate life with post-traumatic stress. But there is something else often elicited by hardship that psychologist call ‘post-traumatic growth’. Hundreds of studies find that part of post-traumatic growth is an intense induction of creativity. The keywords in SAMHSA’s concept are The Three E’s of Trauma: Event(s), Experience, and Effect. When a person is exposed to a traumatic or stressful event, how they experience it greatly influences the long-lasting adverse effects of carrying the weight of trauma.
How do you apply trauma theory in literature?
In the traditional trauma model pioneered by Cathy Caruth, trauma is viewed as an event that fragments consciousness and prevents direct linguistic representation. The model draws attention to the severity of suffering by suggesting the traumatic experience irrevocably damages the psyche. Ever since people’s responses to overwhelming experiences have been systematically explored, researchers have noted that a trauma is stored in somatic memory and expressed as changes in the biological stress response. Intrusive memories Recurrent, unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic event. Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again (flashbacks) Upsetting dreams or nightmares about the traumatic event. Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event. Complex trauma describes both children’s exposure to multiple traumatic events—often of an invasive, interpersonal nature—and the wide-ranging, long-term effects of this exposure. These events are severe and pervasive, such as abuse or profound neglect. In contrast, many individuals who experience a traumatic event endorse positive outcomes such as a newfound appreciation of life, spiritual renewal, and personal growth. Calhoun and Tedeschi (1998) coined this phenomenon called “posttraumatic growth” whereby individuals seem to benefit from trauma. It occurs when a person’s body suddenly kicks into high alert as a result of thinking about their trauma. Even though real danger may not be present, their body acts as if it is, causing lasting stress after a traumatic event.
How do you start a trauma story?
Start with the Facts Your client’s first retelling of their trauma story should focus on the facts of what happened. Encourage them to share the who, what, when, and where of their traumatic experience. Thoughts and feelings will come in later. Trauma narratives are most effective when they’re written. Therapists also recommend writing trauma stories in the present tense. The view allows the events to occur in the present moment of your mind rather than keeping them in the past, where many people store negative thoughts to avoid dealing with them. Present tense provides vivid and emotional descriptions. Healthcare organizations, nurses and other medical staff need to know the six principles of trauma-informed care: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice and choice; and cultural issues. The Guiding Values/Principles of Trauma-Informed Care The Five Guiding Principles are; safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment. Ensuring that the physical and emotional safety of an individual is addressed is the first important step to providing Trauma-Informed Care.