Rolling My Eyes
Today I want to write about PTSD. When most people think of PTSD, they think about flashback memories that individuals who served in the military might experience. They think of individuals that experience severe abuse. Or individuals that have experienced a traumatic accident.
I share with Travis the topics I write about in the blog. I share with Travis the results of my non-stop research. My goal is to help him to understand more about himself and what makes him tick.
Travis told me about a major argument that he got into with a member of his tribe. Travis had mentioned to his friend that he suffered from PTSD. His friend said that it was impossible for Travis to have PTSD because he had never served in the military. Or been abused. Travis wanted me to talk to his friend and tell him what I had learned from my research about PTSD.
I didn’t want to waste my breath. This friend is, I think, twenty-years-old. He seemingly already knows everything. He refused to listen to Travis. He had even checked with his parents, and they confirmed that Travis couldn’t possibly have PTSD.
Travis and this friend argue a lot. This friend has a need to be right. On some subjects, he might be. I told Travis to have his friend google PTSD in the womb, or PTSD and adoption, or PTSD and autism. Because if he did, he would immediately find several articles.
Like this one, “But I adopted my child at birth. What do you mean trauma?”, by Alex Stavros, CEO, Embark Behavioral Health:
Fetal Trauma
First, we need to understand there are many developmental milestones for your child that occur prior to birth. Your child began feeling and learning in the womb. According to Samuel Lopez De Victoria, Ph.D., your baby learned to be comforted by the voice and heartbeat of his mother well before birth[1] – a voice that was not yours. In the case of adoption this connective disruption has an impact on the brain and body.
Paula Thomson writes for Birth Psychology, “Early pre- and post-natal experiences, including early trauma, are encoded in the implicit memory of the fetus, located in the subcortical and deep limbic regions of the maturing brain. These memories will travel with us into our early days of infancy and beyond and more importantly, these early experiences set our ongoing physiological and psychological regulatory baselines.”[2]
Clearly, chaos outside of the womb, for example, may affect children in utero. This includes arguments, a chaotic home environment or an abusive spouse, and other rambunctious noise that may seem harmless to the fetus. If the mother drinks or smokes, or is generally unhealthy, this also impacts in-utero development, including the sense of safety and self-worth for the child. Critical brain development is also stunted.
Mothers that end up placing their child with adoptive parents are also likely to feel increased stress during their pregnancies. Many are very young, have many other children or are emotionally or financially unable to support a child. Each of these stressors could expose unborn babies to cortisol, making them also stressed. The baby is then born anxious.
Surprisingly, babies are also able to sense a disconnection or lack of acceptance from their mother while in the womb – leading to attachment issues and developmental trauma down the road.
Genetic Memory
Beyond these connection concerns, trauma can also be an inherited condition. Recent studies indicate that trauma resides in the DNA, allowing mental disease and behavioral disorders to be passed down for generations.
In the end, adoption itself is a form of trauma. Without the biological connection to their mother, even newborns can feel that something is wrong and be difficult to sooth as a result. This effect has the potential to grow over time – even in the most loving and supportive adoptive homes.
Summary: Humans, and the brain, develop through experience. Adverse experiences stunt this development. And development starts way before birth – even before conception.
[1] http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/06/29/emotional-trauma-in-the-womb/
Or come across this one:
On Facebook there is a page called, “Autism Discussion”. The author of the page is Bill Nason, MS, LLP. He is a behavior specialist that has extensive experience with individuals on the autism spectrum. Per the page, “Bill Nason is a mental health professional with a master’s degree in clinical psychology and more than 30 years of experience in treating individuals with developmental disabilities. Specializing in autism spectrum disorder and individuals with severe, multiple behavior challenges. First 12 years providing services in a large residential facility, over 25 years consulting in community based residential programs and over 20 years consulting with families with children with special needs.”
The following is Nason’s article on PTSD and Autism:
It has amazed me how long it has taken for the field to accept sensory processing dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder. For years, the field of psychology practically ignored sensory issues. Applied Behavior Analysis ignored it while forcing children to obey and stay in situations that were overwhelming for them. If the children “acted out,” we made them “stick it out”; so, their acting out behavior was not reinforced by escaping the unwanted situation.
Over twenty years ago, when I first started incorporating sensory processing strategies into my “behavior plans,” the psychologists all looked down on it because you could not observe it and measure it. Agencies would try and stop me from using the strategies because they were not “evidence-based.” Sensory processing problems were not “real.” They were in the business of “changing behavior.” Treating autism was nothing more than “changing their behavior.” The child’s subjective experiences were not recognized, considered, nor valued. The ends (changing behavior) justified the means (extinction, punishment, forcing compliance.” Sensory processing issues were not “real.” Even though adults on the spectrum were writing extensively about these traumatizing experiences, the psychologists still claimed they were not real.
Sensory dysfunction in autism is being recognized now. Finally, after many years of people on the spectrum speaking out and demanding to be heard, this experience is being taken seriously. However, another topic not mentioned much in autism spectrum disorder is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Since most PTSD is caused by extreme sexual or physical abuse, and wartime emotional trauma, it is not often suspected in ASD. However, I see evidence of it, and many of the self-reports of adults on the spectrum relate experiences that seem very similar to post-traumatic stress. Post-traumatic stress occurs when there is a severe insult to the nervous system. It results in changes in both brain chemistry and suspected structural changes in the brain. The person exhibits generalized anxiety, depression and isolation, panic attacks for no apparent reason, and sometimes rage.
PTSD can come from one of more emotional traumas, or long term distress from severe sensory processing dysfunction. Many of the nonverbal people on the spectrum, who also experience severe sensory defensiveness, are often experiencing intense physical and emotional trauma from the overwhelming sensory insult to their nervous systems. Since the child never knows when the “sensory bombardment” is going to occur, it often attacks without warning, leaving the child helpless in defending against it. The constant “fight or flight” panic reaction has long term effects on the nervous system, leaving the individuals battling stress and anxiety for many years.
Each time the nervous system experiences intense sensory bombardment, the “stimulus characteristics” of the event becomes associated with the severe “panic response.” At other times in the future, when these common stimuli occur again, it can produce an immediate “panic reaction” that was initially associated with the traumatic event. For these individuals, immediate panic occurs for no apparent reason. Neither the person nor those around him may understand why the “panic reaction” occurs. This response can occur when a given sound, color, or smell occurs that was initially associated with the traumatic event. Our sensory memories are very intense. When your sensory experiences are very intense and inconsistent, like those experienced by people with sensory processing disorders, such overwhelming emotion can be associated with, and set off easily, by simple sensory memories.
So, when working with severely impaired individuals on the spectrum, tread very lightly. Be very respectful of their comfort zones. Be very careful of how you touch them, talk to them, and press them. Their nervous systems are very vulnerable and easily traumatized. Their reactions can be very guarded and intense. They can be very emotionally reactive and need you to be very calm, gentle, and compassionate. Always be looking for “defensive reactions” and immediately pull back when you see it. Never press the child into situations they are scared of.
Guide them, but let them pace their actions. Let them feel “in control,” so they can immediately end any situation of “panic.” Learn what touch, words, actions, and stimulation helps them feel safe and secure. Always listen and understand first, before intervening and redirecting their actions. Always assume that underlying their defensive reactions is an intense emotional upheaval. Be respectful and compassionate, allow them to pull back, escape, and rebound. Teach them coping skills for dealing with these intense experiences, but most importantly, teach them to feel safe in your presence, and to trust following our lead.
This series on “labels, diagnoses, and co-occurring disorders” can be found in the green book, “Autism Discussion Page on Anxiety, Behavior, School and Parenting Strategies.”
I personally believe that the constant bullying of an individual with Travis’s diagnoses adds to the already existing trauma.
PTSD is a mental health condition that develops following a traumatic event characterized by intrusive thoughts about the incident, recurrent distress/anxiety, flashback and avoidance of similar situations. Post traumatic stress disorder is also defined as an anxiety disorder that develops following frightening, stressful, or distressing life events. Characterized by intense fear, helplessness, stress, and avoidance.
Anyone can develop PTSD. If your brain registered an event as trauma and it causes you ongoing distress and anxiety then it is likely you suffer from PTSD.
It’s irritating to me that one of Travis’s friends told him that I don’t know what I am talking about when I say that Travis has PTSD. Travis was given that diagnosis by a psychologist during a psychological evaluation in 2016. That diagnosis led me to read many books and articles which I have cited many times in my blog. I don’t just make this stuff up as I go. And then for his friend to tell Travis that his own parents said that Travis doesn’t have PTSD?
Right now I am actually rolling my eyes. This isn’t the first time that a friend or neighbor has decided that they know more than all the professionals. Information is readily available in this day and age. When Travis argued that he did indeed have PTSD, why didn’t his friend make use of his phone and check the Google? (We call Google “the Google” in our home!)
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter to me what the label is for what Travis is suffering. It just matters that he is suffering. What I would like for Travis’s friend and really the rest of the world to understand is this - Travis didn’t choose this. He is dealing with a lot of stuff. Living in this intense world is extremely difficult for him.
Have a conversation without arguing or raising your voice. Arguing creates escalation. Like the above article states, show compassion and be respectful. Maybe say something like, “Oh I hadn’t heard that, let me do some research”. Or agree to disagree.
It matters to Travis that there is a reason for his anxiety, his rage and anger. Saying that he suffers from PTSD is an easy way for him to sum it up for others to better understand. It matters to Travis that others have a better understanding. Hopefully now you do.
“Out of all of my body parts I feel like my eyes are in the best shape. I do at least a thousand eye rolls a day.” - Author Unknown