Criminal Justice
Trauma is real and quite often a silent storm. Regardless of the magnitude of trauma, someone realizes that their feelings are valid, their experience and pain matter, and so does the healing process.
Complex trauma stems from repeated exposure to severe and pervasive events, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), child abuse, neglect, domestic and family violence, community, and environmental violence, human trafficking, and, more recently, the health epidemic and pandemic, civil unrest, cultural displacement, and sexual exploitation.
Health epidemics, such as COVID-19, can lead to symptoms of neurological and mental conditions, including muscle weakness, fatigue, numbness, agitation, loss of smell and taste, dizziness and delirium, and stroke.
Two years after the onset of COVID in 2019 provoked yet another condition, coined quarantine trauma, which also contributes to psychological effects, including dissociation, post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger.
The longer the quarantine duration, additional stressors compounded trauma with ambiguous fears, frustration, boredom, scarce supplies, flawed information, financial loss, and vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated stigma.
This mounting trauma is a catalyst for physical, emotional, and general mood symptoms, which may include:
- Emotions of shame or guilt
- Feelings of emptiness and loss of hope
- Difficulty controlling your emotions
- Overwhelmed, crying spells
- Nervousness, fidgeting (excessive blinking or toe-tapping)
- Periods of attention and concentration loss (dissociation) and racing thoughts
- Frustration, irritability, and edginess
- Decreased interest in personal hygiene and punctuality
- Physical symptoms; headaches, dizziness, chest pains, stomach aches, and chronic pain
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Relationship struggles, difficulties, and challenges
The current treatment method for treating complex trauma include therapeutic modalities such as talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and exposure therapy. However, could a simple change in perspective be the very thing you may be looking for?
This mounting trauma is a catalyst for physical, emotional, and general mood symptoms, which may include:
- Emotions of shame or guilt
- Feelings of emptiness and loss of hope
- Difficulty controlling your emotions
- Overwhelmed, crying spells
- Nervousness, fidgeting (excessive blinking or toe-tapping)
- Periods of attention and concentration loss (dissociation) and racing thoughts
- Frustration, irritability, and edginess
- Decreased interest in personal hygiene and punctuality
- Physical symptoms; headaches, dizziness, chest pains, stomach aches, and chronic pain
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Relationship struggles, difficulties, and challenges
The current treatment method for treating complex trauma include therapeutic modalities such as talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and exposure therapy. However, could a simple change in perspective be the very thing you may be looking for?
Do you have 10-20-minutes a day to spare? Do you want to improve your immune function, reduce [chronic] pain, reduce anxiety and stabilize your mood? This activity also promotes increased optimism, improved self-control, and decreased binge eating and drinking.
This technique offers a generalized purpose of healing life, body, breath, and thoughts impacted by mental and physical symptoms through trained awareness and regulation; methods include:
- Body scanning/progressive relaxation (Pay attention to bodily sensations)
- Mindful and breath awareness yoga (curious and open to your feelings)
- 5–10-minute sitting or lying meditation (mindfulness, metaphysical, spiritual, movement, mantra, or Zen)
Change your lifestyle, and promote a healthy outlook by incorporating motivational techniques, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction strategies, to reap vast benefits
- Decreased mental health symptoms
- Enhanced physical health
- Reduced emotional distress
- Supporting regulation
- Renewing a connection to self and community
- Encouraging a healthy relationship between body and mind
Stress-induced trauma is inevitable in life; now, more than ever, we must remind ourselves that succumbing to the negative signs of stress is not inevitable. If we can change our mindset and view stress as an opportunity instead of a threat, we can meet the challenge head-on, promoting growth and resilience to combat future life adversities.
About the Author:
Janina (Wresh) Cich, MA, is a retired Law Enforcement Officer with two decades of Criminal Justice experience and holds the Criminal Justice Department Chair role at Concordia University, St. Paul. Janina is the Chief Operating Officer of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Since 2003, Janina has been a Professor in Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health & Trauma, Resilience, and Self-Care topics at local colleges and universities. She has authored many articles and is a frequent lecturer. She also serves as a Board Member on many non-profit organization boards.