Trauma & Grief
” Death belongs to life as birth does.”
- Tagore from ‘Stray Birds’, CCLXVII
Traumacan be defined as a frightening, sudden, unbalancing and violent act which destroys core beliefs and values. It also refers to extreme stress which may or may not develop into a pattern of symptoms which can be classified as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which may require long term counselling to resolve.The degree of trauma that someone may experience is impacted by their relationship to the event or person, their religious/spiritual beliefs and other circumstances, such as their age and perceived control over the event (usually very little).It is important for people who are affected to share what they think and feel as a critical window of opportunity exists. Debriefing and discussing the events within 72 hours of an incident can help insure that people recover and don’t end up with PTSD.
What events can cause trauma?
GriefGrief is a normal and natural response to a loss and everyone’s experience of grief is different. It shakes the very foundations of their world and can become a way of life. Unrecognised grief and unacknowledged loss, may cause:
Disenfranchised grief can also occur, whereby the sorrow must remain hidden, in circumstances where the relationship is not recognised or the loss itself is unrecognised either by the griever or by others. |
Grieving generally goes through stages, according to Elizabeth Kubler- Ross these are:
However, most therapists these days will see these as not necessarily relevant as most people will move back and forth from one stage to another, over a period of time. The usual grief reactions, which will occur in different stages for different people, are:
Counselling is needed if a person is suffering from disenfranchised grief, they seem to be ‘stuck’ or they are suffering from long term unresolved grief and loss. What are the differences between normal grief & trauma?
Trauma, loss and grief fundamentally arise from the same events. Early counselling is necessary in some instances, such as the suicide of a loved one, to avoid a tragic loss developing into a trauma. |
