From: "TATC Newsletter" <jamisondouglaslaw@gmail.com>
Subject: TATC Newsletter 8/17/2009
Date: August 17th 2009

Trauma Awareness and Treatment Center News

Events

Work at the trauma center is ongoing. In our quest to fulfill our mission statement we are ever attempting to increase the knowledge of our center to the population. Last year we had a fundraiser which was very successful and we have another planned in the month of November. The goal is to, naturally, raise money for the clinic to be able to help those that cannot afford trauma-focused treatment. Also, it is to raise awareness of the effects of psychological trauma. We look forward to our next fund raiser. In order to increase professional awareness of trauma center, I (Jamison Law) am looking into providing CEU worthy trainings on trauma and treatment. It is in the preliminary stages. Once I have the details worked out, I will submit the final plans to our director, Dr. Beall for approval and move forward. I am also interested in learning what types of trainings other professionals might want to attend. The goal is to provide informative and affordable trainings. Suggestions? Requests?

Abuse vs. Neglect and Trauma

This portion of the newsletter is where the meat of trauma information will be provided. This week�s information is on the affects of abuse vs. that of neglect. Working at TATC provides a unique opportunity to see the effects of the different types of abuse. It also demonstrates how similar traumatic events will affect each individual differently due to their genetic makeup, personality, temperament, environment, etc. Thus, the capacity for therapeutic growth and experience for the professional can be boundless. With abuse and neglect, it is interesting to note that the effects can be dramatically different and I hope to explain these observations. In the State of Utah, neglect falls under the category of abuse, according to laws and statutes. However, in treatment it does not. Abuse comes in its many forms: physical, mental, emotional, sexual, ritual, etc. Most of us in this field see its effects. It shows up in diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, dissociative tende ncies, panic disorders, and more. Neglect seems to show up, at times (again, this is my observation) as an Axis II diagnosis. There are aspects of Axis I, of course, but the actual personality structure appears to change. It appears to happen because of the nature of neglect. To explain why, try to think of it this way. When we are born, it is as if we carry an empty vessel (like a bucket) inside of us that is prepared to be filled up with experiences. At a young age those experiences actually fulfill a need (think of Maslow�s Hierarchy of Needs). As those physical, mental, emotional, and social needs are filled on an individual basis, we develop in an individually healthy manner (Notice my use of the word �individual�). When abuse occurs, that vessel (or bucket) is filled with pain and hurt. That individual�s experiences in pain can affect their perception of the world and at times can change the neurochemical development in the brain, possibly predisposing them to symptomatic problems soon after or later on in life. Therefore, their vessel is filling up, but not with positive experiences. Now, we will look at neglect. Neglect is when the vessel is left empty and leaves a void as physical, mental, emotional, and/or social needs are not met. Therefore, their natural capacity to develop healthily is changed or maybe even stunted. There is an emptiness that must be filled. Where do they turn to? What might they do? Codependence, borderline personality disorder, narcissism, etc. may be possible results. Now, recall that I mentioned it is individual. Just because someone may be abused or neglected does not necessarily mean that they will become symptomatic or develop behavioral problems. There is always choice involved, as well as many other aspects of being human that can alter the development. That�s the beauty of this work, isn�t it? Everything is individual. Therefore, being that there appears to be a difference in the affects of abuse and neglect, treatment approaches would need to be different. With abuse, the goal is to resolve the traumatic effects. With neglect, it is to help them find a healthy way to fill the void. Therefore, if we work in an eclectic field, it is important to have many tools in our therapeutic belt to address individual needs. After all, one Phillips screwdriver doesn�t always fit every Phillips head.

Requests

If there is ever any subjects you would like to learn more about, such as some that are listed on our website, please reply to the newsletter and we would be happy to provide information. If you would like a consultation, also let us know.

Cordially,
Jamison D. Law, LPC, NCC
TATC Therapist