TRAUMA AND THE BRAIN

Transcription

1 TRAUMA AND THE BRAIN *Portions of content borrowed from the Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force with permission. Any adjustments made to curriculum are not reviewed by SATF. Trainers are not SATF trainers.

2 TRAUMA Victims experience different types of trauma: Historical trauma Institutional trauma Acute trauma Re-triggering trauma

3 TRAUMA Primary causes of trauma: Betrayal Extreme Fear/Terror Blitz/Surprise Attack Blame Lack of support Invalidation

4 TRAUMA Women Men Children exposed to school shootings Female victims of rape Adult victims of rape Rates of PTSD Office involved in violent encounter Kulbarsh, Pamela, January 12, What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: What you need to know. Officer.com Carlier, I.V., Laberts, R.C., Gerson, BPR. Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Symptomololgy in Police Officers: A Prospective Analysis. (1997) The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. Vol 185, n 8 pp

5 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA How does trauma affect the brain? Dr. Rebecca Campbell memory tonic immobility emotional reactions The Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force gratefully acknowledges the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, for allowing us to reproduce, in pare or in whole, the video [The Neurobiology of Sexual Assault]. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this video are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

6 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA H.P.A. Axis Trauma Response: Hypothalamus Pituitary Gland Adrenal Glands

7 Trauma Neurobiology Physically of trauma: Changes chemicals Our Brain Hypothalamus HPA Axis Pituitary gland Pituitary gland Amygdala TRAUMA Hippocampus HORMONE FLOOD Adrenal Glands Glands (on (on top top of Kidneys) of

8 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Hormone Flood: Catecholomines (adrenaline) Fight or Flight Response Cortisol (hydrocortisone) Increases available energy Opioids Prevents anticipated pain Natural morphine Oxytocin Promotes good feelings / manage emotions Neurobiology of Sexual Assault. Rebecca Campbell

9 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Hormone Flood: Catecholamines (adrenaline) Too much causes hyperventilation, high blood pressure, impaired rational thought Cortisol (hydrocortisone) Decreases amount of blood to brain Opioids Numbs the body to pain, causes flat affect,slows memory. Could cause tonic immobility Oxytocin Helps balance fear and anxiety

10 How should a victim of sexual assault react after their experience?

11 DISCLOSURES

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13 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Fight or Flight! Fight, Flight, or FREEZE Catecholamines can cause the body to freeze ( rape paralysis ). Tonic Immobility Increased breathing Eyes closed 12-50% of victims experience some TI Paralyzed Fuse, et al, 2007; Galiano et al, 1993; Heidt et al 2005

14 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Where do we see the freeze in nature?

15 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Memory:

16 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Hippocampus: Processes information we see, hear, feel, taste, and touch into memories. Helps us to form, organize, and store long term memories. Neurobiology of Sexual Assault. Rebecca Campbell

17 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Amygdala: Works with the hippocampus to process emotional memories Both structures are very sensitive to hormonal fluctuations Neurobiology of Sexual Assault. Rebecca Campbell

18 NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA Negatively affect the hippocampus and amygdala s ability to process memories. Catecholamines Cortisol Opioids Oxytocin Neurobiology of Sexual Assault. Rebecca Campbell

19 The body responds fight, flight, frozen fright Trauma Physically Changes Our Brain Hypothalamus Increased stress hormones Amygdala Impaired functioning of hippocampus Pituitary gland Fragmented memories Hippocampus Still accurate! Adrenal Memory Glands recall slow (on top of Kidneys) & difficult

20 INSTITUTIONAL BETRAYAL Carly Smith and Jennifer Freyd White House Task Force History of the work 1991-betrayal trauma theory and research 2010-institutional betrayal research 2014-crurent: campus victimization and climate surveys How can school practitioners mitigate trauma experienced by students who have been victims of sexual violence?

21 INSTITUTIONAL BETRAYAL

22 INSTITUTIONAL BETRAYAL What they asked students: Not taking proactive steps to prevent this type of experience Creating an environment in which this type of experience seemed common or not a big deal Making it difficult to report the experience 56% had experienced trauma related symptoms related to the university s response or perceived response.

23 INSTITUTIONAL BETRAYAL Did students report sexual assault experiences to a university source? 90% of those who had any nonconsensual sexual experience did not tell any university source 86% of those who were raped did not tell any university source

24 TRAUMA Campus violence impacts students, staff, and faculty in many ways. Victims may need to leave school either by dropping out or taking a leave of absence. They may move back home to recover, regroup, or transfer to a school closer to home. When victims remain in school, they may have problems concentrating, studying, and attending classes. They may fear running into the person(s) who perpetrated the violent act so they may avoid academic and social activities. College life may become so stressful that they develop clinical symptoms of trauma or anxiety that affect their mental and physical health[i]. [i] Carr, J. L. (2005, February). American College Health Association campus violence white paper. Retrieved at

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