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Through stories, insights, and reflections, this series will explore topics from our 6-session trauma-intensive course, Enhancing Trauma Awareness.
Enhancing Trauma Awareness is part 1 of a 3-part series that explores trauma’s impact, how to prevent trauma, and ways to address trauma-related needs.
If you are currently enrolled in our training, have taken one in the past, or are interested in getting a glimpse into what we offer, this podcast is for you.
It is our hope that, after spending a few minutes with us, you feel nurtured and inspired to continue your personal journey toward becoming trauma-aware.
Connect with us:
Website: https://lakesidetraining.org/global-institute/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lakesideglobalinstitute/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakesideglobal
0:02
Welcome to this podcast and this is our fourth episode of Enhancing Trauma Awareness Podcast.
0:12
The topic is today's episode is going to be discussing PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, and the intersection of discrimination.
0:26
So before we roll into the conversation, I thought it'd be, I thought we thought it'd be great to just have a little bit of a grounding moment, just something to help us check in with ourselves and be grounded in the conversation.
0:40
So I'm just going to invite you to place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly, or maybe just have your feet flat on the floor if you can, wherever you're seated or standing, just notice your body and take a few breaths at your own pace.
0:57
So whatever feels comfortable noticing the inhale, releasing on the exhale, maybe try to fill fill your belly first.
1:09
Fill your hand.
1:10
Move out a little as you breathe in.
1:13
Let the hand come in the belly empty as you breathe out and take another round of breath.
1:25
And then you can release that as you're ready and join us for this conversation.
1:35
Oh, that felt so good.
1:37
Good.
1:37
Yeah.
1:37
Thank you.
1:38
Sarah.
1:38
Liz, you got it.
1:40
You got it.
1:42
OK, shall we dive in to this topic?
1:46
I can't believe it's the fourth episode already moving quickly through these.
1:53
Yeah, I know this topic.
1:54
For me, when I think about post traumatic stress disorder and the intersection of discrimination, it does have me thinking.
2:06
And automatically my body just starts to beat a little bit faster.
2:14
And I noticed that about myself when I just read the words and all that encompasses it.
2:21
So just to for myself even to be mindful as we're doing this, to keep doing that breathing exercise as well.
2:31
Yeah.
2:31
So let's tap into just how is this landing for all of us?
2:37
When you're thinking about PTSD, that alone, and then also exploring discrimination, it makes me think of walking into storm waters and being mindful of the need to protect myself.
3:07
It's an issue that is tender to my heart and I recognize for my health that I have to be careful.
3:23
Maybe let's let let's tap into what it is and what it's not.
3:36
Yeah, 'cause I find that even for myself when I first started reading about it, lots of different information on it.
3:45
And so really thinking about that.
3:47
So I think that's one of the things that stood out to me as we started just talking specifically about post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, right?
3:56
And that, you know, we can have stress after something that we experience as traumatic in our bodies and in our, in our nervous system.
4:04
And it doesn't necessarily meet the criteria or become a disorder.
4:08
And I think that a lot of times, like PTSD is a word or like a phrase people like, you know, across the street yesterday and got PT like, no, you didn't.
4:16
You didn't get PTSD from crossing the street yesterday.
4:19
Yeah.
4:20
It's like a very light.
4:21
It's kind of been used so much overused maybe that seems important to think about what's what it is and what it is not.
4:29
And I, I, we were thinking or like talking about examples from our lives.
4:33
And I was thinking of my son probably 4, maybe five years ago, was bitten by a neighbour's dog, right.
4:40
And had like scars on his arm for a really long time.
4:42
And I can say, like at this point in time, we're years out and, you know, I don't think he ever has specific flashbacks about it.
4:51
I don't think he relives it in nightmares or has, you know, these kind of dreams about it.
4:57
It's he's not reliving that experience often.
5:00
But when he encounters dogs, he's super alert, right?
5:04
He's extremely alert of the dogs in his in his in his parameter and anywhere near him.
5:08
And he's developed strategies for himself to remove himself or know when a dog feels safe or doesn't feel safe.
5:14
And so I think just to me, that's just an example of how, you know, that doesn't to me doesn't sound like it's not PTSD, that's not been something diagnosed, but it's definitely a stressful event for him every time he encounters a doc.
5:27
Still it's stressful, but not to the like to the level of PTSD.
5:31
And I think that's just important to talk about.
5:33
We can have stressors and we can be thinking like about how to support people with stress and that some things resolve and some things linger, but it's not always a disorder piece.
5:43
Yeah, I think we think about it being a small T or a big T and what that means, you know, in terms of it is trauma and you have to be sensitive with that.
5:57
But it's not PTSD, right?
5:59
Yeah, That just came to mind in terms of car accidents.
6:03
I had a car accident.
6:04
I was able to understand that it was situational.
6:09
I was able to have a self-care safety plan and so I was able to go back in the car and drive again.
6:16
When I went to my doctor, she said, wow, because most people who had an accident like yours aren't even driving now.
6:24
And so I realized in that, that oh, I don't have PTSD because of the many factors that I am doing.
6:34
And I'm saying, I say to myself, this is situational.
6:37
I do have control over this.
6:39
This is what I need to do every time.
6:40
But it's very intentional.
6:44
You know, when you have episodes that are stressful, one of the things, as you were talking, sometimes these incidents can creep up on you and you think that you are OK.
7:05
And it has been simmering underneath, 'cause if we remember, trauma is in the census.
7:14
So as you were talking about the car, I've been struggling personally and it has crept up with me.
7:28
And so I recognize when I get in a certain car and a car that I was riding in that had some problems and it would say the bags going to come on all kinds of things blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink and and it happened several times.
7:54
And So what I recognized for me in this specific car, I, I have some anxiety and I'm not quite sure.
8:07
I almost want to say, yeah, I think this is PTSD.
8:12
And I remember riding down the hall, riding down the highway and panicking.
8:19
I mean, literally panicking.
8:23
And I said to myself, I can't, I can't take this.
8:27
I can't.
8:28
And, and I was thinking and I was feeling and I was saying in my head, Kathy, you're being irrational, you're being irrational.
8:37
I felt panicked, my heart was beating heart, etcetera, etcetera.
8:41
So this has been simmering.
8:44
And So what I then realized this has been going on for months and maybe this is PTSD.
8:57
Yeah, I'm just thinking of in our curriculum, just thinking of symptoms of it when you're talking about the intrusive thoughts, the amount of time, the avoidance of that just in your cognition, what you're saying to yourself and and what is happening.
9:14
And I think the amygdala is over ruling what in my rational brain says, well, he don't want to die either.
9:24
So then we kind of trust his you, you, you know, I'm thinking this, but it's like I still have those feelings.
9:32
But think about how many people have been in car accidents.
9:37
And please, you know, as people are listening, it may bring up some thoughts.
9:41
So please have yourself care and safety plan as well.
9:44
Just thinking about that like, oh, that resonates with me.
9:47
And what does that mean, you know, because it's real, yes.
9:56
Makes me think of the principle we can bring into the conversation about PTSD, the principle of, you know, trauma remain can remain dormant until triggered.
10:04
And it sounds like that's one of those experiences where you're like, oh, this has been here just under the surface.
10:11
And then these series of events have occurred.
10:12
And now I think I'm in this full blown, you know, PTSD and that's.
10:17
Yeah.
10:17
And then figuring out supports and what, what you need to, to navigate that.
10:21
Because your brain can tell you one thing and try to logic out of it.
10:23
But the body does not lie.
10:25
The body is going to tell you the truth, right?
10:28
And then you can even think about what happened to me.
10:34
You know, it was trauma, right?
10:35
We could think of trauma as a wound, PTSD as an infection.
10:38
Not all wounds get infected.
10:40
So for me, I don't have PTSD and so that can we can see that in both ends of the continuum and they're both OK.
10:50
But just thinking about what does this mean in terms of trauma and also what I may need versus you may need or anyone else.
11:00
Let's bring it into the intersection of discrimination.
11:06
And this is where I begin to breathe a little bit heavier.
11:10
We know the fact that there are higher rates in people of the globe majority.
11:18
And so I know that because I am a person of the global majority and just even thinking about that, it does contribute to allostatic load.
11:30
And so we really think about, we often use it as like that backpack, right, that's on us filled with rocks and really heavy.
11:38
And so allostatic load is the cumulative effects of chronic toxic stress.
11:43
And so when I think of discrimination for myself, I am carrying that load.
11:47
I know I am.
11:48
I have words for it now.
11:52
Been doing it since I was a young child and not even understanding that.
11:58
And so I do even now feelings of just, I'm getting a little jittery.
12:04
My heart rate is racing a little bit just thinking about all the things that I've had to do just because of discrimination and what that means.
12:15
I've never really called that PTSD.
12:18
And yet it is that repeated experience of discrimination that I and other people have normalized, right?
12:28
But yet it is in US and is there to be triggered and does trigger.
12:35
I think just the thought of it is triggering.
12:40
It brings back memories, stories.
12:45
And then one also can sit back and think, you know what, that that was discrimination.
12:54
And so I want to say it sits in your belly, it sits in your soul.
12:58
That's what I want to say.
13:06
I would, I would say just, you know, from a definitely different perspective, not being someone person of the global majority, that when I look at just the fact that there's higher rates of PTSD among those of the global majority, that it makes me pause to reflect on ways that I could have contributed to that.
13:25
And the IT like internal, the unconscious bias that I am continually trying to become more aware of so that I am not causing harm in those ways.
13:33
And I think just as as white people, that's something that we can be thinking about when we look at this topic is, is ways that we may have contributed to harm and how we can start to or have been, you know, changing and shifting and trying to do differently in that.
13:50
And I think, you know, beyond just people of the global majority, we think of intersectionality.
13:54
You know, Kath, you have a lot of of, you know, information and, and thoughts around that, but we're talking about an intersection here of PTSD and discrimination.
14:03
But there's so many other pieces that come into play here, you know, like ableism, aging, those are just some of the other ones gender when we think about intersectionality.
14:21
So just also keeping that in mind.
14:24
And then when you add those things with a color, it even exasperates it.
14:35
I mean, it says a fact that women are twice as likely to have PTSD then men if we're just thinking about gender.
14:43
What that means.
14:46
I mean, I almost have no words like, OK, I mean, what does that mean with everything else to be just aware of that, that one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD.
15:01
So to understand that we're all in this and that the cumulative of this for someone of the global majority is even a higher rate, even if they may not be aware of it.
15:15
And I think too, thinking about that discrimination includes people that go majority, but it includes people who may have disabilities.
15:21
It includes so many more people than we might think or be even able to recognize are being discriminated against.
15:29
And so it just it it broadens the lens for me when I think about intersectionality of like all these different ways that things overlap.
15:37
Yeah.
15:37
Let's not forget the LGBTQIA community.
15:40
Exactly.
15:41
Yeah.
15:43
Yeah.
15:45
So the question is, if I may, is when those moments come being mindful of our self-care plan.
16:03
And I want to pause for a moment.
16:07
It's not in the curriculum.
16:13
I was watching television yesterday.
16:16
If I may share this story and the story, and this is a true story of resilience and how to help yourself with this.
16:33
And it was doing the civil rights movement, and some of the youth said that they were willing to go to jail.
16:50
And this is back in the 60s.
16:54
And I'm sharing this 'cause it just spoke to my spirit, if I could say that.
17:00
And I know you haven't heard this story.
17:02
I'm gonna share it anyway.
17:06
But there was someone as they were being arrested.
17:11
And these are children.
17:14
The person I, I think his name was Bill Connors, was yelling racist things to this child and something in her.
17:32
Every time he said something racist, she started to dance.
17:43
He said something, she moved, he said something else, she moved.
17:50
And so she danced as the comeback.
17:59
And that really stuck with me as we are living in times where we see PTSD and the intersection of discrimination.
18:15
How do we respond in the moment?
18:24
So this has been a heavy topic.
18:31
And So what we're going to do now is recognizing that this has been a heavy topic and it I suspect that we are feeling it in our body.
18:41
So let's just take a moment to take time out to relax.
18:50
So begin by making yourself as comfortable as possible in a chair.
19:01
I'd like for you to relax your body as much as you can.
19:06
Now let a warm feeling of relaxation flow into your body, focusing on your breathing for those who are comfortable with that.
19:20
Now feel the weight of your body where it touches the chair.
19:27
Now move your attention to your feet.
19:31
Become aware of any tension that you might feel in your feet and move your attention up your legs to your calves.
19:45
Notice if there's any tension there, and if you feel any, just let it go now.
19:55
Move your awareness to your knees and again notice any sensations you might feel there.
20:07
Just let it go now.
20:09
Move your awareness to your hips and again.
20:15
Become awareness of the sensation and let it go.
20:22
Now bring your awareness to your lower back, fill that area and experience the feelings there.
20:34
Any tension, let it go.
20:38
And now move your attention to your hands and experience in your sensations, in your fingers, the palms of your hand, your risk.
20:48
If you feel any tension in any of these areas, let it go.
20:55
Move your attention to your shoulders.
20:59
See if there's any tightness there.
21:04
Any tightness or any tension, let it go.
21:08
And as we close, check your eyes, see if there's any tightness in that area.
21:18
Then check the muscles around your temple and your ears.
21:23
And again, any tension, let it go.
21:28
We thank you taking time to relax.
21:36
Thank you, Kathleen, for that mindfulness activity.
21:43
It's so regulating.
21:46
I was just thinking as we were doing that, just As for our call to action.
21:52
And it really did motivate me to think about what we all can do and thinking about passing down resilience and hope, as well as just acknowledging what is going on for ourselves in terms of trauma, especially PTSD.
22:10
In the intersection of discrimination.
22:14
One of the things I want people to acknowledge is that the repeated experience of discrimination over and over again, that there is emotional and behavioral changes, and it is consistent with PTSD.
22:30
So for us to be aware of these symptoms, they can come with anxiety that we have mentioned before, depression, negative thoughts about the world around us, about ourselves, just could be sleep disturbance, just some withdrawal.
22:48
And that it does lie cellular in our cellular, which can be generational changes.
22:55
And so just to know that that is real, but also what you said when I could picture the girl dancing, that that is the hope and that is the resilience.
23:08
And that I also have that in me and that can be passed down as well.
23:12
And so that's the call of action to acknowledge that, but also pass that resilience and hopes, hope down as well.