2020, a year that will never be forgotten due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, has been a challenging year for everyone. It was certainly not the year that any of us expected and it is for this very reason – that it was so unexpected - that many of us have struggled.
When there are discrepancies between our expectations and reality, all sorts of distress signals go off in our brains. It doesn’t matter if it’s an annual holiday ritual or a more mundane daily habit like how you clean your teeth; if you can’t do it the way you normally do it, you’re biologically engineered to get upset. We really are creatures of habit.
"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.
Some things are up to us and some things are not up to us.
Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions—in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing.”
~ Epictetus ~
(Greek Stoic philosopher - 55 – 135 AD)
A traumatic event is an event that involves a threat to one’s own life or body, or involves witnessing a life threatening event that someone else faces.
If you or a friend have experienced a trauma it is helpful to know what to expect. Most people will experience some of the symptoms mentioned in this list after a trauma - you are not going crazy, this is normal. It is a really good idea to seek professional trauma counselling so that these normal symptoms do not turn into PTSD - a long term and complicated reaction to trauma.
Article as it appeared in Vroukeur magazine. By Lize Maritz (Translated into English)
Exposure to trauma as a child, such as witnessing your parents ongoing violence towards each other, may have repercussions in your adult life. Most adults, however, do not associate their adult behavioural patterns with their childhood trauma. Understanding this link empowers you to make powerful changes in your life.
Article as it appeared in the Vrouekeur magazine. By Lize Maritz (Translated into English)
If your partner has been raped, it does not only change her (or his) life, it also changes yours.
Such a traumatic experience can impose great strain on a relationship, but it is possible to survive it as a couple and in fact come out of it positively. For this to happen, you need to support each other and have the support of family and friends.
Research shows we perform more productively at optimal levels of stress. Unfortunately, these days many of us of see this as permission to take on too much and work too hard. This can push our stress levels too high and damage our health. But, how much stress is too much? And what can you do to manage your stress effectively?
In the 21st century, being stressed is regarded as a status symbol - if we are not stressed then something is wrong!
We seem to have lost the plot - it's not OK to be stressed! Excess stress is detrimental to our well-being and causes decreased productivity. Both individuals and organisations suffer.
Trauma is our emotional reaction to a shocking, unexpected event that is way beyond the range of usual human experience. It's an unfortunate fact that most of us have either experienced a traumatic event ourselves, or we know someone who has. But what can we do to cope with the after-effects of trauma? How can we help ourselves – and others?
It is normal to feel anxious in certain situations. It keeps us on our toes and stops us from ignoring danger. Abnormal anxiety causes much greater disturbance, and professional help is usually needed in order to cope. But how can we recognise whether our anxiousness is just a normal response to a situation, or the beginnings of a serious disorder?
Not a day passes without a traumatic event – an event that involves a threat to one’s own life or body, or involves witnessing a life threatening event that someone else faces. Such an event is way beyond the range of usual human experience; an event which would be markedly distressing to almost anyone. The critical factor seems to be the person’s cognitive construction of what has happened to them. Typically the reaction is one of fear helplessness or horror.
This course equips you with the specialised counselling skills necessary for trauma counselling.
