Embodiment and Breath Work as form of Therapy?

Embodiment and Breathwork as form of Therapy?

By Sarah Haas- April 16, 2022 CJ720

Although I certainly didn’t have a horrible childhood, as an adult, I can certainly look back and can say there were things of concern going on throughout my life. My parents were divorced and remarried and while there was undoubtedly love in the home there was also dysfunction. My mother was an alcoholic and Lord knows I love her (God rest her soul) the older she got, it seemed the meaner she got when she tied one on. She was intelligent, and a jack of all trades, there is literally nothing couldn’t fix, paint, decorate, refurbish etc... She went back to school in her 20’s and got her CNA but could never hold a job because of the alcoholism despite many of the Dr’s for whom she had worked, attempts to get her help because they believed in her and thought her work ethic (when not hungover) was impeccable. My stepfather, a man who liked to be in control of all things, ran the home with military structure, discipline (which I actually appreciate because it taught me to be structured and organized in my own life)  and was the bread winner  for our large blended family, he was very hard working in and out of the home. My father, a gentle man and gentle soul, has always been opinionated and hardworking but would never raise a hand to a woman, thus allowing himself to be walked all over by my mother and later in life, his (now ex) wife, my hateful stepmother, Kelly. Kelly was clinically diagnosed with Bipolar, which I did not learn until I was eighteen. I’ll spare the details and long-drawn-out story, but will just say this, when she was on her meds, she was one of the most generous, thoughtful and loving people in the world. When she was not on her meds, she had constant up and downs with manic and depression and I just remember always walking on eggshells not knowing what to expect each day; would she be in a good mood today, or would she be angry and hateful to one of us? It wasn’t until I was eighteen when my father kicked her out and filed for divorce that he confided in me that she was clinically diagnosed with bipolar and that he never told my brother or I out of respect for her; he tried to protect us from it as best as possible. I know now, that even though he tried his best, the constant need to walk on eggshells as a young girl has affected me into adulthood. I grew up a habitual nail biter, I also grew a tendency to be constantly nervous or anxious which bled into my 20’s and 30’s and affected many relationships both romantically and with friends/family. In 6^th grade, my stepmom convinced my dad that I should go to a counselor because I was depressed, always had an upset stomach and was anxious often. This was all fine and dandy and I was willing to participate until she started showing up to my meetings and was in the room with me the first few appointments. In what world or who’s rational mind would a child be honest with their therapist about what was going on inside her head when the very person that was was responsible for manipulating her to say all her problems were about their alcoholic mother was sitting right next to her inside the therapist’s office? Even when she stopped coming into my meetings, I feared being honest because I thought my therapist would tell her or my dad. Kelly was 100% the very reason for my anxiety and depression, but if I’m being honest and humble, my mom and stepdad were also at fault for my anxiety and depression. There was physical and verbal altercations taking place more and more as we aged in their home, and they often intentionally were spiteful to my father regarding custody of us because once again, it was a way my stepfather had control over him and also they enjoyed hurting my father. I wasn’t the only child in either home, in my mom’s home, there were 5 kids, in my dad’s 3, so at times, when things were calm/normal for me, I would witness as they not so calm/normal for others.

Fast forwarding through a very long story because you by now get the point of the type of dysfunction in the home, I developed habits that weren’t healthy or safe. I became the child that constantly said thank you or sorry to everyone, out of fear that I would piss off the people in my life I loved (I still do it today, I’m a work in progress). As a young woman, I constantly felt self-conscious and responsible when I could sense tension in someone. I also habitually chewed my nails and cuticles, so bad to the point that my fingers would often be red, swollen and bleeding; ouch talk about sore! I began sleeping around looking for comfort and attention in all the wrong places. And sadly, somewhere around 17, I began to take the path towards bulimia, although it didn’t become an everyday occurrence or serious problem until I was in my early 20’s, thank you Army (the breeding of eating disorders in the military is a whole other topic in and of itself so I digress). Bulimia ruled my life for many years, and so many people had no idea, although there were a few who tried to talk to me about it and I told them they were wrong. I would binge and purge up to three sometimes four times daily and even though I knew it was unhealthy, dangerous and disgusting, I-JUST-COULDN’T-STOP! That is, until I found an embodiment coach and breath work!

At 36, I have only just begun to get a real grasp of my struggles with bulimia or my anixety within the last fifteen months. I have spent the last six years of my life trying to apply self-love habits and techniques to my life because I knew I was worthy and deserved nothing more than to see myself the way that so many others do, but nothing had really stuck consistently until my friend Chrystal Rose began her business and practice of embodiment through a group program called Pendulum at “The Self Love for Breakfast Club.” Although I am a huge advocate of embodiment, I would be remiss if I didn’t say age and maturity has something to do with my healing as well, because had I been introduced to this in my early 20’s I probably would have scoffed at it and laughed thinking how juvenile or weird because only “hippies” or “pot heads” practice that foo foo stuff (note, not my current thoughts, just what I know 20 something year old me would have said). Though I started the practice of self-love about 5 years ago, it wasn’t until this last year that I realized the true impact of my childhood into adulthood in such a negative way and really dove in and invested in true healing and self-love. I have a past riddled with anxiety and depression, yet I also learned to be resilient at a very young age because life goes on and I wasn’t just going to curl up in a ball and let life pass me by as a teenager or as a young woman in the Army. I’m very driven, I’m a perfectionist and, I would consider myself highly resilient because I have and will always want to be successful. I would also say though, that determination to just push through and be resilient can be a double edged sword, in fact, it fueled the fire for anxiety and depression that much more (though I didn’t realize that until my 30’s).

What is embodiment? Embodiment is just another name for being mindful, meditating, feeling and being in tune with yourself, etc.… whatever you want to coin it. It’s merely learning the ability to connect with the sensations inside your body and be fully aware and present (Madeson, 2022). This practice is not easy to learn immediately when our whole lives, we have been taught to just push through to meet the demands of life. In reality, that's the worst thing we could do,  because as we know from our textbook, the body keeps the score and the body is constantly telling us something if we just stop long enough to listen to or feel it. Embodiment is unique, it’s quirky, it’s philosophical and it’s about feeling and learning things deep within our bodies that sometimes make us uncomfortable to realize. When practiced, it is one of the greatest things you can learn to practice for healing and inner peace which will open up doorways you never thought possible regarding trauma, anxiety, depression and in my case,  an eating disorder. Embodiment, when practiced consistently and correctly, allows you to recognize the things (triggers) that elevate your energy and allow you regulate the emotions or responses to those triggers so YOU CAN HAVE BETTER CONTROL OF YOU RATHER THAN AN OUTSIDE FORCE. Now, by no means am I saying that people should discount psychological or psychiatric assistance altogether, I’m not a Dr. and this is something you should deeply research and consider before giving up therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist vs. an embodiment coach. What I am saying, is that embodiment is just another tool that you can learn and add to your “tool belt” of life to be self-sufficient and independent with; learning to be aware, and to connect with your body to regulate your energy and feelings, it allows you to find balance and self-acceptance, it is a form of somatic psychology (Madeson, 2022). EVERY-SINGLE-THING we go through or witness in life, even if we do not think it is a big deal at the time, sits with us and can impact our physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual selves (Madeson, 2022). The practice of embodiment often uses movement such as dance or yoga, and breath work is an extension of it that. Once again, it allows us to release energy that we are holding in that can affect us negatively or positively. There are three type of sensory feedback systems that embodiment taps into: exteroception, proprioception, and interoception. Exteroception is sensing external environment through our senses of smell, sight, taste and touch. A great example of this would be meditating and practicing mindfulness. Proprioception is “sensory feedback of the body in relation to gravity” and “happens when neurons bring sensory information to the joints of the body and inner ear to the brain” (Madeson, 2022). A great example of this is yoga or dance.  Interoception is our internal body sensory such as hunger thirst, pain or tension and provides “feedback about emotional experiences facilitated by sensory neurons that bring information to the muscles, organs and connective tissue to the brain" (Madeson, 2022).  An example of this is being mindful of how much you eat.

I have sporadically been incorporating yoga in my life for the last 10 years but have only really begun incorporating it in my life three times a week since finding and investing in embodiment a year ago. I can personally speak to the healing it’s brought me physically with my body and emotionally how it’s improved my life. I'm becoming more in tune and comfortable with my true self, and now, I can acknowledge that the bulimia and nail biting were major signs of anxiety in my life (so if you see me as an adult with chewed off, swollen, red nails and/or a swollen face from bulimia, you will know these are telltale signs and a result of my anxiety spiking). I've made so much progress, I can regulate my emotions and responses and the things that used to stress me out or make me feel anxious, no longer bother me and physically (minus my torn rotator) my body is in such a great place; I've lost fifteen pounds and have kept it off and my joint and muscles feel so much better and healthier. Although I've made tremendous progress, I have so much work to do. Admittedly, I have shied away from some things/topics/feelings because they are uncomfortable and things I'm not ready to address yet, but trust and believe, I do intend to continue to make embodiment and yoga a priority in my life (because after all, I am a work in progress). Although I would not say I had a traumatic childhood or life, I do have experiences that shaped me and were deeply rooted in me causing me to act out or conduct myself in unhealthy ways over the last 17 years. Despite the healing and the paramount change embodiment and breath work has brought to my life, I know I have more growth and healing to do. No matter how old we get, we will all (always) have ways in which we can grow and learn. And today, I hope that if you are someone (who took the time to read this long blog) struggling with a painful or traumatic past, that you have found this blog insightful and inspiring; and know that your life can be changed through mindful practices and/or movement in embodiment. Cheers to a better, stronger, truer YOU!

Reference:

Madeson, D. M. (2022, January 17). Postive Psychology.com. Retrieved from Embodiment Practices: How to Heal Through Movement: https://positivepsychology.com/embodiment-philosophy-practices/

How do ordinary men become mass murderers?

When we reflected on the reasons for which ordinary men can become such ruthless killers and mass murderers, I feel that there were two very important psychologists whose work wasn’t mentioned as a possible further explanation and those men are Albert Bandura, an eminent figure in the social psychology field, and Muzafer Sherif, another eminent figure in the social psychology field and in the study of conflicts.

So, how can they be useful to the topic at hand?

Albert Bandura, when discussing moral standards found that it’s not enough to be well educated and morally just, in order to act morally. There’s an in-between which can be crucial to the way a person acts towards another (Celia Moore, 2015). He defines this concept as moral disengagement. Which is a cognitive mechanism by which someone, who has actual moral standards, can step away from them and act immorally without the feeling of distress that usually follows such acts. Moral disengagement is divided into eight specific mechanisms:

• Distortion of consequences
• Diffusion of responsibility
• Advantageous comparison
• Displacement of responsibility
• Moral justification
• Euphemistic labeling
• Dehumanization
• Attribution of blame

I’ll now offer an example for each of those mechanisms.

When talking about the distortion of consequences one might of someone who doesn’t control the use of the water they use because “nothing’s going to happen, this is not going to change the climate change crisis”, whereas diffusion of responsibility often comes in the form of “I shot those innocent people, but so did all my fellow comrades”. Whenever you split your responsibility with somebody else, your guilt lessens, and the more the people you split it with, the less the guilt.

An example of an advantageous comparison is “at least I was quick with killing them, others would have taken them their time with it and maybe even tortured them”.

Then, there's the one that most of the perpetrators of horrors against the Jew people used: displacement of responsibility, which we read in “it wasn’t my fault, I was just following orders”.

Moral justification is another tricky one, not uncommon during wars “I killed them to protect my people, so if I kill them first they can’t kill us”.

Euphemistic labeling comes near the distortion of consequences mechanisms, in this case, you dismiss your action as something not even worth blame, such as “I just merely insulted them, it was nothing”.

Dehumanization is one of the most dangerous mechanisms, fairly common during wars in general, and fundamental during the genocide of the Jew people: when you don’t see the other person as a human anymore, but as a mere object, or nothing more than an animal, you can easily become ruthless because you tell yourself that rules don’t apply anymore. You don’t feel guilty or horrified because you’re not really killing anyone, they’re just bugs, rats, snakes, they’re poisonous plants that need to be eradicated. When you don’t see one’s humanity, you don’t see the one thing you always share with everyone, the one thing that makes us all the same and that is the most dangerous thing.

And, finally, attribution of blame is pretty much self-explanatory. “They deserved this, they did this and brought all this upon themselves” (Celia Moore, 2015).

Sherif, on the other hand, becomes useful in explaining to us how easy can become to see someone as an enemy. A concept we already saw with Zimbardo’s experiment. We, as human beings, have a need to identify with something, in someone. We are our experiences, our relationships, and our roles in society. And we like to think the best of ourselves, regardless of our confidence, we’re like to think that between two groups, even if randomly chosen, our is the best, because that group, if we’re in it, automatically becomes part of ourselves and of how we define ourselves, so if that’s the best group there is, we’re the best.

Briefly put, the Robbers Cave experiment is set in a summer camp. Twenty-two eleven years old boys, with a similar background, were invited to a summer camp. For a while, they all slept in the same, big house, and relationships were allowed to prosper, friendships rose. After a few days, the boys were split into two groups, chosen randomly, and placed in two different camps. After a while, the two groups were put in competition with each other, using games in which they could confront one another. Almost immediately after, the competition and friction on the playfield escalated into mean and vengeful acts, which then escalated into violence. There was nothing that was dividing these groups, no morals, no race, no religion, no social-economic background, and yet, they started hating each other (Muzafer Sherif, O. J. Harvey, B. Jack White, William R. Hood, Carolyn W. Sherif, 1954/1961).

Sherif offers a further explanation of how conflict can literally birth out of thin air. And yet, Hitler did way more than just separate the groups. He yes, put these innocent people aside from society, but he also had laws created against them, he made sure people were indoctrinated against them, the regime taught people to hate them, to fear them. This only amplified the hatred, the mistrust in them, just because someone told them to.

I hope this can be useful to further consider other factors that can come into place when such horrific and tragic acts are committed.

References:

• Moore, C. (2015). Moral disengagement.  Current opinion in psychology, (6), 199-204.
• Sherif, M., Harvey, O. J., White, B. J. (2013). Intergroup Conflict and Cooperation: The Robbers Cave Experiment. Literary Licensing.

Denial, the Harmful Resilience

Humans are very resilient, in many different ways. Some of those ways are not necessarily the healthiest. We have this “Keep on trucking” attitude that usually contributes to us overlooking major issues. Therefore we can easily underestimate the individual or generational effects that trauma has on us. “Regardless of how trauma is introduced, the direct and indirect exposure can alter how the brain process information and facilitate behavior (Dr. Rousseau 2021).” The effects of trauma are apparent when looking at our weakest links; our children and unborn children. “Trauma in pregnancy has dramatically increased in the past 25 years and is now the number one cause of non-obstetrical maternal death in the United States. With major trauma, there is a 40 to 50% risk of fetal death.” (D. M. Krywko, F. K. Toy, M. E. Mahan, J. Kiel. 2021)

The unhealthy resilience in adults can cause them to band-aid their harm rather than heal it, therefore continuing to ignore the severe effects of trauma, subsequently causing more harm. It seems we are stuck on a Merry-go-round of trauma, fuelled by denial. Comparable to infants, adults usually do not die physically from trauma, but the effects are dire. More than 17,000 people in the US have died as of May 28, 2021, from gun-related violence. There were 44,834 total deaths by suicide in 2020 according to the CDC and exedra.

The same occurrences that cause adult trauma can cause trauma to an unborn baby “in utero.” and the same deadly effects can occur to both yet we choose to continue ignoring them. One would argue we need to prevent in utero trauma, another will argue that crime rates need to decrease. One will state that poverty needs to be addressed in order to lessen the trauma, and another will argue for a budget increase to police training. All of them would be correct. Writing this blog, I am realizing there is no one topic I could possibly bring to your attention that hasn’t been spoken of to death. There are many brilliant individuals who have thought of trauma prevention, healing trauma, bringing our judicial and mental health systems closer together in order to both prevent and heal trauma, exedra. Yet we find ourselves in the same place asking the same questions years later. So I end this blog without presenting more data to support a topic I may or may not actually have knowledge of. I will not distract you with insignificance. I leave you with a question. What are we missing in order for actual change to happen?

Paper or Plastic?

References:

Pregnancy Trauma

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430926/

Rousseau, D. (2021). Module 3: Neurobiology of Trauma. Boston University Metropolitan College: Blackboard.

Suicides fell in 2020, early CDC data shows

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/suicides-fell-in-2020-early-cdc-data-shows.html

THE IN UTERO EXPERIENCE TRAUMA BEFORE BIRTH

https://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1549761/The-in-utero-experience-web.pdf

The US has had 225 mass shootings in 2021 so far. Here's the full list.

https://www.insider.com/number-of-mass-shootings-in-america-this-year-2021-3

Van der Kolk, B.  2014.  The Body Keeps Score:  Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Random House.  New York.

Dealing with Trauma and Stress During a Global Pandemic

When COVID-19 first made it's appearance in America in January of 2020, most thought it was just a flu going around and that there was nothing to worry about. Two months later March 2020 came around, and the world literally stopped. Businesses and restaurants were forced to close down, and some have never reopened. Schools made history by shutting down and students learned completely virtually. And the unemployment rate skyrocketed. It's been a year and a half since a global pandemic started and finally, things are opening up. States are lifting their mask mandates as well as their capacity limits, and the job market is plentiful. What no one predicted from a pandemic was the impact it would have on the human psyche.

The stress that adults feel came from the financial stress of either having lost a job or received less hours due to the pandemic, emotional stress from having not seen loved ones since the quarantine started as well as the feelings of being isolated. The stress that children feel are starting to worry children's psychologists. The pandemic has left children feeling unsafe and out of control, and the complete shift in routine such as a disruption in school and family gatherings and an isolation from loved ones can have very dangerous consequences. It is unknown exactly how many people are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, but children who are watching the news a lot are showing more symptoms from the repeated exposure to the trauma of a pandemic. As for adults, their trauma most likely comes from having understood what COVID-19 can do to the human body, with the most common effect being death.

Long term consequences of these traumas and stresses not being addressed are: a decreased physical health, a higher risk of suicide or self harm, and a greater risk of substance abuse. To treat symptoms of dress, psychologists recommend seeking psychotherapy and counseling. When it comes to children, they say the parents really need to prioritize their children and have age appropriate discussions about the pandemic because it is very important for children to know about the virus and what it does. Parents also should teach their children relaxation techniques such as deep breathing.

Loma Linda University Health posted several tips on how to deal with stress during a pandemic such as: 1) Step away from negative news and negative social media. Instead, think about and focus on the positive things. 2) Get enough sleep, exercise, eat well, and avoid too much alcohol or substance use. 3) Find things that make you happy! Video chat with loved ones, plan a virtual game night, paint, or even garden.

The year has been filled with a lot of negatives, with a pandemic taking the lives of thousands, of police shootings, riots, etc. Not everything is negative though; there are still good people out there trying to make the best out of everything. Look around; you can feel the positives in the woods when the breeze blows through the trees and you can even see the positives right in your own neighborhood as the teenagers help an elderly couple mow their grass.

Resources

Campbell, L. (2020, September 8). The World Is Experiencing Mass Trauma from COVID-19: What You Can Do. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/the-world-is-experiencing-mass-trauma-from-covid-19-what-you-can-do.

Understanding the long-term collective trauma from COVID-19. News. (n.d.). https://news.llu.edu/health-wellness/understanding-long-term-collective-trauma-from-covid-19.

Comparison to the Holocaust vs. Incarceration

Genocide is an atrocity on humans. The fact that it is dependent on the complicity of ordinary people was best shared by Zimbardo and Milgram in their experiments. The Stanford Prison Experiment by Philip Zimbardo and Stanley Milgram’s experiments on obedience to authority. Zimbardo’s experiment studied why guards and prisoners become compliant and authoritarian. The participants were 11 guards and 10 prisoners who also were college students, who volunteered for this experiment. The guards were told that they must maintain “Law and order” in this prison. These were the instructions for guards only, and the first thing they did was dehumanize the prisoners by taking their clothes and replacing their names with a number, just like in Auschwitz. “Philip Zimbardo (2007) himself decided that his Stanford Prison Experiment was unethical because it violated two of these principles. Participants “did suffer considerable anguish…and (the experiment) resulted in such extreme stress and emotional turmoil that five of the sample of initially healthy young prisoners had to be released early” (Van Der Kolk, p.68).

In Milgram’s study, “Milgram had recruited community members to participate in his experiment at Yale University. His research was stimulated by the success of Germany’s Nazi regime of the 1930s and 1940s in enlisting the participation of ordinary citizens in unconscionable acts of terror and genocide. Milgram set out to enlisting the participation of ordinary citizens in unconscionable acts of terror and genocide under which ordinary citizens will be obedient to authority figures’ instructions to inflict pain on others” (Van Der Kolk, p.68). Milgram’s experiment was by asking subjects to deliver electric shocks (fake) to students supposedly learning a memory task. Those getting shocked were actually members of the research team and would eventually cry out in simulated pain. Many participants still complied with the authority and he then debriefed the participants and followed up later on their well-being. Nobody has suffered long-term harm, and Milgram’s experiments adhered to the ethical guidelines.

Both experiments showed how ordinary people can be manipulated. “Between those who acted of conviction because they shared values of the regime and its policies on the one hand, and nominal compliers who acted against their will under supervision but did not obey orders when not being watched, there were other possibilities. Many accepted and internalized the role expectation that soldiers must be tough and obedient and carry out state policies regardless of the content of specific orders. Soldiers and police often willingly obey orders and implement policy that they do not identify as commensurate with their own personal values, even when not supervised, in the same way that soldiers and police officers often willingly follow orders and are killed in the line of duty, though they do not want to die” (Browning, p.219). Browning finds Zimbardo more relevant I believe, because his experiment was first dehumanizing the prisoner, which is what they did at the “camps”. The whole experiment was in a prison setting like the camps. The similarity overlaps and It can be believed that humans can become sub-humans under certain circumstances. These were ordinary men, your neighbors, your butcher, your schoolteacher, or any ordinary human in your town. But genocide is the most terrible crime to conceive. God forgive us if it should occur again, but unfortunately it still occurs in other countries to this day.

In continuation there were a group of men barely mentioned in the books, but important enough to be included. These are the “Musselmans” of the camps. They are the ones who moped around. “Experience showed that only exceptionally could one survive more than three months in this way. All the musselmans who finished in the gas chambers have the same story, or more exactly, have no story; they followed the slope down to the bottom, like streams that run down to the sea” (Levi, p.90). We as a society cannot become like those men. We can’t give up on hope, and the good that is in most people, and try not to let this happen again. We have no right to eliminate a race by blaming them for something “we think” they did. This was bullyism in the extreme.

I also wanted to point out the correlation of “the Trauma of the Incarceration Experience”, where Mika’ il DeVeaux spent 32 years as a prisoner. 32 years is a lot longer than 5 or 6 years the Jews had to spend during the Holocaust. DeVeaux stated, “The experience of being locked in a cage has a psychological effect upon everyone made to endure it. No one leaves unscarred” (DeVeaux, p257). DeVeaux stated, “Isolation did not help my state. More than anything else, I recall feeling sad and depressed. I felt caged, alone, and helpless” (DeVeaux, p.267). I couldn’t stop relating concentration camps to our prisons. I also couldn’t stop thinking about the suffering my great grandparents went through each and every day during the Holocaust. They were very fortunate they were able to escape and start a new life here in the United States of America.

Some wise words from Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. “When I give presentations on trauma and trauma treatment, participants sometimes ask me to leave out the politics and confine myself to talking about neuroscience and therapy. I wish I could separate trauma from politics, but as long as we continue to live in denial and treat only trauma while ignoring its origins, we are bound to fail. In today’s world your ZIP code, even more than your genetic code, determines whether you will lead a safe and healthy life. People’s income, family structure, housing, employment, and educational opportunities affect not only their risk of developing stress but also their access to effective help to address it. Poverty, unemployment, inferior schools, social isolation, widespread availability of guns, and substandard housing all are breeding grounds for trauma. Trauma breeds further trauma; hurt people hurt other people” (Van Der Kolk, p.350). We have to open our eyes to trauma and talk about the trauma we face, because if not, it might happen again.

Work Cited:

Browning, C. R., & Mazal Holocaust Collection. (1992). Ordinary men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland (1st ed.). HarperCollins, Chapters 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 18 and the Afterword.

DeVeaux, M. (2013). The trauma of the incarceration experience. Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, 48(1), 257-278.

Levi, P. (1996). Survival in Auschwitz. Touchstone Books.

Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The Body keeps the score brain, mind and body in the healing of

trauma. Penguin Books.

Implementing Yoga on Military Installations

Throughout a majority of this course, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been a significant topic of discussion. After serving in the military for several years, I have personally met many Soldiers who suffer from PTSD. Many of the aforementioned Soldiers, who are clearly suffering from PTSD continue to live their daily lives and leave their symptoms untreated while their personal lives suffer immensely. After reviewing the arousal and reactivity symptoms in Module 4, their symptoms almost serve as a “rite of passage” within the military; which include being easily startled, feeling on edge or tense, difficulty sleeping, and angry outbursts (Rousseau, 2021). Unfortunately, some of the Soldiers who left their symptoms untreated and suffered from PTSD are not around to speak about their experiences today. Upon returning from Afghanistan, several members committed suicide, were arrested from numerous Driving While Intoxicated arrests, involved in Domestic Violence incidents, etc. Similar to many volunteer workers and former military members who have taken the extra steps in order to help veterans who suffer from PTSD, I have sat here wondering; what can we do to help?

Fortunately, we have come a long way from learning about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, considering in 1917, PTSD was referred to as “not yet diagnosed” (Rousseau, 2021). By World War II, PTSD was referred to as “war neurosis, battle fatigue, or combat exhaustion” (Rousseau, 2021). After reading The Body Keeps the Score, very little was understood about PTSD as Dr. Van Der Kolk explains when referring to the VA (veterans affairs) they originally stated, “It has never been shown that PTSD is relevant to the mission of the Veterans Administration” (Van Der Kolk 2014, page 19). Years later, we know now that the VA spends a significant amount of its time and resources aiding veterans who suffer from PTSD.

I have personally reviewed a significant amount of literature throughout the last several weeks which discusses many of the different programs that are available to active duty and retired military members. I can say from firsthand experience that there are numerous programs available to military members who suffer from PTSD; however, getting the military members to obtain and attend necessary treatment can be an incredibly difficult task. Asking members who serve in the world’s premiere fighting force who are trained to kill the nation’s enemies on a moment’s notice are not exactly quick to obtain treatment and or counseling. Military members who self-report their symptoms are in fear of being viewed as “weak” or may lose their position to one which is less involved (in which we have discussed in Module 6). Often times, military units are often busy focusing on a myriad of other tasks, that the symptoms which affect military members truly becomes an issue within the unit when it is “too late.” As a result, taking a proactive approach and getting far ahead of the potential threat could have extremely positive results.

After watching the film Healing a Soldier’s Heart by Stephen Olsson in 2013 for our course “film review”, which involved Vietnam veterans who spent a majority of their adult lives suffering from intense symptoms of PTSD, the previously mentioned veterans utilized prolonged exposure therapy by returning to their old combat zone thirty-two years later. At the end of the film, one of the Soldiers, Terry Bell, who served as an Infantry Officer in the Vietnam War, was witnessed utilizing Yoga after his trip and stated, “I have significantly improved my relationship with my family, and a lot of my defenses just dropped away” (Olsson, 2013). After watching the film Healing a Soldier’s Heart and from firsthand experience, I believe that utilizing Yoga on military installations could be incredibly beneficial for the military members. Every morning (6:30 AM to be specific) physical training is mandatory for active-duty members. Therefore, making Yoga mandatory for active-duty members, and supervisors holding their subordinates accountable would serve as an effective way to maximize participation. Considering that Yoga, as Dr. Rousseau explains, is “used for pain management, as well as for people with a variety of psychological diagnoses, including PTSD” (Rousseau, 2021), implementing it on military installations could be a very achievable task.

Within the dissertation written by Dr. Robin Cushing titled Yoga for Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, she stated that “15 to 20% of Veterans are returning from deployment with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (Cushing, 2017). Additionally, in Dr. Cushing’s dissertation, she explained that, when comprising a study of 18 veterans with PTSD who participated in a six-week intervention of 60-minute Yoga classes, that, “All of the participants demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD as a primary measure of anxiety, depression, insomnia; and demonstrated significant an overall reduction in PTSD symptoms” (Cushing, 2017). Needless to say, I believe that more research should be completed regarding how to implement Yoga within military installations which can reduce PTSD symptoms and potentially reduce suicide attempts for our combat veterans.

References:

Olsson, Stephen. Healing a Soldier’s Heart. Cultural and Educational Media. 2013, the Video Project. Alexander Street. Retrieved from: https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/watch/healing-a-soldier-s-heart/cite?context=channel:the-video-project

Van Der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.

Rousseau, D. (2021). Module 4 Study Guide (Notes). Boston University Metropolitan College. Retrieved from: https://onlinecampus.bu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-8917440-dt-content-rid-52443752_1/courses/21sum1metcj720so1/course/module4/allpages.htm

Cushing, R. (2017). Yoga for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. University of Hawaii, Doctor of Public Health. Retrieved from: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/62760/2017-05-dph-cushing.pdf

Implementing Yoga on Military Installations

Throughout a majority of this course, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been a significant topic of discussion. After serving in the military for several years, I have personally met many Soldiers who suffer from PTSD. Many of the aforementioned Soldiers, who are clearly suffering from PTSD continue to live their daily lives and leave their symptoms untreated while their personal lives suffer immensely. After reviewing the arousal and reactivity symptoms in Module 4, their symptoms almost serve as a “rite of passage” within the military; which include being easily startled, feeling on edge or tense, difficulty sleeping, and angry outbursts (Rousseau, 2021). Unfortunately, some of the Soldiers who left their symptoms untreated and suffered from PTSD are not around to speak about their experiences today. Upon returning from Afghanistan, several members committed suicide, were arrested from numerous Driving While Intoxicated arrests, involved in Domestic Violence incidents, etc. Similar to many volunteer workers and former military members who have taken the extra steps in order to help veterans who suffer from PTSD, I have sat here wondering; what can we do to help?

Fortunately, we have come a long way from learning about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, considering in 1917, PTSD was referred to as “not yet diagnosed” (Rousseau, 2021). By World War II, PTSD was referred to as “war neurosis, battle fatigue, or combat exhaustion” (Rousseau, 2021). After reading The Body Keeps the Score, very little was understood about PTSD as Dr. Van Der Kolk explains when referring to the VA (veterans affairs) they originally stated, “It has never been shown that PTSD is relevant to the mission of the Veterans Administration” (Van Der Kolk 2014, page 19). Years later, we know now that the VA spends a significant amount of its time and resources aiding veterans who suffer from PTSD.

I have personally reviewed a significant amount of literature throughout the last several weeks which discusses many of the different programs that are available to active duty and retired military members. I can say from firsthand experience that there are numerous programs available to military members who suffer from PTSD; however, getting the military members to obtain and attend necessary treatment can be an incredibly difficult task. Asking members who serve in the world’s premiere fighting force who are trained to kill the nation’s enemies on a moment’s notice are not exactly quick to obtain treatment and or counseling. Military members who self-report their symptoms are in fear of being viewed as “weak” or may lose their position to one which is less involved (in which we have discussed in Module 6). Often times, military units are often busy focusing on a myriad of other tasks, that the symptoms which affect military members truly becomes an issue within the unit when it is “too late.” As a result, taking a proactive approach and getting far ahead of the potential threat could have extremely positive results.

After watching the film Healing a Soldier’s Heart by Stephen Olsson in 2013 for our course “film review”, which involved Vietnam veterans who spent a majority of their adult lives suffering from intense symptoms of PTSD, the previously mentioned veterans utilized prolonged exposure therapy by returning to their old combat zone thirty-two years later. At the end of the film, one of the Soldiers, Terry Bell, who served as an Infantry Officer in the Vietnam War, was witnessed utilizing Yoga after his trip and stated, “I have significantly improved my relationship with my family, and a lot of my defenses just dropped away” (Olsson, 2013). After watching the film Healing a Soldier’s Heart and from firsthand experience, I believe that utilizing Yoga on military installations could be incredibly beneficial for the military members. Every morning (6:30 AM to be specific) physical training is mandatory for active-duty members. Therefore, making Yoga mandatory for active-duty members, and supervisors holding their subordinates accountable would serve as an effective way to maximize participation. Considering that Yoga, as Dr. Rousseau explains, is “used for pain management, as well as for people with a variety of psychological diagnoses, including PTSD” (Rousseau, 2021), implementing it on military installations could be a very achievable task.

Within the dissertation written by Dr. Robin Cushing titled Yoga for Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, she stated that “15 to 20% of Veterans are returning from deployment with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (Cushing, 2017). Additionally, in Dr. Cushing’s dissertation, she explained that, when comprising a study of 18 veterans with PTSD who participated in a six-week intervention of 60-minute Yoga classes, that, “All of the participants demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD as a primary measure of anxiety, depression, insomnia; and demonstrated significant an overall reduction in PTSD symptoms” (Cushing, 2017). Needless to say, I believe that more research should be completed regarding how to implement Yoga within military installations which can reduce PTSD symptoms and potentially reduce suicide attempts for our combat veterans.

References:

Olsson, Stephen. Healing a Soldier’s Heart. Cultural and Educational Media. 2013, the Video Project. Alexander Street. Retrieved from: https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/watch/healing-a-soldier-s-heart/cite?context=channel:the-video-project

Van Der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.

Rousseau, D. (2021). Module 4 Study Guide (Notes). Boston University Metropolitan College. Retrieved from: https://onlinecampus.bu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-8917440-dt-content-rid-52443752_1/courses/21sum1metcj720so1/course/module4/allpages.htm

Cushing, R. (2017). Yoga for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. University of Hawaii, Doctor of Public Health. Retrieved from: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/62760/2017-05-dph-cushing.pdf

Horticulture Therapy: Plant Care as a Means of Dealing with Stress and Trauma?

“It was therapy, and I didn’t know it was therapy” (Wright, n.d., as cited in Chillag, 2018).

Over the past several months, I have been trying out plant care as a means of self-care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and have noticed a huge difference in my mood, my routines, and overall wellbeing. In addition to traditional forms of therapy and self-care, this experience has shown me that there are a number of other approaches to dealing with stress and trauma that can produce powerful benefits, oftentimes without realizing just how beneficial they are. For example, by placing gardening and plant care into a mental health context and analyzing the results, it becomes clear why so many people choose to take up the hobby.

Plant care, also known as horticulture therapy, is most simply summarized as the use of plants to connect with the self, the community, and nature. Perhaps what makes horticultural therapy so impactful is that “a seed’s journey into a plant parallels the recovery process for those with mental health issues” (Chillag, 2018). Trauma recovery parallels the life of a plant – how plants grow, the patience and care that goes into helping it thrive - it all can be reflected back in the recovery process for individuals.

The discussion surrounding plant care as a means of therapy goes all the way back to the 1800s, and the benefits are extensive (Williams, n.d.). According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, “horticultural therapy helps improve memory, cognitive abilities, task initiation, language skills, and socialization. In physical rehabilitation, horticultural therapy can help strengthen muscles and improve coordination, balance, and endurance. In vocational horticultural therapy settings, people learn to work independently, problem solve, and follow directions.” (Williams, n.d.). It is a form of self-care that can be adjusted to best benefit the participant. For those who are survivors of trauma, plant care can help them “to be more compassionate and empathetic towards those around them” by establishing an easy routine and giving them opportunities to connect with the natural world around them in small ways (DuBois-Maahs, 2019).

Just as it is with our own everyday lives, the realm of criminal justice is not unfamiliar with stress. Within prison and jail populations, there have been noticeably “reduced recidivism rates among inmates who participate in horticultural therapy programs” (Chillag, 2018). The Insight Garden Program was established with a similar goal in mind: to provide inmates with vocational tools, while allowing them to connect with nature and improve their emotional states through plant care (Insight Garden Program, n.d.). The program attempts to reduce some of the pain and trauma that inmates can experience going into and through the prison system, while providing them with the educational and emotional tools to improve their lives when they are released. Through this plant care routine, inmates are given some personal control in their lives in an impactful way that allows them to “engage in healthy lifestyle choices” and that sets them up for a better chance at success in life (Rousseau, 2021).

Starting with tiny plant cuttings that I received from my neighbors, I have been able to grow out vines and beautiful leaves. With each new leaf that unfurls, it feels like a reward for the work that I have put in. With this in mind, for inmates who are given limited time outside, who live under constant stress in a carceral setting, and who are dealing with the impacts of previous trauma in their lives, this use of plant care as a means of regaining control in their lives would be incredibly impactful.

References:

Chillag, A. (2018, August 3). Gardening becomes healing with horticultural therapy. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/03/health/sw-horticultural-therapy/index.html.

DuBois-Maahs, J. (2019, December 28). What Even Is Plant Therapy? Talkspace. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/plant-therapy/.

Insight Garden Program – Connection through nature. Insight Garden Program. (n.d.). https://insightgardenprogram.org/.

Rousseau, D. (2021). Module 1: Introduction to Trauma [Lecture Notes]. Boston University Metropolitan College.

Williams, S. (n.d.). About Horticultural Therapy. American Horticultural Therapy Association. https://www.ahta.org/what-is-horticultural-therapy.

Self Care & The WorkPlace

Self-care is very important. After reading through other classmate’s self-care posts I decided to do a deeper dive into Self-care and trauma. Self-care is important in order for individuals to perform their best at work. The article Embedding Staff Self-Care into The MTSS Framework for Those Working in Correctional Facilities looks to integrate self-care practices into a workplace for staff that pours their heart and soul into caring for juveniles and keeping them safe (Jolivette et al, 2019). These staff members are experiencing trauma through the juveniles they work with and them helping the juveniles expose them second-hand to traumatic experiences.

Self-care can help prevent  burnout and alleviate some stress (Jolivette, 2019). Employer benefits that help support self-care that were mentioned in the article are gift certificates for the most amount of steps walked, access to recreational equipment and discounted gym memberships (Jolivette, 2019). All of these are a nice perk in a workplace but can be used as self-care because every job can be a little stressful and you don’t want to burnout. 

Works Cited:

Jolivette, K., Swoszowski, N., Kumm, S., Sanders, S., & Ansley, B. (2019). Embedding Staff Self-Care into the MTSS Framework for Those Working in Juvenile Correctional Facilities. Journal of Correctional Education (1974-), 70(1), 2-19. Retrieved June 22, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26864119

Mindfulness as an Exercise

Mindfulness is a form of therapy used for anyone who wants and needs to understand their surroundings and how to mentally accept it. Practicing mindfulness improves depression and emotional regulation through detachment, changing not thoughts and feelings but the person's relationship to them” (Bateman, 2012). The process of mindfulness includes closing your eyes, focusing on each breath you inhale and exhale, and trying to keep your focus on your breath and not distractions. A favorite exercise in mindfulness is to imagine a creek of water with leaves floating downstream, one by one. While imagining flowers, green grass and a hillside as the backdrop, imagine the sounds of running water and begin to focus on each leaf as it was swept away. The patient is then advised to put a "thought", any thought, on each leaf as it floats away in an effort to clear the mind and feel some relief. By focusing on those leaves, the goal is to take notice of any distractions and then force your attention back to the leaves. The most important phrases in mindfulness is "notice that" and "what´s next"? (Van Der Kolk, 2015) Living in the moment is the key to this therapy.

Trauma leaves victims with feelings of unbearable sensations (2015) and mindfulness allows us to understand body awareness. When a person feels agitated, other similar emotions may arise but when you are aware of that pattern, you have more control over suppressing it and exerting that energy in a different way (2015).

Mindfulness stems from Buddhism – “to alleviate suffering and cultivate compassion” (Ludwig & Kabat-Zinn, 2008). This can include a decreased perception of pain, the ability to tolerate pain, and the enhanced ability to reflect on choices (2008). Mindfulness can be extremely effective for those who need to realize their attachment to certain feelings and emotions so they can change their relationship with it, not their thoughts and feelings (2012).

Research from Britta Holzel and Sara Lazar "has shown that practicing mindfulness even decreases the activity of the brains smoke detector, the amygdala, and thus decreases reactivity to potential triggers" (2015).

References

Bateman, A. (2012). Mindfulness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 201(4), 297-297. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.111.098871

Ludwig DS, Kabat-Zinn J. (2008). Mindfulness in Medicine. JAMA. 2008;300(11):1350–1352.   doi:10.1001/jama.300.11.1350

Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: brain, mind and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books.