Tag: trauma

The Neurobiology of Trauma

I believe that addressing the neurobiological aspect of trauma is vital in understanding the negative effects of trauma. Firstly, trauma is a term used to describe the experience or circumstances that occur which in turn have a negative effect on an individual. This can be quite devastating as one would imagine. Some may experience trauma […]

Ambiguous Loss

“I intentionally hold the opposing ideas of absence and presence, because I have learned that most relationships are indeed both.” – Pauline Boss, Ph.D. In the last 50 years, our understanding of the spectrum that grief encompasses has grown immensely. Yet, grief is still wildly misunderstood and unrecognized in our culture. For some, we grant […]

Traumatic Divide

St. Louis city has a terrible reputation as being a dangerous city overrun by crime. Most of the crime is centered in two districts of northern St. Louis City. “There is this conception of the city as crime-ridden throughout,” says University of Missouri–St. Louis criminology professor Richard Rosenfeld. Looking at the homicide rate, which ranks […]

Ambiguous Loss

“I intentionally hold the opposing ideas of absence and presence, because I have learned that most relationships are indeed both.” – Pauline Boss, Ph.D.   In the last 50 years, our understanding of the spectrum that grief encompasses has grown immensely. Yet, grief is still wildly misunderstood and underrecognized in our culture. For some, we […]

Trauma in juvenile offenders

One critical risk-factor leading people to the criminal justice system is trauma. An estimated 93% of youths involved in the system have a history of trauma (Maschi & Schwalbe, 2012, p 21). The earlier that trauma can be addressed, the less likely someone is to later become involved in the legal system. The American Psychological […]

Domestic Violence Amid COVID-19

I created an infographic to bring awareness to the sudden surges of domestic violence cases around the world, and more specifically the United States, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   Sources: Abuse Defined. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/ Bremner, J. (2020, April 1). U.S. Alcohol Sales Increase 55 Percent in One Week Amid Coronavirus Pandemic. Retrieved […]

EMDR: An Intricate Treatment Approach to Trauma

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was initially created to diminish the anguish associated with traumatic memories. It is an unconventional treatment that has sparked great debate and controversy over its effectiveness (Rousseau 2019). According to van der Kolk (2015) EMDR challenges the long time belief that severe emotional pain […]