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WHAT IS TRAUMA?
“Trauma is the Greek word for ‘wound.’ Although the Greeks used the term only for physical injuries, nowadays trauma is just as likely to refer to emotional wounds.”
As the Klinic Community Health (2013) trauma tool kit states,
Traumatic events happen to everyone; it is part of the human experience. . . . However, how a person responds to these circumstances is unique to that individual’s social history,
genetic inheritance and protective factors that may be in the person’s life at the time. (p. 6)
It is not the event that determines whether something is traumatic to someone, but the individual’s experience of the event and the meaning they make of it.
Those who feel supported after the event (through family, friends, spiritual connections, etc.) and who had a chance to talk about and process the traumatic event are often able to integrate the experience into their lives, like any other experience. (p. 9)
WHAT CAN CAUSE TRAUMA?
• War
• Poverty
• Abuse
• Discrimination or racism
• Neglect
• Accident or illness
• Loss or grief
• Violence
POSSIBLE SIGNS OF TRAUMA
HEALTH ISSUES
• Compromised immune system
• Difficulty sleeping
• Depression
• Increased physical and mental stress
• Weight loss or gain
• Psychosomatic symptoms (mental health difficulties that present as physical difficulties, such as headaches or stomach aches)
COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
• Anger
• Constant alertness
• Difficulty paying attention
• Difficulty understanding cause and effect
• Difficulty self-regulating
• Forgetfulness
• Hyperarousal or hypervigilance
• Lack of self-understanding
• Nightmares, flashbacks and troubling thoughts
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Suicidal thoughts
RELATIONSHIP INSTABILITY
• Attachment difficulties
• Tendency to avoid engaging
with others
• Clinging and compliance
• Conflictual relationships
• Difficulty building relationships
• Social isolation
• Distrust and suspicion of others
BEHAVIOUR
• Aggression (against self and others)
• Compliance (robotic, detached)
• Defiance
• Disassociation (doesn’t react,
seems “spaced out”)
• Easily startled
• Impulsive and destructive behaviour
• Irritability
• Rigid or chaotic behaviour
• Tantrums
WHAT DOES TRAUMA DO TO A PERSON?
Traumatic experiences have a profound impact on several areas of functioning. Childhood trauma affects the organization of the brain, and prolonged activation of stress hormones in early childhood can reduce neuroconnections in the areas of the brain dedicated to learning and reasoning at the time when new connections should be developing. After a prolonged series of traumas and losses, refugee students may be functioning at a primal level in fight–flight–freeze mode.
WHAT SHOULD TEACHERS DO IF THEY RECOGNIZE SIGNS OF TRAUMA?
Remember that although teachers can be effective at prevention and noticing symptoms, they are not trained medical professionals. It is important that teachers recognize their limitations and when to involve other professionals.
Teachers are not therapists, and being a trauma-informed teacher does not mean that you must treat your students’ symptoms of trauma. Rather, being a trauma-informed teacher means that you are aware of the prevalence of trauma among students and how trauma can affect them. It means that you are able to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma as well as trauma responses. It means that you seek understanding of the unique needs of your students affected by trauma in a compassionate way and that you can integrate your knowledge of trauma into your teaching practice to create a safe, supportive and regulated learning environment.
References
Klinic Community Health. 2013. Trauma-Informed: the Trauma Tool kit. 2nd ed. Winnipeg: Klinic Community Health, accessed February 27, 2020, http://trauma-informed.ca.
Merriam-Webster, s.v. “trauma (n.),” accessed March 13, 2020, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trauma#other-words.
COVID AND COMPASSION FATIGUE
Compassion fatigue is the emotional and physical exhaustion that can develop when helpers (for example teachers, nurses and others) are unable to “refuel and regenerate” as a result of their emotional labour and dedication to others.
One of the main characteristics of compassion fatigue, as found within the research literature, is the experiencing of secondary (vicarious) trauma. This can be through one profound experience of secondary trauma or by cumulative exposure.
A study conducted by the ATA during the initial weeks the COVID-19 pandemic found the following:
30%
of Alberta teachers agree that they are experiencing the trauma of some of the students they teach during the pandemic.
42%
Alberta teachers agree that they are affected by the emotions of students at this time.
With one-third of respondents indicating that they are empathizing with the trauma of their students, teachers may experience a very high rate of compassion fatigue. The ATA is currently engaged in a further study on the impact of compassion fatigue on teachers.
