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身体のトラウマ:治癒への新たな希望を探る

ベッセル・ヴァン・デル・コルク医師 創設者兼医療ディレクター

道路や劇場、病院などを建設するための資金が必要だ。トラウマを抱えた多くの人々は成長して病気になる。そのため、薬物リハビリ、慢性疾患、失業、刑務所などに資源が使われる。どれも、限られた資源の無駄遣いだ。

メララーニョ:なぜなら、こうした状況にある人々のほとんどは、トラウマを抱えているからです。

ヴァン・デル・コルク:全くその通りです。刑務所にいる人で、トラウマを抱えていない人を見せてください。カリフォルニア州の受刑者の80%は里親制度の下で生活していました。彼らは望まれず、安定した養育者がいませんでした。これらは非常に大きな問題ですが、常に無視されています。薬物依存は児童虐待の結果です。児童虐待がなくても薬物依存になることはありますが、非常に困難です。

メララグノ:それだけでも、国立精神衛生研究所があなたのニューロフィードバック研究に資金を提供するのに十分だと思います。この話を終えるのは辛いことですが、個人、地域社会、そして国家のトラウマからの回復を支援するために、私たちができることがまだまだたくさんあることを認識することが重要です。読者の皆様にも、私と同じように楽しんでいただければ幸いです。ヴァン・デル・コルク博士、ありがとうございました。

ファン・デル・コルク:ありがとうございます。§

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Frank Sterle Jr. Jun 2, 2023
I live with adverse-childhood-experience-related chronic anxiety and clinical depression that are only partly treatable via medication. Thus I endure an emotionally tumultuous daily existence. It’s a continuous, discomforting anticipation of ‘the other shoe dropping’ and simultaneously being scared of how badly I will deal with the upsetting event, which usually never transpires. The lasting emotional/psychological pain from such trauma is very formidable yet invisibly confined to inside the head. It is solitarily suffered, unlike an openly visible physical disability or condition, which tends to elicit sympathy/empathy from others. It can make every day a mental ordeal, unless the turmoil is treated with some form of medicating, either prescribed or illicit. My experience has revealed [at least to me] that high-scoring-ACE trauma that essentially results from a highly sensitive introverted existence notably exacerbated by an accompanying autism spectrum disorder, c... [View Full Comment]
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Frank Sterle Jr. Jun 9, 2023
[Cont.] Left unchecked, chronic emotional/psychological abuse readily results in a helpless child's brain improperly developing. The trauma acts as a starting point into a life in which the brain uncontrollably releases potentially damaging levels of inflammation-promoting stress hormones and chemicals, even in non-stressful daily routines. It has been described as a continuous, discomforting anticipation of ‘the other shoe dropping’ and simultaneously being scared of how badly you will deal with the upsetting event, which usually never transpires. It can make every day a mental ordeal, unless the turmoil is prescription and/or illicitly medicated. To a significant degree, I know such self-medicating from personal experience. It basically amounts to non-physical-impact brain damage. The lasting emotional/psychological pain from such trauma is very formidable yet invisibly confined to inside one's head. It is solitarily suffered, unlike an openly visible physical disabili... [View Full Comment]
[Cont.] Left unchecked, chronic emotional/psychological abuse readily results in a helpless child's brain improperly developing. The trauma acts as a starting point into a life in which the brain uncontrollably releases potentially damaging levels of inflammation-promoting stress hormones and chemicals, even in non-stressful daily routines. It has been described as a continuous, discomforting anticipation of ‘the other shoe dropping’ and simultaneously being scared of how badly you will deal with the upsetting event, which usually never transpires. It can make every day a mental ordeal, unless the turmoil is prescription and/or illicitly medicated. To a significant degree, I know such self-medicating from personal experience. It basically amounts to non-physical-impact brain damage. The lasting emotional/psychological pain from such trauma is very formidable yet invisibly confined to inside one's head. It is solitarily suffered, unlike an openly visible physical disability or condition, which tends to elicit sympathy/empathy from others. Really, a psychologically/emotionally sound future should be every child’s fundamental right — along with air, water, food and shelter — especially considering the very troubled world into which they never asked to enter. But, sadly and unjustly, no such right exists. Meantime, serious PTSD trauma very often becomes a strong compulsion for substance abuse and debilitating addiction. With lead-ball-and-chain self-medicating, the greater the drug-induced euphoria or escape one attains from its use, the more one wants to repeat the experience; and the more intolerable one finds their sober reality, the more pleasurable that escape should be perceived. By extension, the greater one’s mental pain or trauma while sober, the greater the need for escape from reality, thus the more addictive the euphoric escape-form will likely be. The lasting mental pain resulting from trauma is very formidable yet invisibly confined to inside one's head. [Hide Full Comment]
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TR Jan 30, 2020

I'm so amazed they went through that whole interview without saying "PTSD". That's probably a good thing?- in order to help us to view trauma in a way that we can deal with it. IDK. I've been through a lot of trauma myself. I'd like to see an article on Daily Good regarding self-inflicted trauma, why we do it to ourselves and how to end those behaviors.

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Kristin Pedemonti Apr 26, 2018

Thank you so much for sharing Dr. Besser van Der Kolk's important work. Much of the work I do currently in storytelling focuses on how We become the stories we tell. The first phase is the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. These stories impact how we view ourselves, interact with others and navigate through challenges and situations. If we were traumatized, these stories in our heads often prevent us from being able to interact in a healthy way or even to allow ourselves to push through a challenge without being re-traumatized. The good news is, we are the author of our own story and with tools and techniques we can re-frame our narrative and tell a different more healthy story. I love doing this work and am grateful for your article re-confirming the power of story! <3

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Sabina Gatti Apr 23, 2018
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Anne Grant Apr 21, 2018

Thank you for this excellent introduction to Bessel van Der Kolk's work (and to others in the trauma field, like the South African experience, Joan Borysenko, tapping, Shakespeare for prisoners, etc.) So much excellent work is being done to help us notice and know ourselves more wholly. I appreciate the non-theist approach for those who have had traumatic experiences with people who use God-talk.

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Patrick Watters Apr 21, 2018

I would humbly add that the "life force" we are tapping into in healing is none other than the Lover of our very souls, Divine LOVE (God by any name we choose). }:- ❤️

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Linos Muvhu Apr 21, 2018

thanks good information