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신체에 남은 트라우마: 치유를 위한 새로운 희망 탐구

베셀 반 데르 콜크, 의학박사   설립자 겸 의료 책임자입니다.

By Elissa Melaragno
Apr 21, 2018
Source: stillharbor.org

도로, 극장, 병원 등을 건설할 수 있도록 자원이 필요합니다. 트라우마를 겪은 많은 사람들이 자라서 병에 걸립니다. 그래서 자원은 마약 재활, 만성 질환, 실업, 그리고 교도소에 사용됩니다. 모두 부족한 자원을 낭비하는 끔찍한 방법입니다.

멜라라뇨: 왜냐하면 이런 상황에 처한 사람들 대부분은 트라우마를 겪었기 때문입니다.

반 데르 콜크: 물론이죠. 감옥에 있는 사람 중에 트라우마를 겪지 않은 사람이 있나요? 캘리포니아 수감자의 80%는 위탁 가정에서 생활한 경험이 있습니다. 그들은 원치 않는 존재였고 안정적인 보호자가 없었죠. 이런 심각한 문제들이 계속해서 간과되고 있습니다. 약물 중독은 아동 학대의 결과입니다. 아동 학대 없이도 약물 중독자가 될 수는 있지만, 매우 어렵습니다.

멜라라뇨: 그 정도면 국립정신건강연구소에서 당신의 신경피드백 연구에 자금을 지원하기에 충분할 거라고 생각합니다. 이 대화를 마무리하는 건 쉽지 않지만, 개인, 공동체, 그리고 국가의 트라우마 치유를 위해 우리가 할 수 있는 일이 얼마나 더 많은지 깨닫는 것이 중요합니다. 독자 여러분도 저처럼 이 대화를 즐겁게 읽으셨기를 바랍니다. 반 데르 콜크 박사님, 감사합니다.

반 데르 콜크: 감사합니다.

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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

I love also Arthur Janov http://www.arthurjanov.com/, http://www.arthurjanov.com

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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

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