Check out this podcast I did with PVC’s Pastor Mark Grochocki on trauma and its physical and psychological effects. The actual podcast has more than what’s below. Listen to “Episode 103: Mend the Mind” on Spreaker.
What’s your background and area of study?
- I went to the University of Texas at Austin for my undergraduate education and then Baylor University in Waco for my doctorate.
- I was an Army psychologist for 4 years and started in private practice in 2004.
- I work with adults and specialize in personality disorders. I also enjoy working with couples.
How would you define trauma?
- Very broadly, actually. I see trauma as a significant emotional event that leaves a negative mark on a person in some way in terms of how they see themselves, the world around them and/or others in it.
- Like many things, trauma runs on a continuum of mild (a car accident in which no one was seriously injured or killed but that still results in difficulty driving or being in a car for a time) to severe (sexual assault).
Why does trauma seem to be the latest buzzword?
- I would imagine it has something to do with all the research showing the true physical and emotional impact of trauma, a lot of which comes from the Department of Defense.
- In addition, we now know that trauma can affect us at a cellular level. The link is inflammation, and the research on gut health and the link to the autonomic nervous system is astounding.
- Essentially, bacteria that live in the colon migrate up to the small intestine. Some of those bacteria leak into immune cells around the small intestine, which results in what’s known as leaky gut. This inflammatory reaction affects white blood cells known as microglia. As a result, the brain is less able to repair itself from both physical and emotional injuries.
Is trauma something only adults experience or children as well?
- Both children and adults can experience trauma. The effects look different at different ages, but both can experience it for sure.
- Sometimes, child survivors of trauma may repress the trauma and have its expression triggered much later by some experience in adulthood.
What are the effects someone might have if they experience trauma? Do we see different effects in children than in adults?
- The effects on both kids and adults really run the gamut.
- You could see gastrointestinal disturbances or other physical symptoms, problems sleeping, nightmares, flashbacks to the traumatic event, tendencies to avoid situations that resemble the traumatic one, self-medication, behavioral acting out, anger, depression, appetite disturbance, you name it.
In your work, how often do you come across someone who has experienced trauma? Occasionally? Or everyone has some level of trauma? Other?
- I’d say that most of my patients have experienced trauma of some sort, whether it’s bullying, physical abuse, neglect or chronic emotional abuse resulting in self-image issues.
- Some people seem to have more of a genetic component to their psychological issues, but even that may never be set in motion until a traumatic event occurs.
As a mental health professional how do you give your clients hope who are crippled by trauma in their life?
- First and foremost, I make sure people understand that they are survivors and not victims. Victims die, survivors live, no matter what type of trauma we are talking about. I encourage them to focus on what they’ve overcome to be here today and talk about how their life can be different going forward after we process the trauma and move beyond it.
- I think it’s important to be realistic in talking about this. We can’t forget trauma or act like it never happened. It becomes a part of who we are in some way or another. So, I don’t tell or expect people to “get over” things but rather “get around” them.
- Then, I focus on two things: purpose and plan. Purpose is two-fold. One, I emphasize the notion of God’s purpose being larger than ours and that there’s a reason for everything, despite what we can or can’t see in our limited human view. And two, I encourage my patients to see what they can possibly take from their experiences. That is, did their trauma pave the way for them to help others?
- Second, I work with people on a plan for overcoming the trauma. By the time they come to me, there is generally some level of a post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Treatment then involves some form of prolonged exposure to desensitize them to the event and all of the physical and emotional reactions that accompany it. For this, I prefer Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy (EMDR). This is a form of reprocessing trauma so that it’s essentially not stored in the brain in the same way that’s causing so many problems.
- Let me explain that a little. Trauma is stored in the amygdala and hippocampus, the deep brain structures of the limbic system that have to do with emotion and memory, respectively. With EMDR, we pull the trauma up by walking through it in detail and then holding it in the mind and senses while the eyes follow a line of lights moving back and forth. This activates both sides of the brain, which enhances information processing and creates new associations, essentially re-storing the trauma in a more diffuse way so that it loses intensity.
- I kind of see it like a rain cloud in a thunderstorm. Before a storm, the cloud is heavy with rain and there is the intensity of lightning and thunder. When the cloud releases the rain, it goes all over the area under the cloud. Once all the rain is released, the intensity is gone and the water is diffuse rather than gathered in one area.
For you, how does faith in God come into play with trauma?
- Well, I believe that there is a reason for everything as it’s part of God’s larger plan that our limited human vision and understanding cannot comprehend.
- Sometimes, I am able to talk with a trauma survivor and help them see where God may be using them and their suffering as part of a larger plan. Maybe they’ve already helped others, in fact, and don’t even realize it.
- I also encourage patients to pray for God’s grace in recovering from the trauma and his guidance on how to help others in the face of it.
What is one piece of advice you would give our listeners who have trauma or have a friend who has trauma?
- Talk about it. The more you try to repress it or act as though it didn’t happen, the more power it gains over you. You have to work on desensitizing yourself. Quite simply, get help. God didn’t put nearly 7 billion of us on this planet so that we could go it alone. There are plenty of people who can help you.
- No two people experience the same trauma in the same way. We’re all different. So, no professional is going to know exactly what your experience was like. But we all know what it’s like to experience basic human emotions, and there is someone out there who can help you walk through those and come out different on the other side.
- If you go to a professional and you don’t click with that person, that’s ok, find another one. Keep seeking until you feel you’ve found a match, someone who gets it, someone you believe can help you.
Are you taking new clients? If so, what is the simplest way to contact you?
- I am currently accepting potential new clients on a wait list. My staff will screen each caller to check out insurance and scheduling needs, and then they let me decide whether the person can be put on the wait list. That is, do I think we would be a good fit in that I believe I can make a difference in this person’s life in a significant way.
- I’m known in the community for taking the more difficult personality disorder cases, so if a person has been referred for help with that, those are my priority.
- If a caller is not accepted for the wait list because of insurance or my assessment, we make sure to offer the client information on other providers in the local area who might be a good fit. My website includes a list of some of those providers, and my staff maintain a more extensive list, including a list of Christian providers.
