Zeitschrift für Chirurgie und klinische Praxis

Understanding the Unseen: The Impact of complex trauma on cognitive development approach

Malak Kamel

There is an overwhelming impact of trauma on populations and individuals. Trauma survivors increase every day. The great ocean of trauma survivors is richly fed by the flow of domestic violence, rape, MVA???s, civil violence, natural disasters, terrorist activities, attacks on law enforcement agents (e.g., the police) post military combat experiences and more. This poses to the world an enormous public health problem. If professional health care givers are to give meaningful help they have to give treatment that works. The place of an approach to trauma treatment that really works therefore becomes singularly essential. Equipping ourselves with an effective approach is a good way to prepare ourselves for the task of helping trauma survivors. Such an approach should be available and easy to learn by those who provide care: e.g,. Doctors, GP???s, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Nurses Counsellors/ Therapists who see trauma survivors in the course of their work. Arming these disciplines with an effective treatment puts us in a strong position to be of greater help and make a difference in the lives of trauma survivors. This presentation argues for the use of Human Givens approach. What does Human Givens approach do? Its advantages. Evidence of its Effectiveness : Practice based and Research Findings. Discussion & Recommendations. People often think about trauma as only being post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) but it can be much wider than this. Many if not most people coming for psychiatric/psychological help will have some kind of event(s) or circumstance that could be called 'traumatic'. It is important not to overplay these as a sole cause of difficulties. However there are times where specific work on such events is called for. Much trauma work falls within the range of normal psychotherapy approaches, but some may require focused work. In this case particular techniques may be applied. Examples of techniques being used include, techniques drawn from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), replay and debriefing, art therapy techniques, and eye movement and desensitization reprogramming (EMDR). This last involves the idea that trauma causes the neural pathways to be organised in a certain fashion that needs correction to help the brain process the memory/experience. There are some links of this approach with neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis. Some people exploring difficulties may become temporarily more depressed or anxious, for example, while they sort through the issues that brought them to therapy. Any competent therapist will be able to deal with this and will have safety measures in place through liaison with colleagues if appropriate – for example a psychotherapist might have a connection with a psychiatrist to ensure that if a client became severely depressed rapid access to appropriate assessment and treatment is available. Such incidents are extremely rare. It is naturally important to ensure that your therapist is appropriately qualified, registered and keeps up to date. It is also important to feel comfortable with them – trust your instincts as it will be almost impossible to make progress if you do not feel secure in the relationship or at the very least able to discuss such feelings. Our wraparound trauma-informed care includes access to all programs and services to supplement trauma-specific treatment, providing clients with the opportunity to engage in ancillary programming that will enrich their trauma treatment with additional skills, creative outlets, and resources. The ability to provide continuous care throughout all available levels of services allows a comprehensive treatment plan that provides the structure and flexibility to adapt to the clinical needs of each client.