Long-term Effects of Developmental and Chronic Relational Trauma

Long-Term Effects of Developmental and Recurrent Relational Trauma

Much of this topic is what I want my patients to know. It comes from a seven-page handout I call the Trauma Recovery Roadmap. A copy of this is in the section Handouts.

When discussing the long-term consequences of developmental and recurrent relational trauma I say because of our trauma we have things that occur to us and things that happen within us. When talking about any topics with my patients I like to stick with three main points. When I am learning something new, I find it hard to stay focused and remember more than three points at a time. I also tend to go over these points repeatedly, particularly the things that happen within us. I call each the “Big Three”. The “Big Three” of what happens to us are:

A much greater tendency to experience recurrent trauma throughout our lives

A high risk of developing a wide variety of psychiatric disorders such as mood disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and what we refer to as personality disorders

A very high risk of developing chronic PTSD following overwhelm trauma.

There are many other things which do occur but I tend to focus on these three.

There are also many long-term effects of developmental or recurrent or relational trauma which occur within us. We will get into these in more detail later, but first I focus on the “Big Three” which are:

A highly dysregulated nervous system

A deep abiding sense of shame

A negative distorted view of self

The reasons I focus on these three are: They are the common factors which impair quality of life, and day- to -day functioning. They address the three classical phases of trauma therapy. They help patients stay highly focused in their therapy, more efficient in helping them make desired changes, and help them become better real-time collaborators on the effectiveness of the therapy. Patients can easily remember:

Dysregulation

Shame

Negative-self worth

It helps us work better together as it gives them a map of what we are trying to do to give them a better quality of life. The collaboration of the effectiveness of the therapy occurs because I tell them to ask themselves at the end of every session, “Did this session help me regulate better”? or “Do I feel less shame”? or “Do I feel better about myself?” If the answer to any of these is
“yes” then we know it least we are on the right track. If the answer to all three of these questions is “no” then we know we need to change what we are doing together.

I have found it incredible how focusing on the “Big Three” increases the therapeutic alliance. The patients tend to love that they have a roadmap to follow what we are So, how do we are both working on. So, how do we work in the “Big Three” in the Somatic Resiliency approach? We all know a variety of ways to assist our patients with better regulation, decreasing shame, and help improving self-worth. I will cover the specifics of the Somatic Resiliency approach in the topic sections:

Trauma Recovery Skills 1-4

The Three Main Components of Recovery

Anchors and the Homer Simpson Method