Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/1197858
13 Recurring nightmares and flashbacks try to replay the traumatic experience (or experiences) until they make sense, but these attempts fail. Hyper-arousal tries to protect PTSD survivors against further assault, while emotional numbing and dissociation attempt to buffer the feelings of guilt, shame, fear, depression, and anxiety. Social activities are avoided, work opportunities are ignored; dissociation and impaired concentration prevent mindful, joyous living. A survivor who is barely surviving has not completed the journey to wholeness. For most trauma survivors, there is a need to discern whether their personal myths are hampering or fostering the continuation of their life paths. Sarah 's STORY Sarah came from a small American town, one in which good deeds and honest relationships were not only valued, but were everyday events. Filled with excitement and anticipation, she entered a university in a neighboring state. Eager to learn, she spent long hours in the library. One night, walking home, she was intercepted by a bulky figure who put a knife to her throat and warned her not to struggle. When the rape ended and the figure disappeared, Sarah was left helpless in a timeless space of pain, revulsion, and fear. She felt that the wound had penetrated the depths of her soul, for she could not cry, nor summon up a voice appropriate enough to tell others of the horror. Sarah's grades plummeted, she lost interest in her friends, and she cancelled a trip back home. She would not venture outside at night, and, when she was able to sleep, the husky figure assaulted her over and over again in her dreams. Sarah's inherent mythology was that the world was a safe place, the university was a protective abode, and people were basically good at heart. Once these myths were blown apart, there was nothing to take their place. Eventually, she summoned the courage to talk to a university chaplain and a physician. Both listened sympathetically. The chaplain told her to pray, and the doctor put her on medication. Both of these measures gave palliative relief, but did not strike at the core of Sarah's existential and spiritual struggles. Fortunately, her university had a long-standing women's support group and Sarah became a regular member. It was in this group that she felt listened to, respected, understood, and supported. Other women shared similar stories, and Sarah slowly began to put her life back together. When she shared her new personal mythology with her family, they found it somewhat cynical. But Sarah had substituted realism for naiveté, spirituality for religion, and practical action for repetitive rumination. She had several counseling sessions with a social worker who was an advisor to the women's group, and found ways to reduce her nightmares through keeping a journal and illustrating it with images of the traumatic experience. She had found post-traumatic strengths that produced positive meaning from the trauma, imbuing her with empathy, resilience, and courage that she never realized she possessed. Reproduced with permission of The Licensor through PLSclear / Routledge