When I was a Clinical Team Leader at Mental Health Resource Center in Jacksonville, Florida, (72-hour mandatory hold facility, we had a government contract that required that all employees that had contact with a patient, become Trauma Informed. The idea was to make sure that our employees understood trauma, as it played a key role in why most of the people, we encountered were there.
Of course, not everyone employed at our organization had experienced trauma, but it was important for them to at least have some understanding of why trauma would not go away. I developed and used these two stories that I told at the beginning of each class, to illustrate key elements of trauma.
Numbers
I am going to give you three numbers, and I want you to repeat them. The numbers are 3, 8, 7. I want you to repeat them several times, so you can become familiar with them. How long do you think you will remember 3, 8, 7? If you are like most of us, if you repeat them often enough, maybe a day, a week, or for some of you with great memories, a month, or longer. Is there anything about those numbers that is going to change your life?
Now I am going to add something to those numbers. In 1 year from now, when you least expect it, I am going to jump out at you, and if you can remember 3, 7, 8, I am going to give you 1 million dollars, tax free. Now how long do you think you will remember the numbers? Most of you will have no problem remembering 3, 7, 8. You will repeat them over and over. Many of you might even get a license plate 3, 7, 8, get a tattoo 3, 7, 8, or name one of your children 3, 7, 8. (3, 7, 8, Stop messing with 5, 9, 2!).
What is the difference in the numbers now? They have become incredibly important. Life changing. And they are repeated over and over in your mind. That is three of the elements of trauma. Important, life changing, and repeated.
Dog Story
My son Trey had a big Pit Bull named Poo Bear. It was a beautiful fawn colored dog, that was exceptionally sweet. Poo Bear weighed 75 pounds, but he still wanted to be on your lap all the time.
He had this amazing skill where if you left the door open an inch, he could push through and get outside. It was very difficult to catch him once he got outside. One day Poo Bear got several blocks away, and Trey had to take his car to find him. He saw him in a front yard and opened the passenger-side door. Poo Bear came running and jumped into the passenger seat. He loved going places in the car! Problem solved.
My wife and I were going to Walmart last Saturday, and we were on the inside lane with a black Ford Explorer next to us in the other lane. Suddenly a dog that looked exactly like Poo Bear, ran out in front of the Explorer, and the SUV hit the dog head-on so hard, it spun around several times and ended on the side of the road. The black Explorer kept going, but we stopped.
We could not touch the dog, because it was in so much pain. You could see the terror in its eyes, as it tried to breath with broken ribs. Blood was coming out of its ass and mouth, as it struggled for breath. We could not help. Only watch the dog slowly and painfully die. We called 911, but it was too late.
When I told you the dog story, how many of you could see images of the story? How many had a scene play like a movie in your mind? How many of you felt strong emotions about the story? How long do you think you will remember that story? If I came up to you in a month, and asked “Remember the story about the dog that looked like Poo Bear, get hit and killed”, do you think you will remember it? A year? Two years? Many of you will remember it for a long time.
That story was not true, but what I just did in ACT psychology when I told it to you it, is called “Loading Something on your Bus”. You don’t even have to experience trauma, to be traumatized by it. Imagine the impact if this were a true story that you actually experienced.
Trauma stays with you because it is important, life-changing, you have images in your mind of what happened, many people can play it like a movie, and it is extremely emotional. Often, it involves an event that is, or feels like life, or death. It does not go away, unless it is treated by a trained therapist, using a scientific evidenced-based treatment.
The next time you meet someone that has suffered trauma in their lives, I hope you remember the impact that these two stories had on you and have compassion for that person. No one asked for trauma in their lives. Without help, trauma will continue to affect their lives.
