NAME: OKWOR CECILIA AMARACHI
STUDENT REG. NO. 21J01DCPS008
DEPTMENT: COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
COURSE TITTLE: TRAUMA COUNSELLING
COURSE CODE: PSY 308
LECTURER: DR. DAPHNE KAGUME
ASSIGNMENT 1
No. 1 answer
Psychological trauma is a physiological and psychological response to terrible events that is
considered to be threating the person or group emotionally and physiologically.
There not no much difference between trauma and stress because stress is a feeling of
emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or though that makes someone feel
frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress makes body react to challenges. While trauma is an
experience of extreme stress or shock that happened from a traumatic event which often
threatens the person’s life.
No. 2 answer
i. A fear of harm or high stress environment:
One form of trauma that easily be missed is being in an environment where one is in danger
of harm or constantly high stress environment, for instance, like in some part of the Country
in Nigeria where Boko-haram has been terrorising people. People from Northern part of
Nigeria live in this kind of environment. Sometimes this type of trauma is referred to as
complex trauma. With complex trauma one is exposed to a stressful or traumatic situation
repeatedly. This can take place over months, years, and even decades as it has been
happening in some part in Nigeria today.
Another example is a job such as a police officer, a correctional officer, providing security, or
any job where the person aware that danger could potentially happen without warning.
Another form of this is living in an abusive environment where one has to walk on eggshell
because the person doesn’t want to do something that could put him/her at risk of being
emotionally or physically harmed.
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ii. A sudden or violent death of a loved one
Death can be a traumatic life experience. When a person loses someone, he/she loves
unexpectedly or in a violent way it can have an ever-bigger impact on the person’s emotions
and thoughts. An unexpected death doesn’t allow the person’s emotions ant time to prepare
for the emotional pain one experiences. This type of shock to the person’s emotions can be
too much and the person’s emotions and his or her grief may shut down due to feeling
flooded with emotions. For example, when someone commit suicide, or being killed in an
accident, or someone being killed in a violent way.
iii. Being verbally or emotionally abused.
Perhaps one of the most common forms of trauma is emotional abuse. This can be a common
form of trauma because emotional abuse can take many different forms. Sometimes it’s easy
for emotional abuse to be hidden or unrecognized. Verbal abuse is one form of emotional
abuse because what someone says to you can have a major impact on your emotions.
For example, abuse can take place in any relationship. A parent making a harmful comment
towards their child, a significant other yelling at him or her or calling the person names, or a
boss that bullies their employees in their work places.
iv. Being physically or sexually abused
Physical and sexual abuse are also common examples of trauma. These two types of trauma
are similar because both involves a violation of one’s body and physical boundaries. One of
the major ways that trauma can leave an impact is by affecting how the person feel in his or
her body. After the person’s experienced a physical or sexual trauma, he or she might not feel
comfortable in his or her skin. after this type of abuse one can feel uncomfortable with certain
types of physical contact, or might not want to be touched at all. Sometimes trauma can affect
also affect the traumatise ‘body by taking away pleasure. It might be difficult for the
traumatise person to enjoy a sexual or physical relationship after the person’s experienced
this type of trauma. For example, when a girl is being raped.
Stress response can work against someone. The person can turn it on when he or she soes not
really need it and, as a result, perceive something as an emergency when it is really not. It can
turn on when the person is just thinking about past or future events. Harmless, chronic
conditions can be intensified by the stress response activating too often, with too much
intensity, or for too long. Stress responses can be different for different individuals.
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Below is a list of some common stress responses related responses people have.
1) Physical responses
Muscle pull
Dizziness
Tight chest
Stomach cramps
Headache
Dry mouth
Weight loss
Weakness
Trembling etc.
2) Emotional and Thought responses
Restlessness
Agitation
Worthlessness
Depression
Guilt
Anger
Mood swings
Preoccupation
Insecurity
Anxiety – stress etc.
3) Behavioual responses
Avoidance
Neglect
Poor appearance
Nail biting
Fidgeting
Aggressive way of speaking etc.
No 3 answer
The stress responses system is the emergency reaction system of the body. These responses
are there to keep one safe in an emergency situation. the stress responses is also called fight
or flight response.
The stress response may include physical and though responses to one’s perception of various
situations. for instance, when the stress response is turned on, the person’s body may release
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substances like adrenaline and cortisol. The person’s organs are programmed to respond in
certain ways to situations that are viewed as challenging or threatening.
REFERENCES
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Augustyn MC, Zukerman BS. (2020). Impact of violence on children. in: Kilegman RM, St.
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21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap. 14.
Bresau N, (2002). Epidemiological studies of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other
psychiatric disorders. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 47 (10): pp 923-9
David D, B. (1999). Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and Updated: New
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Peinado J, Leiner M. (2017). Violence-associated injury among children. in Furthering, BP,
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