The Harms of Ignoring Trauma and Stress
In my previous blog post I defined trauma, explored common cultural responses to trauma in the Caribbean and why it is so omnipresent in our region given our history and present day challenges. When we say “what yuh go do” in response to the circumstances that crush and oppress us we are sighing in resignation to the apparent futility of recognizing our pain.
When pain and overwhelm become unremarkable truths it can be seen as strange or even dull to point them out. Even if you do point them out, the conversation can be neatly filed away by asking “What yuh go do?” or “What yuh gine do” for the Barbadians out there.
In my view, “What yuh go do?” isn't a question more than it is a statement of resignation. It is a way to become numb to the debilitating effects of chronic stress and trauma. It is a coping strategy that works in the short term, but ultimately places our long term wellbeing in jeopardy. It is my sincere belief that we ought to treat that statement as a question and wrestle with finding some good answers.
The Price of Ignoring Trauma-
Ignoring trauma does not eliminate its long-term impacts on the body. The body’s stress response encompasses every organ system, including the brain, heart, lungs and kidneys and even your immune system (Szabo et al. 2012). Even if you are not consciously alarmed by a stressful circumstance, our bodies can continue to produce the biochemicals that have toxic effects on these systems over time. These include impairments in memory and critical thinking (Kim & Kim, 2023) and the systemic inflammation tied to a bevy of chronic health conditions (Cohen et al., 2012).
Trauma is not just an individual experience, cropping up within that person’s life and ending with their death. A parent's exposure to trauma may influence the genes they pass on to their children increasing their susceptibility to stress and diminishing their immune response (Daskalakis et al 2020).
Parenting is an enormous task. It is especially burdensome for those parents whose minds and bodies are caught up in their own survival. Parents living with trauma may be prone to outbursts, may be reliant on substances to cope and may greet anything their child does with an unending pessimism or indifference.
As a result, their children may be more prone to adverse childhood experiences which have been correlated with their increased risk of alcohol misuse, obesity, heart disease, cancer, depression and suicide attempts (Webster et al 2022). .
With this information in mind you can imagine why the phrase “pay something no mind” has always set off red flags for me. When it comes to the costs to our mental and physical health, the debt collector always comes.
Redefining Resilience
In my view, imagining solutions to trauma requires a model of strength founded in community and a flexibility that is, like titanium, both robust and light.
Foster (2003) showed that children separated from their parents and resettled with host families to avoid bombing had lower psychological well-being 60 years later. These host families were not always as welcoming, warm or attentive to these children. So when their world was literally rocked, these children, although physically safer, were deprived of the persons they knew to take interest and care in the way they felt. This suggests that when members of the community are attuned to trauma it makes a difference in developmental outcomes.
Parents who received professional training modelling unconditional positive regard alongside guided instruction in healthy emotional expression and boundary setting can reduce childhood trauma symptoms in their children (Agazzi et al, 2019). Furthermore, multi-tiered mental health education programmes (Berger, 2019) have shown merit in treating trauma in schools through the education of teachers and staff on the signs of child/adolescent trauma and the integration of mental health professionals in schools.
People often resist trauma more successfully when they can cling closer to their community when under duress. The ubiquity of trauma and chronic stress in the Caribbean, in my view, requires a response that locks in to tackle trauma with sensitivity.
Taking Action on Trauma
In the end, dear reader, I hope you remember two things. The first is that trauma is real. The second is that the greatest protector against and balm for trauma can be found in the people around you.
Some things you can do right now to start being a trauma-sensitive member of your community include:
Look into the signs of trauma in yourself. Is your survival response still in alarm mode despite you not “taking something on”?
Get curious about what you can do, given the resources in your life and community. In what ways can you take control over the way your trauma shows up?
Resist the urge to tell someone or yourself to be strong. Even if you don’t have the words for something, just committing to being there as a witness for someone’s pain rather than trying to fix it can make a huge difference.
Check whether you or someone you know can benefit from professional support. Psychotherapy can be a useful option for people living with trauma.
Caribbean people have always had to pick up the pieces. That is our strength. Trauma sensitivity at the community and parental levels can support the cultural shift from resignation to agency that is needed in the region.
I am still learning much as a clinician, but what I have learned is that we all have the capacity to look pain in the face and challenge the feeling that we are powerless. It all starts with the bravery to tune in rather than tune out.
Brandon Koo, M.Sc., Registered Counselling Psychologist
