Lecture
Traumatic stress and the shattering of basic illusions (or illusions of safety) can be closely related in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Here is how this can manifest:
The shattering of basic illusions: One of the basic illusions that many of us hold onto is the illusion of safety. This is a feeling of confidence that the world is a relatively predictable and safe place. A traumatic event, such as an accident, violence, or a natural disaster, can radically alter this illusion because it demonstrates the reality of danger and threat. This shattering of the illusion of safety can produce intense stress and fear.
PTSD and the shattering of illusions: PTSD can develop after a traumatic event, and one of its characteristic symptoms is the persistent return of traumatic memories and flashbacks. These symptoms highlight not only the terrifying nature of the event but also the shattering of the illusion of safety and control. People with PTSD may feel more vulnerable and helpless in a world that once seemed safe and predictable to them.
Posttraumatic growth (PTG): In addition to PTSD, some people also experience a phenomenon called posttraumatic growth. PTG is a process in which people who have survived traumatic events may reassess their values and priorities, strengthen personal relationships, and develop new ways of understanding the world. This can include a deeper understanding of oneself, deeper relationships with others, and a greater appreciation for life.
Coping and rehabilitation: The shattering of the illusion of safety after a traumatic event can become the starting point for coping and the rehabilitation process. This may include working with a psychotherapist to learn to cope with stress, restoring a sense of safety and control, and revising one’s attitude toward the world and oneself.
The psychological state of people after a disaster has common
characteristics that extend beyond ordinary psychological states.
Thus, victim attitudes form in survivors. This is related to
the fact that it is advantageous for a person to remain a victim for as long as possible.
The situation becomes victimized – people acquire the label of victim.
This was already being warned about at the beginning of the 20th century by E. Kraepelin.
A rentier (compensation-seeking) orientation forms in survivors, which is close in
meaning and in the mechanisms of its emergence to the victim attitude. A person with a
rentier orientation resists psychological help; he is “content“
with his psychological state, since his social status
of “affected person” allows him to obtain, or hope to obtain, material and
moral benefit.
The illusion of a just world order. Some people
believe that all evil must inevitably be punished. They believe that
since they lead a righteous way of life, suffering should not touch them.
These are, as a rule, honest, noble, principled, and just
people. It is true, however, that their honesty and nobility apply only to members of their own
community. For the sake of principle, they are prepared to sacrifice their own life, and
the lives of loved ones, and the life of a stranger.
The illusion of the simplicity of the world’s order. According to this illusion, the world
splits into two parts: “ours” and “not ours”. Toward “ours”
honesty and nobility apply. “Not ours” must be
destroyed, since (another sign of a traumatized personality) whoever is not with
us is against us.
The problem of forming responsibility in a posttraumatic
situation.
The problem of psychological help is a fairly well-known and yet
poorly developed area in Russian-language psychology.
The essence of psychological help to a person lies in enabling him to set in motion, on his own, the mechanism of responsibility for himself, for his own behaviour, for his own health. In order to use the mechanism of responsibility for oneself in the psychotherapeutic process, it is necessary to help the affected person accurately recognize the nature of his problems.
From a methodological standpoint, the process of psychotherapeutic training may consist of the following components.
1. Correction of the most frequently encountered erroneous "mythical" ideas concerning stress reactions in the process of adapting to new conditions of life and activity. Myth-making is a feature of communities that have undergone mass psychological trauma and have not received the necessary psychological help. The absence of psychological help is often accompanied by distrust of official sources of information.
The most frequently encountered erroneous mythologized ideas include the following:
a) "Stress-related symptoms and psychosomatic illnesses cannot cause me any real harm, since they all exist in my imagination";
b) "Only ‘weak’ people suffer from stress";
c) "I cannot be responsible for the stress in my life – stress in our time is inevitable – we are all its victims";
d) "All people react to stress in the same way";
e) "It is easy to recognize the sources of excessive stress";
f) "When I begin to experience excessive stress, all I have to do is sit down and relax".
2. Presenting information about the general nature of the stress response.
A person should have an understanding of how thoughts and emotions
can affect the organism itself and how stress
can play a positive (eustress) and a negative (distress) role.
3. Developing in the client an awareness of how the stress
response manifests in him, and what characteristic symptoms of excessive stress are present. In the end,
the person should be able to distinguish eustress from distress.
4. Forming in the client the capacity for self-analysis, so that
he can identify the stressors characteristic of himself. It is important
to remember that each person’s stressors are of a character unique to him.
If the client is able to identify the sources of stress, then
constructive steps toward avoiding stress, or at
least toward better preparation for encountering it, become possible.
5. Informing the affected person of the active role that he himself plays in the development and treatment of excessive stress.
In the process of adapting to stress-inducing factors, the named
components of psychotherapeutic training can best
be developed through bibliotherapy, self-awareness exercises, participation
in psychotherapeutic groups, and even through traditional forms of
training.
It is important to note that after trauma many people experience mixed feelings of shattered illusions and potential for growth and development. Professional support, as well as support from loved ones, can play an important role in the process of coping with trauma and recovering from it.
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