Measuring Trauma
Jan. 5th, 2017 05:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithWhile researching for poetry today, I found this amazing page that explains how to measure trauma. It gives a bunch of scales to indicate how much or how long things affected a trauma survivor. It covers the event, internal experience, and support. Some factors are static, while others could change over time. If you don't know why you (or someone else) feel terrible about something, this might help.
EDIT: A later, expanded version is here.
EDIT: A later, expanded version is here.
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(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-06 01:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-06 04:03 am (UTC)Well...
Date: 2017-01-06 04:26 am (UTC)This is a good tool to have for when you hear someone say, "I don't know why I'm so upset over this, I should be over it by now." Well, no, it takes as long as it takes. Sometimes it helps to map out why something upset you.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-06 08:52 am (UTC)Apparently a bunch of these would have been pinned all the way to the right. Thanks for the perspective. @v@
Alas ...
Date: 2017-01-06 08:59 am (UTC)Trauma sucks. :( But it is slightly easier to address with knowledge.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-06 06:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-06 11:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-07 03:42 am (UTC)here's what we're seeing in the image:
image title: Measuring Trauma
diagram of red triangle labelled "traumatic event" pointing at blue circle labelled "you" which is cradled the other side by pink/purple concave shape labelled "support".
rest of image consists of lists with titles down the left and a scale on the right. at the top, the example scale reads 0 <----> 100 (zero on the far left, one hundred on the far right). there's no further specification of this but it seems from context to refer to how traumatising something is, from least on the left to most on the right.
first list has a red background and is titled Traumatic Event.
1. Proximity.
how close were you to the source of harm?
far left: far away. far right: close.
2. Threat.
what was the intensity/percieved intensity of the threat?
far left: i was witness. far right: believed death was a certainty.
3. Time Danger Zone.
how much time threatened by serious injury/bodily harm?
far left: seconds. far right: years.
4. Time Being Harmed.
how much time were you actually being harmed or violated?
far left: seconds. far right: months.
5. Time Believed Dying.
how long was the event percieved to be life-threatening?
far left: seconds. far right: months.
6. Horror.
how horrific was this event?
far left: not horrific. far right: extremely horrific.
7. Time In Emergency.
how much time were you addressing an emergency situation?
far left: seconds. far right: months.
8. Time In Pain.
how much time were you in physical pain?
far left: seconds. far right: years.
9. Physical Injury.
how much physical injury was sustained?
far left: no damage. far right: entire body damaged.
10. Frequency.
how frequently did the trauma occur?
far left: one time. far right: many times, for years.
11. Incongruity.
how incongruous was this in comparison to your daily routine?
far left: low discontinuity/incongruity. far right: jarring, shockingly different.
12. Suddenness.
how sudden was the event? was there any warning?
far left: predictable, there was warning. far right: unpredictable, sudden.
13. Betrayal.
did you experience betrayal in association with the trauma?
far left: no betrayal. far right: shocking betrayal.
14. Cruelty.
was anyone being cruel to you?
far left: not cruel. middle: somewhat cruel. far right: very cruel.
15. Relationship.
what is the nature of the relationships involved in the event?
far left: impersonal. middle: anonymous/stranger. far right: close relationship.
16. Loss.
did you lose someone as a result of the event?
far left: nobody lost. far right: lost someone(s) close to me.
17. Control.
how much control did you have in the situation?
far left: control, ability to fight or flee. far right: helpless.
first list ends.
second list (and all the rest) just contains the category title and the scale, no numbers or questions. the list has a blue background and is titled Internal Experience.
Fear.
far left: fear. middle: intense fear. far right: shock, paralyzing fear.
Immobility.
far left: none. far right: complete helplessness, paralysis of muscles, mind.
Time In Shock.
far left: seconds. far right: days.
Dissociation.
far left: dizziness, disorientation. far right: high level of dissociation, repeated dissociative state.
Integration.
far left: more ability to integrate experience. far right: complete overwhelm of system, no ability to integrate.
Mind.
far left: mind stayed integrated. far right: experienced a mental break.
Rejection.
far left: can accept. middle left: some trouble accepting. middle right: state of disbelief. far right: full out refuse to accept.
Chaos.
far left: some confusion. far right: total chaos and confusion inside.
Shame.
far left: not ashamed. middle: some shame. far right: feel very ashamed.
Guilt.
far left: not guilty. far right: feel very guilty, concept of having "sinned".
Time.
far left: time was normal. far right: experienced time slowing.
Shut Down.
far left: emotional reaction. far right: emotional numbness, flat affect.
Loss Self.
far left: no loss of self. far right: loss of some aspect of self.
second list ends.
third list also has a blue background and is titled: You.
Age.
far left: more resourced adult. far right: less resourced child.
Resiliency.
far left: have skills for resiliency. far right: vulnerable.
Knowledge.
far left: more knowledgeable about PTSD. far right: less knowledgeable about PTSD.
Trauma History.
far left: sparse trauma history. far right: full trauma history.
Perception.
far left: beliefs, interpretations, and assigned meanings helpful. far right: harmful.
Self-Healing.
far left: self-healing skills and capacity high. far right: self-healing capacity low.
Will.
far left: will, determination, and desire to heal high. far right: will to heal low.
Coping Skills.
far left: coping mechanisms healthy. far right: coping mechanisms unhealthy.
Flexibility.
far left: flexible/adaptable. far right: rigid.
third list ends.
fourth and final list has a purple background and is titled Support.
Time Before Help.
far left: immediate. almost far right: very long time. far right: never.
Quantity:
far left: lots of help. far right: no help.
Quality:
far left: expert quality help. far right: help that harms.
Validation:
far left: understanding. middle: socially denied/covered up/not believed. far right: social rejection/stigma/disenfranchisement.
final list ends.
web address at bottom of image: www.new-synapse.com
end image.
hope that helped!
Thank you!
Date: 2017-01-07 04:16 am (UTC)You're Welcome!
Date: 2017-01-07 04:36 am (UTC)we know you're super busy at the moment, so we got you covered on this one. we've got nothing but time, over here. *grin*
we liked your thought about making a tactile version, too. not something we can do ourselves, but a great idea.
Re: You're Welcome!
Date: 2017-01-07 05:03 am (UTC)Yay! Validation is awesome.
>> we know you're super busy at the moment, so we got you covered on this one. we've got nothing but time, over here. *grin* <<
This is why I love my audience. You-all see things that need doing, and if they're in your wheelhouse, you do them.
>> we liked your thought about making a tactile version, too. not something we can do ourselves, but a great idea. <<
It isn't necessary to make the clickers by hand. They're easy to find, in many variations.
This is the basic style with a sliding arrow.
This one adds a tens-place counter. I would use this with someone who had Prolonged Duress Stress Disorder. Score your "helplessness" for each of your incidents and then add them up.
Similarly, this model works by stacking wooden cars. I would use it for adverse life events. Each event gets its own car. Then you could drive the cars along roads to show how badly each event messed up your life. Small children would probably find this easy to grasp.
Personal counters can be made from beads. This could make an interesting activity in group therapy. Make the counters together. Then set yours according to how you feel about your trauma, the amount of support you're getting, or your mood today; or whatever else you think would be helpful for other folks to know.
Gosh, now that I've thought about this, I'm tempted to show it with some of my characters. T-American counselors would totally think of these approaches, and I have some touch-dominant trauma survivors.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-08 01:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-08 01:47 am (UTC)Okay...
Date: 2017-01-07 03:58 am (UTC)So once you have that concept in mind, you could break it down into a text version or even a manipulative one. I think it would be very useful for tactile learners to have a set of clicker bars like kids use in math, and label each one "duration" or "power" or whatever so they could physically move that little arrow and feel how the trauma affected them.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-06 07:17 am (UTC)I think this a good starting point, especially why some people may seem hurt more than others. CPTSD has only recently been recognised and not getting any support or even being ridiculed can halt progress for a long time.
Yes...
Date: 2017-01-06 07:33 am (UTC)