Presidential Voice

Carolyn Allard, Ph.D. 

As I sit here in my dining room to write, it strikes me that everything is very different than I had imagined it would be when I stepped into my role just a few months ago (which sometimes feels like an eternity). By “everything,” I mean everything. For one, instead of my office at the university, I am writing this from my dining room at home because: 1) pandemic, and 2) I needed a change of scenery from my bedroom desk. Read Full Article

Editor's Note

Jonathan Cleveland, PhD

The editorial team at Trauma Psychology News hopes this issue finds you and your loved ones safe and in good health.  In the pages that follow, you’ll find a wide variety of engaging content, beginning with a compelling and timely opinion piece, originally published in Spanish, from Dr. Gonzalo Bacigalupe.  Our feature this month is an empirical article from Cressley, Canady & Fugett-Fuller on prevalence of PTSD in rural EMS workers.  Dr. Ani Kalayjian has sent a fascinating photo essay... Full Article

Opinon

It seems to me as if everyone is trying to understand what is happening, making decisions in the context of a crisis that affects all of us, but that few of us comprehend. There are people in self-imposed quarantine, while others remain skeptical without appreciating the importance of the situation, trying to live their lives as if this reality – a pandemic that is sickening and killing people in other countries – didn’t exist. No small proportion of people are obliged to and stressed out by having to travel across town to work... Full Article

Featured Article

The estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD among American adults is 8.7%, with women more likely than men to develop the disorder at some point in their lives (APA, 2013). The likelihood of developing PTSD is based on many factors, including the type of traumatic event and the characteristics of the individual (Lukaschek et al., 2013). PTSD is associated with serious physical and psychological consequences, and can result from numerous types of traumatic events (Atwoli, Stein, Koenen, & McLaughlin, 2015). The highest likelihood of developing PTSD is related to events involving interpersonal violence or military combat, and multiple exposures to traumatic events increase the risk for PTSD, putting populations like military personnel and first responders at a higher risk... Full Article

Philosophical/Psychoanalytic

Dan:  I’ve fallen down three times this week. I am beginning to wonder. Some moments I think there must be something wrong with my brain or my knees or hip or balance. Or maybe I am not paying attention. My head it somewhere else if it is anywhere at all. My mother used to say, “Danny, your head is in the clouds.” I used to wonder what’s wrong with me. Where is my head? I would look up at the sky and try to find it. What do you think? 

M.E.:  I’m not sure what I’m doing qualifies as thinking unless fantasy is also a form of thinking. I have read that it is but I also have read it is not. One author I read... Full Article

Brief Report

Women carry a tiny little human being for approximately nine months, with the hope that maybe one day that tiny being will have a joyful and prosperous life.  But what about women that lose that chance?  What about their dreams and hopes for their baby?  What about the men that may never get a chance to become fathers?  According to the American Pregnancy Association (2019), 10-25% of pregnancies end up in miscarriages... Full Article

Multicultural & Diversity

We planned to return to Armenia with several goals to be accomplished, including the launch of the very first Suicide Prevention Lifeline in Armenia and the very first Psi Chi Chapter in the Caucuses.

October 2019 team members of the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP), MeaningfulWorld Armenia Mission consisted of Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Justina Medina, and Nanar Nakashian. Our MeaningfulWorld Armenia coordinators were Lara Abrahamyan and Karen Gargaryan. This year, Lorraine Simmons will join Dr. Ani Kalayjian.

Our first day of the mission began at the Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations... Full Article

Book Review

This is a remarkable book and an important read for those of us who work with boys and men who have experienced sexual trauma. It brings together twenty-one trauma experts to address a range of issues that, together, help us better understand the broad impact that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual assault have on males. Clinical vignettes serve as powerful teaching tools to illustrate how trauma is expressed at different junctures in healing. Full Article

Book Review

Beginning psychotherapists face a daunting and unsettling task.  Patients consult us for varied and complex problems – an amalgam of acutely painful feelings, chronic self-doubt, recurring anxious and depressed moods, traumatic life experiences, self-destructive behaviors, and unsatisfying personal relationships - that they have often lived with for many years.  As therapists, we need to decide, from among the many things that patients tell us, what are the origins (and persistence) of their difficulties in living?  What kind of understanding can I offer?  Where do I begin?  What do I say? Full Article

Student Spotlight

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability among all trauma-related injuries in the United States (U.S.; Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2019). Despite being a rising public health concern, there remain considerable treatment disparities between survivors’ rehabilitation needs and service provision. Falls and motor vehicle accidents are leading causes of TBI within the U.S. (CDC, 2019), including among the survivors of TBI who live in community settings... Full Article

Poem

Poem

Poem

Poem

Who was I when I started this
Who did I think I would become
Who did I believe I could ever save
Who was there to place my trust upon

What got me here standing in the cold
What brought the darkness into my soul
What if I can't walk down this road
What memories will lead me home

Read Full Poem