Chapters 1 & 2

 In Chapter 17, Van Der Kolk talks about dissociative identity disorder. I don't believe that I have dealt with that in my current profession. The example of Mary stood out because that would be the stereotypical definition of DID. When Van Der Kolk talked about Peter and Joan having DID, it was shocking to me. The clients did not present as having different personalities but there was obvious dissociative features. It was at times confusing reading about the manager, firefighter and understanding what they meant. But after reading it again, the terms make sense.   I found that when Van Der Kolk talked about internal family systems therapy (IFS), the way that he described it made sense. That brings me to the question of do we attempt that approach with our trauma clients at the forefront?  Van Der Kolk talked about ODD as a diagnosis for children. I have become to loathe that diagnosis because often times my children on my caseload are diagnosed as that even though t...

 I have decided that I have a love hate relationship with Van Der Kolk. I like reading about his experience, but then at the same time he makes me start thinking of all sorts of things. I don't have time for this. Here is the rabbit hole of thoughts I had while reading these two chapters.  I wish I had my life together sooner so that perhaps I would have done my masters while I'm not trying to be a wife, mom and full time employed.  I waited too long to do my homework and we have a big assignment in this class and my other class.  I wish I will have different experiences like Van Der Kolk. His experiences have shaped him to become what I believe an effective therapist.  I can't practice yoga because I don't have enough time right now.  There is a lot of content in all of these classes that I'm just going through the motions trying to absorb as much as I can. I'm just trying to survive and graduate while keeping everything else in my life in tact.  Ther...

 As I read Chapter 13, I couldn't help think of my new family. A mother raising three children who all have significant behaviors in the school setting. Two of the children's father is also involved. Yesterday, the one child went to the ER after the school had told mom to do that. However, the school called intake before even asking the mother to take the child to the ER because he was having behaviors at school. I continue to have issues in this school setting that they need to change their approach with children who are labeled as difficult. Chapter 13 confirms for me that the school continues to exacerbates the children's behaviors. I wish that staff would take the time to form good relationships with these three children. The school is hypersensitive thinking that all of this is contributed to what mom is or isn't doing. I have a suspicion that the school wants the children removed. On page 207, "since emotional regulation is the critical issue in managing the ...

 Chapter 11 talks about uncovering the traumatic memory. I have a 12 year old girl who is struggling with severe behaviors. She is unable to control her emotions and the simplest things trigger her into rage that cannot be controlled. This child has a history of trauma. Her father was physically violent to her mother, and abused methamphetamine. This child was angry at me when the father's rights were terminated. Since the last time I've worked with this family, she has been in two psychiatric medical institutes for children (PMIC) two times. She is currently in a psychiatric medical holding place awaiting a placement at another PMIC. I've tried to relay to several professionals that her lower primitive brain is taking over. Her pre-frontal cortex and her upper brain is not functioning. She also had a cyst drained of 200 ml of fluid from her pre-frontal cortex area. I don't believe that placing her in another PMIC facility will do her any good unless the treatment plan ...

  Chapter 9 discusses mental health diagnoses. I haven’t seen it so much lately, but a few years ago, I would consistently see children on my caseload be diagnosed with ODD. I absolutely despise that diagnosis. It left the child with this stigma that they can’t be fixed. It labels children as not being able to function like their peers. It makes me think about how professionals in the helping field continue to do the same thing over and again expecting a new outcome. I don’t understand how professionals continue to treat people without knowing the full story of that person. Chapter 9 also talks about incest. I can’t imagine the life long impact something like that does to children. My niece was sexually abused by her older half-brother. She is doing ok now and has successfully completed individual therapy. But I wonder as she gets older how her trauma will be revealed in other ways. Chapter 10 discusses eugenics. The expression of genes passed down for generations and how those g...

 Chapters 7 & 8 were distressing for me. I found that the information provided was extremely helpful since my job entails keeping children safe. I wish information regarding child abuse and how impacts the children as they grow were readily available. I wish that other professionals had the opportunity to have the knowledge about how child abuse impacts the emotional well-being of children.  With any job, you develop a set pattern about how you approach issues. With child welfare, there are so many dynamics that come into play. The law dictates how we deal with child abuse as well as policy and code within the helping agency. Policy and law don't always line up with one another. When that happens it can delay permanency for the child. I find that law and policy end up catering to parents instead of looking at the best interest and overall well-being of a child and that becomes frustrating.  When reading the chapters, I became conflicted in how I'm going to proceed wit...