Chapters 5 & 6

 I find it fascinating that we have had the knowledge that our minds and our bodies are connected. This is in reference to the discoveries and documentation that Darwin made years ago. Since we had that basic knowledge, I question why we ignored that concept. If we would have put more merit into that concept, then perhaps we would be further into our studies regarding how our minds and bodies have a symbiotic relationship. Chapter 5 talks about how humans are social beings. We make adjustments to facial expressions made by other people. This has made me think how this increasingly becomes hard in my job since we have to wear masks during my interactions with families. I have been trying to read more into people's eyes and really focus on what they are saying. In undergraduate studies, we learn that we must have cultural competency. I believe we can take that concept and apply to even families with out a specific cultural. We can learn about their own culture in terms of what their family story is and how we can best help them. If we define our clients as a culture of their own, we can teach ourselves on their each own uniqueness and use that to their advantage in helping them with their presenting problems. This can also help build the client relationship and help them build relationships that are meaningful to them. I agree in Chapter 5 that trying to discover the right drug to treat a particular "disorder" tends to distract us from grappling with how our problems interfere with our functioning as members of our tribe. But at the same time, we have to remember that people do have different levels of dopamine, serotonin, and other hormones that impacts a person's ability to truly function on a day to day basis. If you add trauma to the mix and how trauma can impact other parts of the brain, you have recipe that could be a disaster. To me, if we can treat some of the symptoms so that a patient can work on other aspects, I believe it is a win win situation. Part of Chapter 5 talks about being safe and how it is the most important aspect of mental health. That is something that I have to ensure of the children that I work with. I always ask my kids that I work with if they feel safe. Most times, they don't really know what I'm asking so I explore with them until they can describe what it means. 

Chapter 5 states: Isolating oneself into a narrowly defined victim group promotes a view of others as irrelevant at best and dangerous at worst, which eventually only leads to further alienation. Trauma victims naturally are going to gravitate towards people who they feel have a connecting relationship. I realized that I have never worked with people who have been apart of gangs, extreme political parties or religious cults. I would love to read about any studies that have been conducted with these specific groups. 

Another point made in Chapter 5 is that many programs continue to ignore the need to engage the safety system of the brain before trying to promote new ways of thinking. It goes on to talk about children have "bad behavior" may repeat action patterns that were established to survive serious threats. It so makes me want to be apart of policy changes and how we approach children in the system who are put into Group Care. It is like no one seems to understand where the child is coming from. The same theme comes up that we need to change the child to fit societies mold. There may be some truth to that, but we really need to be looking at what happened to the child, make them gain their voice back, and make them feel safe so they can heal. 

Chapter 6 was amazing to read. I have experience with people who need help with the slightest things. The simplest solutions are hard for clients to come up with. It can become annoying at times, because I wish they could be self-sufficient. But I wouldn't be in this profession if they didn't need some sort of help. 

Chapter 6 also talks about losing your body and losing yourself. It made me think of when I had my first child and how I was suffering from post partum depression. This was not a planned pregnancy and in fact I didn't want to have children at all in life. The reading made me remember how when my daughter was born, I felt like I wasn't in my mind/body. I was just going through the motions and having a very cloudy head. I was just trying to survive and making sure my daughter survived. I had to tell myself to talk to my baby and force myself to engage in life. It was very strange the feelings of depression can just take away the time and day for you. You have no purpose or direction. I could definately relate to this chapter. 

Both of these chapters continues to make me be cognizant of how I talk to my families. It opens the door for me to engage in meaningful and deeper conversations to understand my clients and help them so that they are not in the system forever. However, there are roadblocks. I'm just one piece of the puzzle with the families.