>>>
>>> THE
>>> THE RECENT GUN VIOLENCE IN DAYTON OHIO AND EL PASO TEXAS
IS RAISING ANXIETY AGAINST
THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED
VIOLENCE IN THEIR LIVES AND
CAUSE CONCERN WITH THOSE
INCLUDING KIDS CAN BE ANXIOUS
ABOUT THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR.
LUIS MERCED IS A COUNSELOR
BASED IN BELLEVUE AND
EXPERIENCED IN TREATING
TRAUMA AND PTSD.
INC.
INC.
INC. YOU
INC. YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I DON'T THINK WE TALK ABOUT
THIS ENOUGH.
THIS ENOUGH. EVEN LIKE FIREWORKS CAN BE
INCREDIBLY PROVOCATIVE SOUNDS
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE
EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE.
EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. FIREWORKS OR ANYTHING THAT
REMINDS THEM OF THE TRAUMATIC
EVENT ITSELF.
EVENT ITSELF. FOR SOME IT MIGHT BE AN
INDIVIDUAL'S HAIRCUT.
INDIVIDUAL'S HAIRCUT. IT MIGHT BE A BUILD OF AN
INDIVIDUAL.
INDIVIDUAL. >> JUST SOMETHING THAT REMINDS
THEM AND TAKES THEM BACK.
>>>
>>>
>>> >>
>>> >> IN
>>> >> IN TERMS OF NEWS COVERAGE
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T ESCAPE IT.
WHETHER IT IS YOUR RADIO IN
THE CAR OR OTHER PEOPLE
TALKING ABOUT IT.
THESE EVENTS WHERE WE ALL FEEL
SUPER HELPLESS ABOUT WHAT TO
DO ABOUT IT.
HOW DOES THAT AFFECT SOMEBODY?
>> SOMEONE WHO HAS PTSD CAN
REALLY REACT IN A NUMBER OF
SITUATIONS.
SITUATIONS. THEY CAN BE ISOLATIVE.
AVOID STIMULI LIKE I MENTIONED
BEFORE.
BEFORE.
BEFORE. >> AND WHO WOULDN'T?
>> THEY MIGHT EXPERIENCE AN
EMOTIONAL AROUSAL PEEK AT
TIMES WHICH COULD REALLY BE
AFFECTING SLEEP.
AFFECTING SLEEP. AFFECTING THEIR.
AFFECTING THEIR. DYNAMIC EFFECT IN TERMS OF
PTSD.
PTSD.
PTSD. INDIVIDUALS CAN REALLY IGNORE
THEIR RELATIONSHIPS FOR REALLY
MOVE AWAY AND ISOLATE LIKE I
MENTIONED BEFORE.
MENTIONED BEFORE. MAJOR ASPECT IS THEY MIGHT
NOTICE MORE DESTRUCTIVE
BEHAVIORS.
BEHAVIORS. FOR EXAMPLE INCREASED DRINKING
FOR ADULTS.
FOR ADULTS. >> ALL OF THAT SOUNDS LIKE
THEY ARE TRYING TO PUT SOME
PADDING BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND
THE STIMULUS IN THE REACTION.
>> VERY MUCH IS AN EMOTIONAL'S
SHIELD.
SHIELD.
SHIELD. THEY ARE REALLY REACTING IN
THEIR LOGICAL BRAIN IS
ESSENTIALLY TURNED OFF.
SO THEY ARE JUST IN SURVIVAL
MODE.
MODE.
MODE. WHAT SUITS ME.
WHAT HELPS ME COPE WITH THIS
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. >>> WHAT EVER THAT MAY BE.
>>> YOU HAVE A MILITARY
EXPERIENCE RIGHT?
EXPERIENCE RIGHT? >> IS OBVIOUSLY THAT CAN BE
PART OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING
THROUGH BUT IT CAN ALSO BE
JUST SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN
THROUGH A VIOLENT EXPERIENCE.
SEXUAL ASSAULT OR WHATEVER IT
IS IN THEIR BACKGROUND AND
THEY CAN STILL EXPERIENCE
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. >>>
THIS. >>> WE REALLY FOCUS MORE ON
SOLDIERS AND WHAT THEY
EXPERIENCE BUT WE NOW KNOW
THAT ANYTHING, ANYONE WHO
WITNESSES A TRAUMATIC EVENT
CAN HAVE THAT VICARIOUS
TRAUMA.
TRAUMA.
TRAUMA. >>> IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE
SOMETHING THAT YOU EXPERIENCED
WITH WITNESSING DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE OR VIOLENCE IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEIGHBORHOOD. OFTEN PEOPLE CARRY THAT AROUND
AND THEN THERE IS THIS WHOLE
SEPARATE KIND OF ANXIETY THAT
HAPPENS FOR KIDS GOING BACK TO
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. THAT IS ALREADY A HEIGHTENED
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. YOU HAD AND THE IDEA THAT THEY
MIGHT BE VULNERABLE AT THE
PLACE THEY ASSUME THEY ARE AS
SAFE AS THEY ARE AT HOME AND
WHAT HAPPENS FOR THEM?
>> WILL THEY MIGHT FEEL
DETACHED LIKE ADULTS.
THEY MIGHT ISOLATE.
THEY MIGHT REACT AND BEHAVE IN
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS.
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS. THEY WANT TO SHUT DOWN
EMOTIONALLY.
EMOTIONALLY. >> AND PARENTS MIGHT NOT KNOW
WHY.
WHY.
WHY. >>>
WHY. >>> SO WHAT IS THE BEST
APPROACH TO TAKE IF YOU ARE A
PARENT, A BYSTANDER?
WHAT WE DO.
?
?
? >>
? >> I
? >> I SAY NUMBER ONE IS NOT TO
PROVIDE FALSE HOPE.
THAT REALLY INVALIDATES WHAT
THE INDIVIDUAL IS FEELING.
THE CHILD IS REALLY FEELING
AND EMOTION THAT IS REAL TO
THEM AND PARENTS, THE GUARDIAN,
THE ROLE MODEL NEEDS TO MEET
THE CHILD WHERE THEY ARE.
>> AND THAT MEANS INSTEAD OF
SAYING THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
WHAT WORDS MY I USE?
>> I CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE
UPSET.
UPSET.
UPSET. I
UPSET. I CAN FEEL THAT YOU ARE
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING THAT IS
PAINFUL TO YOU.
PHYSICAL TOUCH ALSO IS VERY
VERY BENEFICIAL FOR CHILDREN
WHO WORK TOLERABLE TO PHYSICAL
TOUCH.
TOUCH.
TOUCH. .
.
. >>
. >> AND
. >> AND YOU WILL KNOW THAT
RIGHT AWAY.
RIGHT AWAY. >> AND THEY WILL LET YOU KNOW
IF THAT IS THE CASE.
>> YOU HAVE A PERSONAL
CONNECTION WITH OHIO AND TEXAS
AND WHAT HAS THIS BEEN LIKE
FOR YOU TO SEE PLACES THAT YOU
RELATE TO PERSONALLY AND I
RELATE TO EL PASO VERY
PERSONALLY.
PERSONALLY. WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU.
>>> IT IS VERY UPSETTING TO
SEE PLACES WHERE, IN OHIO I
WAS BORN AND RAISED 18 YEARS
BEFORE I JOINED THE MILITARY
AND I LIVED IN TEXAS IN SAN
ANTONIO AND AUSTIN FOR SIX
YEARS AND IT WAS REALLY
UPSETTING TO SEE THAT THOSE
PLACES THAT I EXPERIENCED AND
GREW TO REALLY LOVE JUST
EXPERIENCED THIS DEVASTATING
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT. EMOTIONALLY IT WAS CHARGING
FOR ME DEFINITELY.
>> AND YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH
THOSE THINGS WHEN THEY HAPPEN.
>> AND I THINK SOMETIMES WE
FORGET THIS ONE PEOPLE FEEL
TARGETED BY WHATEVER.
THIS WAS THE BIGGEST MASSACRE
OF HISPANIC PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY IN OUR HISTORY IN EL
PASO SO YOU MAY BE PART OF A
GROUP THAT FEELS MORE
VULNERABLE RIGHT NOW AND THAT
CAN BE VERY CHARGING AS WELL.
>>> ABSOLUTELY.
>>> ABSOLUTELY. BEING PUERTO RICAN THIS IS
DIRECTLY INFLUENCING ME AND I
SEE THAT WITH MY CLIENTS.
AND THE CHILDREN THAT I KNOW IT
AFFECTS THEM AS WELL.
>>> WOULD IT BE HELPFUL IF
WERE ALL A LITTLE MORE AWARE
OF THAT AND CAN WALK IN
SOMEBODY ELSE'S SHOES FOR A
MINUTE AND SEE WHAT THIS IS
LIKELY TO EVOKE?
>> I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A
SOCIAL RESPONSE WHERE WE
REALLY WORK AS A COMMUNITY TO
UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER.
ACTUALLY OUR SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
IS A MAJOR FACTOR IN TERMS OF
RESILIENCY.
RESILIENCY. IF WE DON'T HAVE A BIG SOCIAL
NETWORK WOULD NOTE THAT WE ARE
MORE PRONE TO THESE DRAMATIC
RESPONSES.
RESPONSES. >>> IT IS NOT JUST WHEN
DEALING WITH KIDS BUT MAYBE
ANYBODY GOING THROUGH THEM
THAT WE USE THE WORDS THAT
THEY GAVE US AS A MODEL TO
MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE.
AND NOT BE DISMISSIVE OR IT IS
EASY TO SAY THE CHANCE OF THAT
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER.
IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU MIGHT BE
IN THAT SITUATION THE ACADEMIC
APPROACH IS NOT TERRIBLY
HELPFUL.
HELPFUL.
HELPFUL. >>> IT REALLY HARKENS BACK TO
INVALIDATING THEIR EMOTIONS IF
YOU SAY THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN SO
OFTEN WERE EVERYWHERE.
THAT IS REALLY NOT MEETING
THAT PERSON WITH THAT EMOTION.
>>> SO THERE IS A REALITY THAT
AS YOU POINTED OUT TRAUMA CAN
BE A LIVED EXPERIENCE OR AN
IMAGINED EXPERIENCE AND MAYBE
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE
CAN DO IS JUST ACCEPT THAT IS
REAL AND VALID AND MAKE SURE
THAT WE EXPRESS THAT WHEN WE
DEAL WITH PEOPLE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. YOU HIT IT RIGHT ON THE HEAD.
>> IT IS ALMOST LIKE IT IS
JUST EMPATHY.
JUST EMPATHY. BACK TO THAT.
THAT WE NEED TO LEARN TO BE