Comments on: Haiti’s traumatized earthquake survivors http://www.theworld.org/2010/04/haitis-traumatized-earthquake-survivors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=haitis-traumatized-earthquake-survivors Global Perspectives for an American Audience Fri, 24 May 2013 15:46:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Sharon http://www.theworld.org/2010/04/haitis-traumatized-earthquake-survivors/comment-page-1/#comment-8286 Sharon Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:13:32 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=33310#comment-8286 I am a physical therapist who worked with the paralyzed patient Julie while volunteering at that hospital. And while Julie says that "nothing is being done," I know that she was seen by multiple doctors in the ICU and by therapists from 3 overlapping volunteer teams. She received rehab intervention for 5 weeks that I know of. Conversion disorder is very challenging to treat from a rehab perspective. As noted in the story, mental health treatments are necessary. But the story did not report that Julie has received psychological interventions as well over the past 5 weeks. I applaud NPR for covering a differnt aspect of the earthquake's impact, however Julie's story has much more to it that would have helped people here in the US understand the challenges still faced by those both recieinvg and trying to provide health care in Port-Au- Prince. I am a physical therapist who worked with the paralyzed patient Julie while volunteering at that hospital. And while Julie says that “nothing is being done,” I know that she was seen by multiple doctors in the ICU and by therapists from 3 overlapping volunteer teams. She received rehab intervention for 5 weeks that I know of. Conversion disorder is very challenging to treat from a rehab perspective. As noted in the story, mental health treatments are necessary. But the story did not report that Julie has received psychological interventions as well over the past 5 weeks. I applaud NPR for covering a differnt aspect of the earthquake’s impact, however Julie’s story has much more to it that would have helped people here in the US understand the challenges still faced by those both recieinvg and trying to provide health care in Port-Au- Prince.

]]> By: Daphne White http://www.theworld.org/2010/04/haitis-traumatized-earthquake-survivors/comment-page-1/#comment-8249 Daphne White Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:44:32 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=33310#comment-8249 I enjoyed Amy's story, and it also happens to correlate perfectly with my own experiences offering Somatic Experiencing to traumatized individuals. It has been known for a long time that trauma manifests in physical symptoms: there is really no “news” there. What is new, though, is that a technology has been developed over the past 10 – 20 years that helps to “titrate” trauma in very innovative and effective ways. Some of the leaders of this new science of trauma include Bessel van der Kolk, MD; Robert Scaer, MD; Stephen Porges, PhD; and Peter Levine, PhD. Peter Levine, for example, has developed a technique called Somatic Experiencing that uses existing research to heal trauma (including PTSD and similarly severe conditions) quickly, dramatically, and permanently. Our bodies do not distinguish between “physical” and “mental” symptoms (the word “psychosomatic sets up a false dichotomy.) Trauma happens when an event overwhelms the ability of our nervous system to cope. The force of the trauma gets “stuck” in our body/mind/spirit until it is released. The real news is that there are now techniques that can safely, gently and effectively release the trauma, without re-traumatizing the individual. I am trying to keep this post short, but a bit more information is available at my website: http://www.daphnewhite.com. While this trauma work is exceedingly powerful, it is almost unknown outside the therapeutic field at the moment. NPR could do a real service to traumatized individuals by covering some of the new trauma-release techniques, such as Somatic Experiencing. I enjoyed Amy’s story, and it also happens to correlate perfectly with my own experiences offering Somatic Experiencing to traumatized individuals.

It has been known for a long time that trauma manifests in physical symptoms: there is really no “news” there. What is new, though, is that a technology has been developed over the past 10 – 20 years that helps to “titrate” trauma in very innovative and effective ways. Some of the leaders of this new science of trauma include Bessel van der Kolk, MD; Robert Scaer, MD; Stephen Porges, PhD; and Peter Levine, PhD.

Peter Levine, for example, has developed a technique called Somatic Experiencing that uses existing research to heal trauma (including PTSD and similarly severe conditions) quickly, dramatically, and permanently.

Our bodies do not distinguish between “physical” and “mental” symptoms (the word “psychosomatic sets up a false dichotomy.) Trauma happens when an event overwhelms the ability of our nervous system to cope. The force of the trauma gets “stuck” in our body/mind/spirit until it is released. The real news is that there are now techniques that can safely, gently and effectively release the trauma, without re-traumatizing the individual.

I am trying to keep this post short, but a bit more information is available at my website: http://www.daphnewhite.com. While this trauma work is exceedingly powerful, it is almost unknown outside the therapeutic field at the moment. NPR could do a real service to traumatized individuals by covering some of the new trauma-release techniques, such as Somatic Experiencing.

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