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| Overwhelming Early Life Trauma: Creating a Second Chance |
| Columns - Media Review | |
| Written by Alissa Mallow | |
| Wednesday, 27 June 2007 | |
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As all addiction professionals know, one of the hardest things to do is
to motivate individuals to change to abandon an addictive lifestyle.
One recognized technique is to empower through education, that is
helping people to blend their real life experience and with current
research in a manner that makes the information accessible,
understandable, and powerful; assisting them to make the connections
between their behaviors, emotions, and addiction, thereby motivating
them to strive toward recovery and sustain abstinence.
Overcoming early life trauma: Creating a second chance, the DVD by Cardwell C. Nuckols, MA, PhD does just that. It is a wonderful DVD that digests the material and delivers it in a way that it understandable and stirring. Dr. Nuckols, a nationally known addiction specialist is filmed during a presentation to incarcerated men about the effects early traumatic experiences has upon brain development, emotions, behavior, and its relationship to drug addiction. Divided into two 30 minute segments, one never feels as if they are being “lectured to.” Rather, it feels as if you are part of the audience as the viewer is drawn immediately into Dr. Nuckols’ easy style of relating and calming speech. The DVD begins with Dr. Nuckols describing his own life experiences — how he was affected by early trauma not only as a child, but in utero as his mother smoked cigarettes and consumed alcohol while she was pregnant with him, as well as his journey to recover from alcohol dependence. In the addiction field, there has been considerable debate regarding this type of self-disclosure. However, for Dr. Nuckols, the information is delivered in an easy manner so that it becomes part of the discussion and a lending of himself and his life experiences rather than self-important chatter. He speaks of failed treatment attempts and eventually attending a sweat lodge in New Mexico, which is what set the foundation for his 30 years of recovery. In the first chapter, the connection between being involved in the criminal justice system, early childhood traumas and substance abuse is explored in a clinical manner. Through the use of slides, Dr. Nuckols addresses the biological and psychological consequences of childhood traumas. He speaks to the “deep well of trauma” as he explains how those with trauma backgrounds respond differently to the world, not only because of the experiences they have had as children, but also because of changes to the brain that have occurred. Through the use of slides, the viewer sees a powerful example of what happens to the brain of a traumatized three-year-old child. On the left, the brain of a child who has never experienced abuse and on the right, that of a traumatized child, the results are remarkable and he uses this slide to make his point that individuals are dealing with changes in the brain which lends support to the biological (not genetic) impact of trauma. In some ways, he is conveying to the audience that perhaps, addiction and/or the depressive, conduct, and hyperactivity disorders that they struggle with aren’t just the result of “poor moral character” and “psychiatric illness” but a result of real changes in the brain that has happened secondary to life experiences. Not only does this information blend the current research in the addiction field, but it assists the individual in demystifying their life experiences. This is so very important in the addictions field. I know for myself, working with addicted survivors of childhood traumas, when they come to understand biological impact of the abuse, there is often a sense of relief, in that their behaviors and addictions weren’t always in their control, that they were responding to real neurochemical changes that occurred in their brain secondary to traumatic childhood events. This is not to say that biology is destiny, however, in the words of Harry Stack Sullivan, if one knows what is happening to them, they do not have difficulties in living. Simply put, if one understands that they are at risk for certain medical disorders secondary to genetics, brain development or other life experiences, one gains control over his or her body and subsequently can develop the necessary strategies to ward off or combat the illnesses. In this light, Dr. Nuckols provides a beautiful metaphor to the audience helping them to further incorporate this thinking. He states that life is like a 35mm camera. The experiences of one’s childhood (relationships and biological determinants) are imprinted upon the film of the camera. When the film is taken out of the camera and exposed to light, which is when the individual makes their way in the world, what happened in childhood is exposed. The better one’s childhood experiences, the more positive the outcome may become. One that was particularly interesting was his statement that life is like a 35 millimeter camera. And the film that is inside the camera holds the imprint of what happens in someone’s life. Now that one has learned about the effects of trauma and its impact upon the brain and relationship to addiction — now what? In the second half of the DVD, Dr. Nuckols continues the discussion by providing suggestions and techniques for how to overcome the trauma. That is, how to understand that this is something that has happened in your life and how to move on. This is in no way to convey that there is a “snap out of it” or “get over it” message, but a message of compassion and accepting in that this has happened in one’s life and that one can recover, one can overcome horrible life experiences and become a productive sober individual. Dr. Nuckols focuses on relationships and the importance they have. He speaks of the importance that spirituality plays in one’s life. He stresses how important environmental factors are and how if the environment is enriched it can support recovery and the individual can flourish. Finally, Dr. Nuckols discusses a technique that has been used with trauma survivors, which is writing a “letter to the perpetrator.” He is not suggesting that it be mailed, but that it is important to be able to confront that individual or individuals and to give voice to the feelings, thoughts, and emotions that resulted from such life experience. He cautions the audience, and in essence, the viewer, that this must be done within the confines of a safe environment with supportive individuals present to assist the person in case of overwhelming emotions. While this technique can be a worthwhile tool, one must always be cognizant of the individuals they are working with and the supports that are available “after hours,” regardless whether the treatment is in an outpatient or inpatient setting. The trauma survivor must be able to have access to counseling staff once this work has started, as memories of trauma can be overwhelming, frightening, and even precipitate relapse. In summary, this DVD is a great psychoeducational tool for patients, staff development, and students learning about addiction or training to become counselors. It is a welcomed addition to a counselor’s library.              |
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