A Hot Topic

Yesterday in class, during the famously allotted class time that Dr. Corsini commonly refers to as "the time to ask him anything....anything at all", a student raised their hand and asked a question about homosexuality. It took about negative five seconds before numerous people in the class also had their hands up asking questions about the subject of homosexuality and the various stances on it. The overall consensus seemed to be.....we were all confused! During the discussion, by no surprise, the recently written article by Brandon Ambrosino was a "hot topic" of discussion. The article, "Being Gay at Jerry Falwell's University", written by a previous Liberty student, discusses the time the author (Brandon) spent at Liberty University, while struggling with the issue of homosexuality. While the article is somewhat controversial in nature, the overall focus suggests that contrary to popular belief, the authors time at Liberty University was in fact a time of unconditional love. As the article continues, it continually addresses the students time at Liberty as an overall pleasant experience, frequently being loved on by students, professors (most of who were named) and other faculty members. In addition, the author discusses the way in which he believed Dr. Jerry Falwell would have addressed his homosexuality by saying, "I never told Dr. Falwell that I was gay; but I wouldn't have been afraid of his response. Would he have thought homosexuality was an abomination? Yes. Would he have thought it was God's intention for me to be straight? Yes. But would he have wanted to stone me? No. And if there were some that would've wanted to stone me, I can imagine Jerry Falwell, with his fat smile, telling all of my accusers to go home and pray because they were wicked people."

How does this effect us as counselors?? I honestly believe that many counselors in training don't realize how much the issue of homosexuality will effect our profession. This is a subject that most Christians...well actually most people in general....are very confused about (as our class time Thursday showed). Because homosexuality is an issue that many human souls struggle with, it is essential to have an understanding of the lifestyle, as well as knowledge in the area of treating individuals who are in a continuous struggle with their sexuality. As Christian counselors, the bar is raised even higher. Because we as Christians are called to a higher standards, we must first of all have a thorough knowledge of what the Bible says about about the lifestyle of homosexuality.We must know WHAT we believe, and WHY we believe it.  In addition to this, we must be just as familiar of what the Bible says about love. The article presented, does an excellent job of showing the importance of both of these components.

This article stirred up numerous emotions within me. First of all, I thought the article really presented Liberty in a positive light, as it continually gave examples of people who showed the author love, compassion, and grace; even after he accepted a lifestyle that was not agreed upon. And while I do see why some may make the argument that not enough "discipline" was shown to the student for his behavior and actions, I would have to respectfully disagree. While I believe that it is ESSENTIAL to never condone sinful behavior, I also believe that in the present case, the student possessed full understanding of the sinfulness of his behavior. It is my opinion, that the professors in the article, gave an excellent example of how to show love to unbelievers at all times. I really appreciated their example of grace and unconditional love. 

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Taking a Look into Intellectual Development

In class, the three stages of intellectual development have been discussed.  These three stages include: the dependence stage, the independence stage, as well as the interdependence stage.  The dependence stage is where an individual’s intellect is developed through the influence of their parents, church leaders, school teachers, television, peers, as well as through various other factors.  The independence stage is when an individual begins to take ownership of his or her own intellect.  They may begin to ask questions to learn and even take responsibility for their beliefs as well as actions.  The last stage of intellectual development is known as the interdependence stage.  In this stage, individuals share their thoughts with others and even learn about the ideas of others. 

            It is important to understand and implement the three stages of intellectual development in counseling.   An enlightening article by Haensly and Arsons emphasizes the importance of guiding individuals as they develop in these intellectual phases.  As a counselor, it is important to understand the various phases of intellectual development so that the client may be effectively guided and led into a healthy direction of intellectual growth.  In Haensly and Arsons’ article the importance of mentoring as one grows in intellect is also addresses.  This article can be found here: http://ejournals.ebsco.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/direct.asp?ArticleID=457E9F5C4E672176A815

            After taking a glimpse into the three stages of intellectual development, it became evident that they provide the individual with various insights.  These stages allow parents as well as counselors to better understand the thought processes of developing individuals.  As a result, these mentors will potentially be more equipped to help direct those seeking guidance and intellect.  Additionally, the stages of intellectual development provide a foundation for understanding the way an individuals functions.  It is beneficial to have this foundation so that individuals may be more accurately understood and thus helped in times of crisis or difficulty.

What does it mean to be saved?

On March 3rd 2013 in Dr. Corsini spoke about Salvation.  This blog will be on the subject on what does it mean to be saved?  Attached is a link http://carm.org/what-is-salvation on this subject matter.  

 

Salvation in Christianity, is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences.  It also can be called "deliverance" or "redemption" from sin and its effects.  Redemption: it is the blood that Christ shed was the price for humans so they can be redeem. ( Eph. 1:7-10)  Salvation is made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which in the context of Salvation is referred to as the "atonement."   There is Substitutionary Atonement which means that God came to earth to make an atonement substitution for us.  Because of this atonement that God made for us, whoever believes in Jesus can be reconciled back into Gods family. The story of reconciliation can be found in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21;   ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.    Because of salvation God who is rightfully to be angry at us because of the sinful people we are, God wonderfully turns away His wrath, that can also be called propitiation.  Also because of the ultimate sacrifice made on the cross, whoever believes in Jesus will have justification in the eyes of our God.  Justification is to be declared righteous in the eyes of God.  

How can this subject be used in a counseling session?  It all depends on where a Christian counselor works, some counseling office, certainly secular ones will not allow the talk of salvation at all.  If a client wants to know how to be saved and hear the wonderful story of salvation it will have to be done in a Christian counseling office.  Or that particular counselor can open their own office and be more than free to speak on Jesus Christ and how a client can receive salvation.  

How does this subject effect me personally?  Well I accepted Christ at the age of nine and it was the best decision I ever made.  I am so happy God accepted me back into His family, I am also glad that He loves me in spite of myself.  God is so wonderful and I see it every time I hear or read about the salvation story.  It hasn't be always been the easiest journey but it is worth it, knowing that God is walking with me the whole way through.  It will also be worth it because one day Jesus Christ will return and whoever has accepted Him as lord and savior will get to go with Him and be with Him for eternity. Amen!!

  

Genetically Determined?

Summary of Article

In class this week, we discussed genetic determinism and what that means to how people perceive their lives.  This theory states that people behave the way they are

Because of their genetic encoding.  We also talked of the environmental approach that states that the environment is the cause of the way that people are and the reason behind why they act and behave the way they do in certain life circumstances.  This article, “Genetic Determinism-Oversimplification,?” that was published in Philosophy & Politiy,  included the opinion of the author as well as the opinions of those featured in the video clip provided. It is discussing the effects of genetic coding on one’s phenotype.  This includes one’s exterior looks as well as his or her behaviors and attitudes.  The author believes that although one does have a distinct choice when considering one’s reactions to life, he or she is also greatly affected by one’s genetic and environmental factors. These do play a role in shaping one’s disposition and personality.  The video however favored more on the side of the power of choice.  They disagreed that the environment or the genetic coding played such a significant role.  Mr. Sapolsky, in the video clip, argued that although people may have a pre-disposition towards behaving a certain way, they are not in any sense predetermined to live out exactly what is set forth for them in their genetic make-up.  The largest concern that was discussed here includes determining what plays a larger influence on one’s life outcomes: choice or predetermined factors.

Relating to Counseling

This relates to counseling because if a person was set on believing entirely in genetic predisposition or even in the environmental approach, it would be very difficult to convince them that change was possible for them, let alone a reality.  In addition, if one was set on the fact that they are going to become an addict simply because of their lineage, then they are more likely to becoming that simply due to their belief system.  As a counselor, one must be aware of one’s genetic and environmental pre-dispostions in order to help that person uniquely and most effectively overcome them. 

Relating to Me

I found this article and video clip interesting because I can personally relate to it.  For years, my dad would say that he is the way he is because that’s just the way he is, meaning that he can’t change his personality or how he talks, or reacts to different events in life.  He also used to look tothe environment to explain his actions.  Although those two factors did certainly play a role, they did not prohibit him from changing.  He has since seen a counselor and a psychologist and he has changed how he deals with life. I am so proud of him.  Although his core being certainly did not change but his behavior has.  That in itself proves to me that genetic determinism and the strict environmental approach do not hold up as being the sole reasons for change without at allowing for possible improvement.

References

(2011) Genetic determinism- oversimplification? Philosoph & Politiy: Investigating in

philosophy and political theory.  Retrieved from http://philosophyandpolity.com/2011/05/21/genetic-determinism/. 

Christ in the counseling room.

I’d like to use my opportunity to post on the blog to talk about something that was inspired by class yesterday, although it was not exactly a topic discussed. I’d like to bring up how I felt when we were doing role playing. This was my first time actually doing a face to face type of counseling role playing, and the first time I have seen role playing in class. Can I be honest about how I felt as the counselor? Basically: inadequate. I want to bring this up in case anyone else felt inadequate, and I want to give some encouragement.

I frantically thought to myself as my fellow classmate was talking to me, trying to think of how to process and case conceptualize and think of the perfectly appropriate thing to say to make her see the light. How would this or that theorist approach this situation? How do I be culturally appropriate in this situation? What are the ethics of this situation? Should I report what this person is telling me? WWJD? As I’m having a mini crisis, my counselee is waiting for my response, and I still have no idea what the right thing to say is.

I really, truthfully realized yesterday that I am inadequate to always say the right thing in the right situation at the right time. No matter how hard I strive, I can never actually change a person with my words. There isn’t even a “right” thing to say because isn’t that subjective anyways? I try to fit the human experience into a box when it does not fit in a box; I want it to fit so that it will make more sense to me and be more tangible somehow. Instead though, I just have a jumbled brain and nothing of true value to say during role playing.

And I felt the Spirit of the Lord speak to my heart: This is not about you having the right words to say. This is about Me speaking through you, to bring glory unto Myself.

I am just the vessel.

In the book Competent Christian Counseling, Clinton and Ohlschlager have many profound and incredibly helpful things to say about what it means to be a Christian Counselor. One of my absolute favorite points of the book can be summed up in this quote on page 6:

“Myriad promises and elaborate plans exist to help people find nirvana, strike it rich, reach some super consciousness, change the world, or attain true inner peace. Then there is the call of Christ. Jesus’ timeless message still trumpets in its hallowed, outrageous offense: ‘I bid you come and die.’ But in that dying something else is reborn: new life in the present and the seed of eternal life to come... Only Jesus, the God-man, living in us through his Holy Spirit, can make this life happen.”

In this class, and in this book, it seems to me that the overriding point is this: that the heart of life, and the heart of counseling for Christians is the Gospel. Clinton and Ohlschlager time and time again emphasize that it is the love of Jesus Christ that should saturate and permeate every aspect of the ministry of counseling, not be a compartmentalized portion of our own personal lives. They say that the promise of Christian counseling is that the hope and the power of Christ is present; it is God who heals, redeems, save, and renews the lives of clients. What they say in the book is that God actually miraculously intervenes in counseling sessions, and He takes what is dead and broken and gives it new life. When we allow God to be a part of the counseling process and ask Him to speak through us, He actually does.

So, how does this apply to us directly as Christian counselors? I personally need to stop obsessing about over-analyzing every little thing about the subjective things that exist in the counseling profession. Sometimes, it is easier to try to understand the world and people according to theories and concepts than it is to trust that God will equip us to do what He has called us to. I definitely am not saying to be an incompetent counselor and neglect professionalism or not strive to do the best we can do. It is also very important that we know where we stand, and know what we believe about theories, etc. However, the problem is that when it becomes about us trying to be good enough, we are neglecting the Spirit of God trying to work through us. (Plus, we will always fall short, as displayed in my frantic bit of role playing). And when it becomes about us and our personal ability, it ceases to be about Him and his glory.  I think that God wants to be more than a part of what we are doing in counseling; I think that God wants to speak through us and use us in miraculous and incredible ways. So, there's no reason to feel inadequate, because HE is more than adequate.

Emotional Marketing

 

We’ve all seen commercials like this one. The soft music sets the tone as we are shown little glimpses of some significant moments in life. We see a mother and father enjoying watching their children play; grandparents get to see their granddaughter prepare for graduation; two friends laugh and share advice; a soldier gets to see his baby on an ultrasound; two deaf people are able to sign to one another and have a conversation - and it is all possible because of the invention of Facetime. And while the advertisement may not immediately inspire us to go out and buy an iPhone, it does inspire us to think that in some way the iPhone makes people’s lives better. When this happens, we make an emotional connection with the product. This is the objective in what is referred to as Emotional Marketing.


We have all experienced the effects of emotional marketing, and I’m sure by now most of are aware that it exists. So what in the world does emotional marketing have to do with counseling? At first glance, not much. But when we consider the length of research done on the topic so that companies can make as much profit as possible, we are forced to recognize the significance of emotions. The advertising world knows that appealing to the emotions is the very best way to sell products/services, and businesses are willing to spend a great deal of resources to gain more insight into this. This means two things for us:

1)     Our emotions are POWERFUL - they can direct our motivation, decision-making, and behaviors.

2)     Our emotions can be INFLUENCED by what we are exposed to.

As counselors, we will voluntarily dive into the mysterious ocean of human emotions every day. And while it’s great to be aware of some of the tactics businesses use to lure us into buying things, I would like to propose the idea that this “emotional marketing” does not just happen in the business world. I think it is reasonable to believe that Satan is hard at work battling our emotions in a very similar way. We can easily be tempted to act in an ungodly way out of fear, envy, guilt, lust, or even out of “love” for something other than God. We can be powerfully motivated to do things we shouldn’t… just by the emotions we feel. 

Understanding the power behind emotion can help us to gain a better understanding of our clients, and the choices they make. It helps us to see them through eyes of grace, knowing that we live in a fallen world, and that sin has left its mark on all of creation, including the mind and heart. When we are able to see emotion through this lens, we can heighten our awareness to people or outside forces influencing them, and recognize the tactics that are being used. And in the midst of all this, we can find great comfort in knowing that the God who created us understands it all, and promises to help us navigate by guiding us in the way of Truth.   




 

Amygdala Hijack

                This article describes the amygdala and how it effects us. The amygdala is responsible for regulating emotions. It is mostly associated with “fear and anxiety”.  The amygdala has been called the "general-purpose defense response control network". Some response reactions can lead to “unpleasant sights, sensations, or smells”. The amygdala has several emotions it expresses when triggered. Improper functioning of the amygdala can be associated with the following:  anxiety, autism, depression, narcolepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, and schizophrenia. A damaged amygdala can lead to “social-blindness”. Studies have also shown that when the amygdala is not functioning correctly before six months of age then they will result in having a difficult time adapting to social life. 

         

       This topic can be related to the field of counseling for several reasons. Counselors may encounter a client that is suffering from an “amygdala hijack” which can cause then to live a life in a paralyzed state. Once counselors know what the source of the problem for their clients, facing anxiety or fear, the better counselors can become better helpers. Also, the results, of the improper functioning for the amygdala, are all mental disorders that counselors will have to deal with. Counselors can decipher certain triggers that cause people to act out in an unhealthy/destructive way, when memories are recalled, by better understanding the amygdala part of the brain. An emotional response can take over the brain if the brain is feeling threatened. Counselors can be better “helpers” by identifying what is causing clients to “fight or flight” and that can begin by a better understanding of the amygdala.

                I was personally impacted by this subject, because I too have been in a circumstance that caused me to feel like I had to fight or flight. Although, in my experience I was unable to fight or flight because my boyfriend (at the time) was much larger than me and I was pinned in a corner unable to leave the terrifying experience. Since then I have had experiences in my life that have reminded me of those emotions that I felt that day. Understanding how the amygdala works and functions, after a traumatic event, personally helps me to recognize when I am experiencing an “amygdala-hijack”. While researching this topic for this blog, I feel more confident in knowing the warning signs of an approaching “amygdala-hijack” and hopefully will be able to recognize them. The warning signs are: “strong emotional reaction, sudden onset, and when you reflect later, you realize it was inappropriate" (Horowitz, 2012). Overall I feel this topic has helped me personally during this healing process I am still on and by helping me become a better “helper” one day.

Here is a link to a short video that explains the amygdala and how it effects the brain:

http://youtu.be/cXqOoaVTOqA  

Horowitz, S. (2012). Emotional intelligence - stop amygdala hijackings. Retrieved from http://www.umass.edu/fambiz/articles/values_culture/primal_leadership.html

Emotions Gone Wild

In class Thursday, we began by discussing emotions and ended with a racing heart and my mind in fight or flight mode. I had a physical reaction to a discussion about benign topics.

The word “trauma” led to “Car wrecks” which led to “HMMWVs”, “Route 1”, and further word association. Before I knew it, I was staring at the ground, disassociating and visualizing men in salwar kameez, (traditional, middle-eastern attire), beards, turbans, and women in sky-blue flowing burkas walking along moon dust roads and old motorcycles. I thought about my dirty, uncomfortable uniforms, the M-4 at my side, knife attached to my belt, and my duty as a body guard to protect the Chaplain. I even thought through ways of taking someone down with hand-to-hand combat if I were disarmed, all from the semi-safety of Liberty’s extended campus.

Another blog entry about the Army? Really?

I did not want to write another blog about the military, but as I thumbed through my notes my pancreas gave my heart a jolt and my fight or flight response kicked in again. I am likely not alone in this fight against mental instability and I want you [the reader] to be aware of the fight I and many other soldiers go through daily and at random. I begin with my long story of my incident of trauma, the layman technicalities of how Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is developed in the brain, how Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) heals, and hopefully allow you to ponder your contribution to healing people with trauma.

The Story of How My PTSD Developed (This is your time to bail out and skip to the next section if you want to read how the topic relates to counseling. Otherwise, it’s story time!)

Date: July 20, 2006

Time: O’dark thirty

Location: A Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan

I woke up to the loud shutting of the wooden door to my B-hut. I woke briefly and decided to go back to sleep, concluding that the reason the door was slamming was because of other female soldiers leaving for guard-duty and not being mindful of other sleeping soldiers. Since forgiveness and grace were a part of my vocabulary then, I shrugged it off and went back to sleep.

“BANG!” The door opened and shut again, but this time I heard the preceding stomping footing on the ground. At this point, I was a little frustrated, thinking, “Why would these females leave so loudly? How rude!” I decided to wipe the sleepys from my eyes and ask questions. All of the sudden my B-hut shook with the loud BOOM that sounded very unlike outgoing fire (shooting of very large mortars to other places outside of camp).  I figured out, once my adrenaline kicked in, that my base was being attacked. Our base was considered safer than many others, partially due to our good outlook location and partially due to our great relationship with the village nearby, so this was an unexpected wake-up call.

Before I made it out, I saw the rebound on the slam of the door, another LOUD BOOM hit and I saw the white light of a very large explosive object hitting ever so close. Apparently, I slept through several rocket hits inside the wire (perimeter) whereas others woke up promptly and scattered like mice.

I stood strait up, along with the hairs on my neck, and I searched for my required items to run to the bunker: Blanket, shoes, and weapon. CHECK! [My PPE (personal protective equipment) was elsewhere because I was working 12-17-hour days, 7 days a week, and statistically it was more likely that I’d die then than in the 7 hours I was not working. There’s another story here but due to time, space, and the ADD culture, it has been omitted from this blog.] 

I ran to the bunker (a reinforced, explosive-resistant shelter also known as “cover”) faster than my toes could hit the ground and I was slowed by a female who reminded me of a turtle, for a moment. I was about to run over her but my prefrontal cortex kicked in and said that that would not be very nice of me.(She would have been the first one I tripped if we were attacked by zombies. I would have done her a favor.)

I made it to the bunker, cuddled in my locally-purchased mink blanket, and I prayed silently and fervently.

Progressively I bargained, “God. Please spare me of this mental torture and keep me safe!”

“If it is your will that I die, cool. I’ll be with you in a few minutes. If not, please, Lord. Don’t let this take long and please just take me.”

“Please Lord, just let this end. Take me already!”

“What’s taking so long?!” 

As I was praying, it came over the FOB hand-held radio, “Rock 7 is down.” Rock 7 was the code name of one of our beloved First Sergeants (1SGs).

I thought, “(explicit used in calling someone's bluff). That can’t be him. I just talked to him a couple of days ago. I hugged him and I just got back from leave. He was fine then, and besides, I haven’t had enough time to talk to him about my adventures on leave in Italy! Please Lord, don’t let it be him.”

The FOB then heard over the radio, “Vitals?”

The answer, “No sign.”

Again, I thought, “(explicit used in calling someone's bluff).” I determined that these well-respected non-commissioned officers over the radio were mistaken and they just didn’t really know who 1SG Rafferty was. He is a legend, after all.

At this point, I was determined to keep praying and to stay alive or not become maimed. Either option would do for me. Reality set in once the attack ended and I heard a helicopter fly overhead. Helicopters don’t fly at 0400 (4am) unless they are called in. My heart sank and I wanted to get out of that bunker as quickly as I could in order to see if the inevitable was true.

As soon as we were released from accountability formation—to make sure no one was missing—I walked as quickly as I could to the location of Charlie company, the unit of men of which 1SG Rafferty belonged, following the trail of blood until I reached my destination. I walked in quietly as the interim Chaplain said with a somber glance at me, “Now let us commence First Sergeant Rafferty in the Lord’s arms.” My stomach turned and I shook with grief as I mechanically walked to the chapel—my office, trying not to bend over with sickness. I cried for a while and it was like an ocean shore of grief that ebbed and flooded.

With the help of my organic (this is an Army term that means “assigned”) Chaplain coming off of leave, I helped perform the Memorial Ceremony on that  base a few days later, providing closure to hundreds of people. (Click here to see the memorial video.) I did not find closure, however, as I discovered almost four years later.

All was well until…

Fast forward to 2010, Lakewood, Colorado [the location of Colorado Christian University’s (CCU) main campus]. It was spring time in Colorado and I was participating in the Iona project headed up by Dr. Mitsch, a professor of psychology at CCU. There was a refreshing rainstorm that lingered that evening and I had enjoyed several lightning strikes and rumbles of thunder, but for an unknown reason I was finally triggered. My heart went racing, and I felt my pancreas work overtime to get me moving. I started looking around for a familiar danger (i.e. people with guns, men with beards, turbans, and aggressive faces, to name a few) and the meeting faded away. My face went flush, I saw red, and I was ready to kill, if needed. I saw no danger so I did some self-talk. I tried to “ground” (a counseling or self-calming technique used to get a person back to reality and functioning properly instead of overwhelmed with emotions) myself.  Still no resolve.

I was scheduled to deploy in a few months and I did not want to be held back for mental health reasons, no matter the cause. It took me until the next day to feel normal again and I resolved to get professional help, with or without the help of the Army. I chose to get help without the help of the Army from a civilian counselor who was trained in PTSD and recommended to me by Dr. Mitsch. This is where you, the aspiring counselor, come in.

...then things went well.

This counselor was the only certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) counselor in the area as far as I could tell, but his special and unusual training did more than wonders for me. I don’t remember why he decided to get the training but I am grateful he did. There are other treatments for PTSD and not all of them work for everyone, but I had previously done literature research on EMDR and decided that it was going to be my treatment. How did I fare? Before the answer, an explanation.

What is PTSD? It’s all hip-hop to me…with a little bit of grey matter

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be diagnosed when symptoms appear or are persistent three to six months after the traumatic incident occurs (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Signs and symptoms include irritability, alienation or isolation, emotional outbursts, disturbing and re-experiencing the traumatic event (2000). There were several other incidents between my return from war and 2010 when I was triggered,  pulled out a knife, and was ready to duke it out. It was obvious that I had PTSD stemming from that one event in Afghanistan, though there are several factors that led to it. (It must be noted that not all who experience a traumatic event develop PTSD.)

Dr. Corsini drew out (literally) the relationship between cognition, physiology, and social contexts and how they affect emotion. One affects the others as they all interact with different parts of the brain. When a person goes through a traumatic event, memories can be stored at random and in the wrong places. (The brain has other things to do in those perceived moments of life or death.) When something triggers that improperly stored memory, the body reacts, foregoing the slow-moving, rational prefrontal cortex. EMDR, through movement of the eyes, talking about the event, and re-experiencing the trauma in a safe place helps the memories become refiled properly. It took me 4-5 sessions total in order for me to be at a higher functioning level. It was a miracle, for me. There is a short but excellent video on YouTube explaining EMDR.

What does your story have to do with me, an aspiring counselor?

Well, a lot. I was caught off-guard by my reaction in Colorado. We counselors don’t know who is going to walk into our office and the “who” doesn’t know either. I sought after my therapist by name, though we had never met. Luke 12: 48 writes, “however, the one who did what deserves a beating, but didn’t know, will receive few lashes. From him who has been given much, much will be demanded — from someone to whom people entrust much, they ask still more.” I suggest that we as counselors realize the potential for good that we have and not be afraid to be accountable to God. In other words, “No Guts, No Glory” (from a song by Molly Hatchet in 1983). We should not be afraid to venture out, as my therapist did, and get training that maybe only a small population will benefit from. I don’t know if that therapist had ever worked with a war veteran before, but he put on his “let’s do this” attitude and we got to work quickly.

Am I completely healed as though the trauma never happened? No. I am working with what we call a “new normal”. A trauma survivor never goes back to the old normal, but a treated trauma survivor functions with a new view of life. I had a reaction in class last week, but it was a fraction of what I experienced in Colorado in 2010. It’s my new normal and it is quite safe to assume that many other soldiers are frustrated at their own reactions of their new normal. If working with soldiers is not your calling, I hope you take away information about the nature of trauma. Were the the students sitting around me in class aware of my reaction? Not likely. How many other people around us are suffering in silence due to traumatic injuries? Until we rhetorically put our ear to ground and listen, we can’t begin to fathom the numbers.

“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” Douglas McArthur

Resources:

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical
manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.).
doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349.

MRI image from http://www.pandys.org/articles/invisibleepidemic.html