TraumaTies Episode 2: Trauma 101
Content warning: Please note that this episode contains general discussions regarding traumatic events, including sexual assault and mass shootings.
Episode Summary
Reesie Sims was still a college student when she began working with trauma victims at the Ohio State organization It’s Abuse. She decided to make it her life’s work by moving to Washington D.C. to work at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and becoming a licensed therapist before starting her current role at Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC).
On this week’s episode of TraumaTies, host Bridgette Stumpf, Executive Director at NVRDC, discusses trauma and recovery with Reesie, who serves as the Therapeutic Services Manager at NVRDC. Reesie is responsible for leading support groups for trauma survivors and works individually with crisis and short-term clients.
“I want survivors to feel empowered as much as possible. And a part of that is not subjecting them to reliving the experience if they don't want to,” Reesie says. “Naturally, most clients do tell their stories in session because I do offer a space. It’s not You should have done this or Why didn't you do that? or So-and-so did that, really? Basically, they have the emotional safety to truly process and talk about what happened and be validated and affirmed.”
This episode explores the power of therapy, the importance of differentiating between stress and trauma, and the need for more compassion.
Featured Guest
Name: Reesie Sims
What she does: As the Therapeutic Services Manager at NVRDC, Reesie is in charge of daily operations and activities for the Therapeutic Services Program. Reesie manages a caseload of crisis and short-term therapy clients, runs support groups for survivors, and gives clients the tools they need to make the best decisions for their own mental health.
Company: Network for Victim Recovery of DC
Words of wisdom: “Always approach people with compassion. You have no idea what that person has gone through or what they're currently dealing with. You might just be the person that sets that person off on edge. They may be experiencing flashbacks about their trauma or dealing with the impact of their trauma on a daily basis. You just never know.”
Key Points
Top takeaways from this episode
Every person’s response to trauma is as unique as they are. Although there might be common denominators in events that are “traumatic,” trauma itself is really defined by a person’s response to that event, and each person will respond differently. Reesie says a person’s ability to manage emotional responses ultimately dictates their trauma response.
Traumatic experiences can get stuck on a loop in someone’s brain. This is one of the psychological responses to a disturbing event, Reesie says. Traumatic experiences override the brain’s ability to process information, keeping the memory at the forefront of the mind and causing more flashbacks and vivid images.
The fawn trauma response is not shameful. Our bodies will try to protect us by going into flight, fight, freeze, or fawn mode. Often, trauma survivors feel ashamed and angry at themselves for going into the fawn mode, but it is not something they have control over at the moment.
Episode Highlights
[07:14] Individual realities: Reesie explains that two people might respond to an event very differently because everyone’s ability to manage emotional responses is unique, just like any other aspect of their personality.
[13:10] Brain function: Traumatic experiences can change the brain, overwhelming its ability to process information, which can cause the traumatic memory to get “stuck” at the forefront of the brain, says Reesie.
[18:24] Long-term implications: Reesie affirms that the lasting effects of traumatic experiences can present themselves both psychologically and physically.
[22:03] Knowing the signs: Being compassionate with everyone in our daily lives is essential, especially if the person is a trauma survivor. To gauge whether someone is experiencing a past or perceived trauma in the moment, Reesie says to pay attention to body language and focus on “listening to hear and not listening to respond.”
[23:34] Stress v. trauma: According to Reesie, stress is more of an immediate response, while the long-term stress of responding to a disturbing event can mutate into trauma.
[33:50] Empowerment: Reesie strives to help the survivors she works with feel as empowered as possible. This is partially achieved by creating a safe space to share about their experience if and when they want.
[38:34] Book recommends: Reesie recommends a few books — “The Body Bears the Burden,” “The Body Keeps Score,” and “True Refuge” — for people wishing to become more informed about their own trauma or that of a loved one.
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Brought to you by Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.
Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, NVRDC seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.
NVRDC also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management, and legal services to victims of all crime types in Washington, DC. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.
Top quotes from the episode:
[06:48] “Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that impacts an individual's ability to cope. And those responses disrupt continuity and baseline functioning. So, without emotionally processing those responses, the impact of them can have long-term implications on our bodily systems.”
[17:06] “We know that trauma is more than a cognitive issue, and that the experiences are largely affective and somatic. Trauma interrupts the interaction of our bodily systems. So, in the sympathetic nervous system, the perception of danger signals a response of either flight, fawn, or freeze, and increased concentrations of these hormones being released, depresses the immune system and contributes to physiological hyperarousal.”
[31:10] “I'm always allowing that space to ask questions and always affirming or reassuring clients that their [sympathetic nervous] system kicked in and they had no control over it. It is what our bodies do to protect us, and they are going to [see that] our brains are going to find the best way out.”