10/11/2017 by Elisa Pfeiffer, M.Sc. and Lutz Goldbeck, Ph.D.
As many other European countries, Germany has in the last years welcomed thousands of refugees from all over the world, among them about 64,000 unaccompanied refugee minors, most of them in the age range between 14 and 17 years. Before their arrival in Germany, they often had been exposed to severe stressors such as physical abuse, war and life-threatening flight conditions over months and years.
10/01/2017 by John Scott Janssen, LCSW
Trauma and World Literature welcomes and encourages submissions from ISTSS members who wish to share insights on the intersection between the clinical and scientific study of psychological trauma and the world of letters. In this issue, we feature a contribution from John Scott Janssen, LCSW.
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is layered with subtle explorations of psychological trauma, moral anguish and complex grief. At various times Victor Frankenstein experiences symptoms of what we would now call PTSD–acute anxiety, insomnia, withdrawal, rage, depression, hypervigilance, intrusive memories, loss of an ability to experience positive emotions, catastrophic foreboding about the future and hyper-reactivity to triggers (for example, struggling to overcome anxiety and despair following his creation of a monster, he finds that “the sight of a chemical instrument would renew all the agony of my nervous symptoms”). (p. 69) Isolated, harboring a secret he cannot share, he even contemplates suicide.
10/01/2017 by Kathryn Becker-Blease, PhD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and culturally relevant care are topics that appear in introductory through graduate level courses. This class activity allows instructors to flexibly focus on culture, social psychology, mental health, and/or research design.
Background Information:
People all around the world experience potentially traumatic events, including natural disasters, accidents, child abuse, war, and other forms of violence. Some responses to trauma are nearly universal, but culture influences both the way people respond and the kinds of therapeutic experiences that help people after trauma. Most of what we know about what works to alleviate suffering after trauma comes from people who live in the U.S. and Europe.