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iSOSY Personal Wellness

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Trauma-Informed Support and Practices for Young Adults

There’s Hope!

The purpose of this personal wellness module is to provide Migrant Education Service Providers with strategies and support practices that are trauma-informed. We know that trauma can have long-term effects on a person’s body, their mental health, relationships, and can lead to other risky behaviors. Trauma fundamentally affects how young people grow and develop. They often struggle with self-esteerm, which puts them at risk for substance use, suicide, and other negative outcomes.

The strategies in this presentation have been carefully chosen as they can be taught or modeled with the students we serve. They are good investments in giving students more tools to lead healthier lives.

There is a good chance you are familiar with Adverse Childhood Experiences – or ACEs – and understand the effects of trauma.

This presentation is focused on what you can do now to help.

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Today you will learn:

The right- and left-brain functions/relation to trauma
Evidence-based strategies for working with young adults who have experienced trauma:

Resources available for emotional support

Connect and Redirect
SIFTing
Co-Regulation
HEAL
Building Self-Awareness
Creating Safe Spaces

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Part I: Right Brain and Left Brain

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Right Brain Left Brain

Emotion/Feelings

Responsible for emotions
Sends and receives non-verbal communications, like facial expressions
Remembers the big picture of an event (including its meaning and feel)
Stores images and personal memories

Logical/Words

Logical, literal, linear
Likes order
Understands cause and effect
Names and labels objects
Clear about personal actions (“I ate the cookie; I didn’t chew it.”)

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

Note: A person experiencing a traumatic or re-traumatizing event operates out of the right brain!

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These are the different functions of the brain that control both the emotions and logic:

Right Brain controls our Emotions. It is responsible for sending and receiving non-verbal communications, like facial expressions, tone of voice, or gestures. It also specializes in understanding the big picture of an experience, its meaning and general feel, as well as images and personal memories.

Left Brain focuses on Logic. It is logical and literal. It likes words, and it likes to put things in order. It excels in understanding cause and effect, naming and labeling objects, and being clear about personal actions.

A person experiencing a traumatizing or retraumatizing event operates out of the right brain.

That means that they are not able to think logically or understand the consequences of their behavior in the moment.

In order to help the student, we have to provide logical strategies until they feel safe and supported. That is when they can begin to reason.

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Right Brain Left Brain

Young minds are right-brain dominant (the brain does not finish developing until age 25).
Connection and integration of the brain can be very much influenced by experience (nurturing, learning, interactions).
The relationships the student has with you and other people are the most effective ways to facilitate brain integration.

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Right Brain Left Brain

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Activity:

Objective:

Illustrate the difficulty in engaging in left-brain (logical) activities when a person is operating under the right-brain (emotions) due to adverse circumstances or trauma.

Materials:

Two short literary passages from a non-fiction book or article
Noise makers (i.e. drums, bells, whistles, etc.)

Steps:

Ask one participant to read one of the passages without interruption.
Ask the reader to summarize the paragraph.
Ask the same participant to read another passage, this time with at least two other participants making distracting noises nearby.
Ask the reader to summarize the passage.

Discuss:

The distractions illustrated that it is very difficult to learn or think logically when the brain is operating out of the right hemisphere (emotions).

Ask the reader:

How difficult was concentrating with all the noise?

Ask audience:

How does this illustrate the likelihood that students are ready to learn if they are having/have had traumatic experiences?

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Distressing Event�or�Triggers

Stuck on “High”�Hyper-arousal

Hyperactivity�Hypervigilance�Mania�Anxiety and Panic�Irritability�Rage�Pain

Depression�Disconnection�Exhaustion/Fatigue�Numbness/Freeze

Stuck on “Low”�Hypo-arousal

Resilient Zone

Graphic: Leitch Health and Justice (2017)

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Part II: Connect, Then Redirect

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Connect, Then Redirect

When the student has a trauma response, connect first to the emotions: “You look like you feel sort of mad.”
If there is an affirmative response, ask what they are mad about.
First provide empathetic responses: “Of course you feel that way.”

“You seem really frustrated/angry/worried.”

Then normalize the feeling: “I get frustrated about things like that too.” “That sounds hard/frustrating/scary.”

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Connect with the Right Brain �(Emotional, Nonverbal, Experiential, Autobiographical)

Logic is not the primary vehicle to calm our brains.

Feelings and emotions are are real and important.

Use nonverbal signs:

Physical touch
Empathetic facial expressions
Nurturing tone of voice
Nonjudgmental listening

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To recap this strategy, let’s review the brain structure and function one more time,

Our brain has two hemispheres, the left and the right, which are connected through a pathway of nerves.

No task, action, or thinking process is conducted solely in one hemisphere. Each hemisphere has an expertise or a type of processing which it dominates.

The left hemisphere tends to dominate linear, literal, and logical thinking. It likes to solve puzzles, especially using order and reason, and serves in linguistic expression.

The right hemisphere is often thought of as the more creative side of the brain. It dominates non-verbal communication, emotions, and creative expression through activities such as art or dance.

The Connection part of the process creates calm for the student’s emotions and allows them to feel, and name, whatever emotion they are experiencing. When we are flooded with emotions, there is little space for the logical reasoning of the left brain. Although it may be tempting for us to respond to an emotional student in a way that applies logic and reason to a situation, this approach will most likely lead to frustration for everyone. In the throes of emotion, there’s little access to that left brain.

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Redirect with the Left Brain (Logical, Linguistic, Literal)

“Name It to Tame It”
Sometimes the emotional waves just need to crash until the storm passes.
Student may simply need to eat or get some sleep.
Rules about respect and behavior still apply.
Inappropriate behavior remains off-limits even in moments of high emotion.
Good idea to discuss misbehavior and its consequences after the student has calmed down.

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According to the ”Connect and Redirect" strategy, we must first use our right brain (empathy) to connect with their situation, i.e. acknowledge and empathize with the student’s feelings.

Empathy allows them to "feel felt" and relax. Once the student has calmed down, the left hemisphere is more available to participate in the crisis.

Only when the emotional flooding has subsided, and the student has calmed down, can we redirect them by helping them analyze what happened. It might not be possible until several hours later, or perhaps even the next day.

By connecting with the right brain and subsequently redirecting with the left brain, we integrate both sides of the brain, training the neuropathways to do this independently somewhere down the road.

When the student can name an accurate emotion, and not just any emotion, this will further help to calm the brain and help them make sense of their feelings.

There is something powerful about understanding the science of how this works. When we have such understanding, we are more likely to use it.

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Connect, Then Redirect

It is important to integrate words into emotions and name the feelings.
Only redirect once you have connected to the feelings.
Later you can figure out:

Why did the student act this way?
What coping strategy do I want to teach?
How can I best teach it?

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Regulate, Relate, Reason (Repeat!)

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Part III: Co-Regulation

Co-Regulation is the idea that one person can influence another person’s regulation by modeling regulation in themselves.

The purpose of this activity is, again, to take a moment to calm the brain.

Participants may close their eyes if they choose to do so.

Guide the participants:

Register your sensations. Is your heart racing?
Identify the images that are running through your head in this moment. Do they relate to past experiences? Are they valid?
Name your feelings related to your thoughts and images.
Observe and identify your thoughts.

Discuss:

This technique was originally created for parents and other adults to calm their brains before speaking to their children.
With time and practice, brains can be rewired through repetition. This rewiring of the brain is called neuroplasticity.
How can this practice be helpful when working with students?

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Co-Regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to manage thoughts and feelings in yourself.
Co-regulation is the supportive process between caring adults and youth that fosters self-regulation development.
Help the student recognize early signs, physical indicators, thought patterns, and emotions.

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Source: Duke Center for Child and Family Policy for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

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Co-Regulation

Message: “You’re safe with me.”
How?

Responsive/warm relationship
Structured environment
Teach/coach self-regulation skills

Mirror neurons

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Co-Regulation for Young Adults

Provide a warm, supportive relationship.
Provide comfort and empathy; provide prompt and supportive coping strategies.
Encourage effective planning, awareness of consequences, and task completion.
Share perspective and provide coaching for complex problem-solving and decision-making.
Allow space for the young adult to make his or her own decisions and experience the consequences.

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Activity:�Co-Regulation - Recognizing�Freezing and Boiling�Points

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Reflect on circumstances that make you feel out of control and overwhelmed or that, conversely, relax you to the point of stopping you on your tracks.

Steps:

Print a copy of the Freezing and Boiling Point Handouts for each participant.
Ask the participants to think about the prior month.
What things made them upset, out of control, and overwhelmed (i.e. having to teach my child while working from home)?
What things made them relax, but also froze them from the outside world (i.e. checking social media)?

Discuss:

Sometimes when we are in either of these extremes, we need to recharge our batteries. That may mean finding alone time or doing some breathing/grounding exercises, doing something we love, or pausing to see the big picture.
Co-regulation is about helping someone else regulate. In order to be prepared for this, we need to self-regulate first.
Ask participants to think about how it would be useful in their work with migratory students to identify these extremes.

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Activity:�Empathy vs. Sympathy �Video

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Empathy vs. Sympathy

According to the work of Dr. Brené Brown, to grow deeper relationships one must understand the difference:

Empathy - experiencing someone else’s feelings. It comes from the German Einfühlung, or ‘feeling into.’ It requires an emotional component of really feeling what the other person is feeling.
Sympathy - understanding someone else’s suffering. It is more cognitive in nature and keeps a certain distance.

“Empathy fuels connection, and sympathy drives disconnection.”

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Empathy Characteristics

Develop perspective
Stay out of judgment
Recognize the emotions

What makes something better is the connection!

Use empathy with balance - your personal story can lend to over/ under involvement! (excessive response)

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Say:

“I don’t know what to say, but I’m glad you told me.”
“I can’t imagine…”
“That sounds so…”
“I’m here to support you.”

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ACTIVITY:

Rethink Card Deck

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Whether you're at home, in the classroom, or running a clinical practice, these conversation cards are meant to get people thinking and talking about who they are, what they like, and how they interact with the world around them.

Each question targets different skills and areas of life, but all the questions have one primary purpose: to get you discussing the important fundamentals of an emotionally balanced, mindful and compassionate way of living.

The deck is divided into 4 categories:

Connect – questions that increase attention and build awareness of the present moment
Gratitude – questions to inspire a heightened sense of sensitivity to and appreciation of the life that surround you
Compassion – questions that challenge assumptions, breakdown biases and promote more understanding
Insight – questions to expand perspectives and strengthen social and emotional intelligence

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Part IV: Self-Regulation

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Activity: SIFTing to Calm Your Brain

SIFTing is:

Training your brain to pause and allow the rational brain (frontal lobe) to give guidance to the emotional brain (limbic system)
Intentionally taking a moment to consciously calm your brain’s instinctual reaction
Based on the concept of neuroplasticity

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With SIFTing, one is intentionally taking a moment to consciously calm the brain's instinctual reaction.

Because of neuroplasticity, over time and with repetition SIFTing can teach the brain to be less reactive and remain in a responsive mode.

It is really a mindfulness practice.

SIFTing was originally developed for parents/adults to take a moment before they act or interact with a child/student.

It is a strategy that students can be taught to do when those feelings resulting from trauma arise.

It requires them to take a pause when they are experiencing difficulties.

Basically, the method is training the brain to have new connections when faced with adversity - the process is called neuroplasticity.

With repetition over time the brain can continue to experience neuroplasticity at any age.

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SIFTing to Calm Your Brain

The four-step exercise to teach your brain to be less reactive and remain in a responsive mode:

Sensations

Images

Feelings

Thoughts

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The brain has two basic settings, reactive and responsive.

Reactive is the mode that is wired into our DNA – survival mode. This is the fight or flight response that helped our ancestors survive but may have negative consequences for us.

A responsive brain is actually the goal. This creates a calm brain, making one feel safe, relaxed, and peaceful.

The four-step process is called SIFTing.

It is a process of intentionally taking a moment to consciously calm the brain’s instinctual reaction:

Sensations – Be aware of your body’s reactions. Is your heart rate raising? Are you flushed?

Images – What images are running through your head? Do they relate to past experiences? Become aware of and identify any images that exist so that you can have greater control over them. Question their authenticity for you and reframe them if needed.

Feelings – What feeling do you experience when you have these sensations and images? It is important to name our feelings as a way of diffusing them. Work on accepting and exploring your feelings — not judging them.

Thoughts – Observe and identify your thoughts. Why are you reacting this way? Are the thoughts valid?

With SIFTing, one may learn to calm the brain and body in a specific moment.

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Activity: HEAL - Changing Your Brain �from Reactive to Responsive

The HEAL technique is another strategy to change the brain from reactive to responsive.
The four-step process for “taking in the good” is:

Have a positive experience

Enrich it

Absorb it

Link positive and negative material

Based on Dr. Rick Hanson’s Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence

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Your mind gives more importance and reacts more intensely to unpleasant experiences than to pleasant ones.

We can train our brains to be more responsive by intentionally internalizing positive experiences into our brains.

The four-step process for “taking in the good” is:

Have a positive experience – Notice a positive experience in the present or actively create one by becoming aware of positive situations or experiences in your life.

Enrich it – Once you have identified the experience, apply attention to it and sustain it.

Absorb it – Heighten the positive experience by prolonging and intensifying it. Sense or visualize the good. Taking in the good is like building a fire. Step 1 is lighting it. Step 2 is adding fuel to keep it going, and step 3 is feeling its warmth.

Link positive and negative material – It’s normal to have positive and negative feelings all at once. Be aware that they are not mutually exclusive. Practice keeping the positive experience more prominently in your thoughts.

By practicing the HEAL strategy, you will enable neuroplasticity to help your brain move from reactive to responsive.

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Techniques to Regulate the Nervous System

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Techniques to Regulate the Nervous System

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Part V: Promoting Self-Awareness

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Activity: Teach Self-Awareness

5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique using all senses:

5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste

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Breathing technique:

Inhale for 4
Hold for 5
Exhale for 6

5-finger breathing technique:

Trace each finger with a finger from the opposing hand, inhale every time you go up, exhale each time you go down.

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Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts

Unhelpful or negative thoughts should be

challenged and replaced with balanced thoughts.

The best way to change your thoughts in the

moment is through affirmations (thoughts you

intentionally come up with).

Coupled with a visualization, affirmations can change your

mood.

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Affirmation Examples

I am strong and resilient!
I will get through this!
It’s okay not to be okay.
I am safe.
Tomorrow is another day.
My mistakes do not define me.

Can you come up with some more?

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Activity: Think of something unhelpful that often crosses your mind.

Can you identify:

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Evidence to contradict?
Patterns?
Would you say this to a friend?
Benefits/costs of this thinking?
How will you feel in six months?
Is there another way to look at it?

Balanced thought: “I have curves in all the right places!”

”I am fat.”

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Activity:�Self-Awareness �- Uncovering What’s Below the Surface

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Part VI: Creating Safe Spaces

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Trauma and Attachment

Young adults who have their defenses up usually have had these experiences:

Unreliable, untrustworthy adults
Adults who are not dependable and not to be trusted
Do not know how to ask for help

As a result, they act like porcupines – pushing people away; they have their “quills” (defenses) up.

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Creating safe spaces is a must to wear down those defenses.
A safe space is place free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations.

A person can be a “safe space.”

Adapted from The Body Keeps the Score by B Van Der Kolt

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Tips for Creating Safe Spaces

Create ground rules

Right to be heard
Respect
Confidentiality

Foster a caring culture

Words
Actions
Struggles

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Be equitable and inclusive

Understanding

Them
Themselves
Others

Adapted from Youth Today by Gina McGovern

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Part VII: Emotional Support

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Activity:

Visualizing

Your Feelings

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Activity:�Going to your happy place/

30-second vacation

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Tips for Seeking Emotional Support

Think about your support network.
Grow your support network.
Know when to seek professional help.

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Let’s close with a minute of self-care. Emotional supports can come from your family, a trusted friend or mentor, or a professional.

Know people you can reach out to who will help you with your struggles. Put energy into growing your network. It will serve you well throughout your life.

Think about when it is enough to seek help from your network versus when additional support is needed from a counselor or other professional. Don’t ever hesitate to seek objectivity and support through counseling. It’s a sign of strength to recognize and reach out to improve your life. You’re worth it!

Thank you for your time and interest in seeking healthy ways to address trauma through best practices. If additional information is needed, please reach out to us for support.

Now… I urge each of you to take a 30-second vacation in your own happy place and rejoin your group with a healthy, happy mindset!

Thank you!

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Please use the link to fill out an evaluation. Thank you!

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