Mindfulness practices and neurofeedback are two therapeutic approaches that have shown promise in helping individuals restore the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to a more positive state following trauma. Here’s how each of these approaches can contribute to healing:
1.Mindfulness:
Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental way. It encompasses practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and body scans.
2. Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that uses real-time monitoring of brain activity to teach self-regulation of brain function. Here’s how neurofeedback can support recovery from trauma:
Combining mindfulness practices with neurofeedback can offer a comprehensive approach to restoring the HPA axis to positive function post-trauma. By addressing both the psychological and physiological aspects of trauma recovery, individuals can cultivate greater resilience, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life.
Assisting teenagers in coping with family breakups after divorce or separation requires a sensitive and supportive approach aimed at mitigating the potential impact of trauma.
Here are some best practices:
- Open Communication: Encourage open and honest communication between teenagers and their parents or caregivers. Create a safe space for teens to express their thoughts, feelings, and concerns without judgment. Listen actively and validate their emotions, even if they seem difficult or uncomfortable.
- Provide Information: Help teenagers understand the reasons for the breakup or divorce in an age-appropriate manner. Offer factual information about the process and reassure them that they are not responsible for the relationship ending.
- Maintain Routine and Stability: Maintain consistent routines and structures as much as possible to provide stability during a time of upheaval. This includes keeping regular schedules for meals, school, extracurricular activities, and visits with both parents.
- Encourage Coping Strategies: Teach teenagers healthy coping strategies to manage stress and emotions, such as deep breathing exercises, journaling, mindfulness, or engaging in hobbies and activities they enjoy. Encourage them to express themselves creatively through art, music, or writing.
- Seek Support: Encourage teenagers to seek support from trusted friends, family members, or counselors. Provide information about support groups or therapy options if needed. Normalize the idea of seeking professional help for emotional support during challenging times.
- Validate Feelings: Validate teenagers’ feelings and experiences, even if they differ from your own or seem irrational. Avoid dismissing or minimizing their emotions, and instead, validate their experiences and offer empathy and understanding.
- Avoid Blame and Criticism: Refrain from speaking negatively about the other parent in front of the teenager, as this can exacerbate feelings of guilt, loyalty conflicts, and resentment. Encourage positive co-parenting relationships and focus on the well-being of the teenager.
- Promote Self-Care: Encourage teenagers to prioritize self-care activities that promote physical and emotional well-being, such as regular exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, and spending time outdoors, good hygiene and grooming.
- Provide Reassurance: Reassure teenagers that they are loved and supported by both parents, regardless of the changes in the family structure. Emphasize that the breakup or divorce is not their fault and that both parents will continue to be involved in their lives.
- Model Healthy Coping: Be a positive role model for healthy coping strategies by managing your own stress effectively and seeking support when needed. Show teenagers that it’s okay to ask for help and that there are constructive ways to navigate challenging situations.
By implementing these best practices, we can help teenagers navigate the challenges of family breakups after divorce or separation with greater resilience and support, reducing the potential impact of trauma on their well-being. As these practices are more widely expressed, adults can also benefit. Here, we attempt to correct years of wrong thought and out of mind behaviors. When we were in our right minds we built pyramids and empires. We charted the courses of the stars and deduced nature to an exact science. We formulated theories and proposed the concept of civilization itself. We knew God and developed spirituality and religion to provide order and function. However, 500 years of slavery and its aftermath have disordered our minds and thoughts, cognitions and behaviors. While we cannot undue intergenerational trauma we can do better to understand and manage it. If we know better we do better. If you know, teach. If you don’t know, learn. Each one teach one. Together we can begin to turn this thing around.
References
Heberle, A. E., Obus, E. A., & Gray, S. A. O. (2020). An intersectional perspective on the intergenerational transmission of trauma and state‐perpetrated violence. Journal of Social Issues, 76(4), 814–834. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12404
Ramo, F. L., Schneider, A., Wilker, S., & Kolassa, I. (2015). Epigenetic Alterations Associated with War Trauma and Childhood Maltreatment. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 33(5), 701–721. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2200