Indigenous W9: Intergenerational Trauma, and Trauma-Informed Care

Study Notes

Trauma is a "soul wound" that can be passed down through generations. Indigenous peoples are particularly affected by this phenomenon.

Complex trauma: Chronic trauma, often beginning before age 5 or during periods of development and attachment, frequently involving trusted figures.
Vicarious/secondary trauma: Trauma experienced by helpers working with trauma victims. Also known as compassion fatigue or empathic stress.

Direct experience: Experiencing a traumatic event.
Witnessing: Observing a traumatic event.
Learning of a traumatic event: Hearing about a traumatic event affecting a close family member or friend.
Extreme/repeated exposure: Experiencing the details of a traumatic event repeatedly.

Sociocultural: Examines parent-child relationships, parenting styles, and environments. Trauma or abuse in families can normalize these patterns across generations.
Psychological: Focuses on parent-child attachment. Difficulty understanding or responding to child cues can disrupt self-regulation and lead to insecurity, cognitive delays, and poor coping mechanisms.
Physiological: Highlights biological factors like abnormal cortisol, dopamine, or serotonin levels that impact learning and focus. Epigenetic research links prenatal stress to altered genetic development.

Physical: Fatigue, headaches, pain, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, worsening of existing health conditions, poor coordination and balance.
Emotional: Anxiety, fear, panic, depression, helplessness, mood regulation issues, impulse control problems, guilt, shame, and poor self-concept.
Cognitive: Difficulty concentrating and remembering, confusion, change in worldview, decision-making problems, and worry.
Relational: Trust issues, attachment problems with caregivers, and decreased academic performance.

Historical trauma (colonization): Causes significant impact on the mental and physical health of Indigenous youth.
4 Key Themes:
- Mental/Physical Health: Culture plays a significant role as a protective factor.
- Emotional Response: Strong family and school connections, and harm reduction approaches are vital protective factors.
- Risky Behaviors: Family, community, cultural connections, sports, and role models are protective factors.
- Relationship Breakdown: Trauma affects relationships and functioning in various areas.

Complex: Impacts emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social domains.
Collective: Affects families, communities, and generations.
Cumulative: Historical trauma, colonization, disease, starvation, land appropriation, and cultural genocide have compounded the problems.

Goal: Minimize harm, support healing, and provide treatment options.
Approach: Using universal trauma precautions for everyone.
4 Principles:
- Understand: Comprehending trauma.
- Create: Establishing safe environments.
- Foster: Supporting choice, collaboration, and connection.
- Provide: Focusing on strengths to support coping and resilience.

Change from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?"
Strengths-based approach recognizing signs and symptoms of trauma instead of just the details..
The 4-Rs:
- Realize: Recognizing the impact of trauma.
- Recognize: Recognizing signs and symptoms of trauma.
- Respond: Developing trauma-informed responses.
- Resist re-traumatization: Avoiding further harm.