Historical+Trauma

Definition of Trauma: The result of an overwhelming experience that can come from a natural disaster, experiences in war, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect. Effects and Symptoms of Trauma: Trauma and Depressants ( Harrison & Carver, 2004)
 * Post Traumatic Stress Disorder**
 * struggles with day to day life
 * high levels of fear, distress, distrust, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, self harm, low self esteem
 * intense memories of the event, distressing dreams, or flashbacks
 * can appear detached from feelings or unable to experience emotions
 * Use of depressants is high in people who have experienced trauma because it decreases experiences cognitive states of hyperarousal, decreases anxiety and perceived threat.

**What is Historical Trauma or Intergenerational Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?**
 * Historical Trauma – Intergenerational Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder**

Historical Trauma refers to an experience of trauma that has effected more than one generation within a family or community. This trauma is not experienced first hand by all generations in the family or community, but the experiences and emotions related to the initial trauma are transmitted to previous generations. Historical trauma can be passed down over hundreds of years. The transmission of trauma across generations is an unconscious process that involves the unspoken or spoken communication of experiences, emotions, thought patterns, and trends related to an experience of trauma to the next generation. A parent’s experience of trauma can be re-experienced emotionally their children, which results in a cycle of transmission of trauma. This cycle is especially effective when there is a lack of conversation or acknowledgement, and silence surrounding the past traumas (Gardner, 1999). Parents who experience trauma effect their children in many ways. Studies have also shown that experiences of physical and sexual abuse have been observed to run in families. Other effects on children include discipline problems, lack of self esteem, difficulties in making and keeping friends and intimate relationships, aggression, blaming behaviours, and drinking and drug problems (Mason, 1996). (National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, 2009) The current experiences of Aboriginal peoples can clearly be linked to the traumatic effects of the past (Harrison & Carver, 2003). In many North American Aboriginal communities there is a history of trauma that has existed across multiple generations. Historical trauma has resulted in generations of Aboriginal peoples experiencing hopelessness, helplessness and grief. Colonialism and the cultural genocide of Aboriginal populations, which includes such historical influences as the Indian Act, the residential school system, child welfare experiences, assimilation with Western culture and a loss of traditional Aboriginal culture have contributed to the degradation of Aboriginal populations and culture and increased experiences of trauma have left Aboriginal peoples without the resources to build and maintain healthy communities and families (Morgan & Freeman, 2009). The experience of residential school is a key part of the cycle of trauma. The pain and negative emotional experiences are taken out on future generations (Harrison & Carver, 2003). Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, low self esteem, and rates of substance use in Aboriginal communities have also been passed down from one generation to the next. When trauma’s such as those experienced by the Aboriginal community are not dealt with or acknowledged, they are inadvertently passed down to the next generation emotionally, spiritually, and behaviourally. These experiences have directly contributed to the development of and common experience of substance abuse problems within Aboriginal communities (Garrett & Carroll, 2000). Substance use is high in Aboriginal communties as a method of self-medication. Aboriginal peoples resort to substance use as a way to cope with the pain and confusion felt from not feeling like a whole person due to cultural dislocation and family breakdown (Garrett & Carroll, 2000). Cultural devestation and breakdown is highly associated with substance use (McCormick, 2000). Substance use also provides a way to calm intrusive thoughts and numb painful memories and emotions caused by historical trauma (Mason, 1996). Aboriginal peoples may feel like they have no choice but to turn to substances as a way of self medication, because they lack spiritual resources, have little support both inside and outside of their community, experience great stigma, and experience pain both physically and mentally(Garrett & Carroll, 2000). McCormick (2006) states that substance use in Aboriginal communities may in fact be an behavioural adaptation to deal with the hostile and hopeless environment that many Aboriginal people face on a daily basis.
 * Historical Trauma in North American Aboriginal Communities**
 * Historical Trauma and Substance Use and Abuse**
 * Contradictions Between The DSM-IV Definition of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Historical Trauma**

Aboriginal Health Practitioners question the functionality of the DSM-IV diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because it fails to acknowledge the place of culture and intergenerational or community trauma. The diagnosis also fails to recognize a person's experience in comparison to the societal conditions that maintain them. These types of historical trauma become normalized so that Aboriginal peoples and greater society do no recognized the conditions that continue the cycle of trauma. A focus on trauma as an individual issue, rather than an experience of generations, does not do justice to the experience of Aboriginal populations because although the traumatic events were not experienced first hand, they are experienced in ongoing relationships, roles, practices and greater societal relations (Harrison & Carver, 2003).