For 26 years, my son lived with PTSD caused by early medical surgeries and invasive procedures. Since was successfully treated at the Intensive Trauma Therapy Institute in December of 2008, I’ve been researching the topic. There’s good news and bad news concerning the topic.
Bad News, Good News about How to Trauma Proof Your Child
When our son was born in 1982, we asked doctors and nurses about how the separation from family, surgery, post-op pain, and countless medical procedures would affect him. Over and over, we were told, “He’s so young, he won’t remember.” Research has proven those words to be untrue, but here’s the bad news. Parents of newborns are still being told their children won’t remember early medical treatment. Medical professionals who say that are wrong. What they should be saying is the good news.
Enter, Peter A. Levine and Maggie Kline
The good news is that much medical trauma can be prevented and the rest can be treated early, and in most cases, easily. Two good resources for parents are Trauma-Proofing Your Kids and Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes, both by Peter A. Levine and Maggie Kline. They not only help parents view trauma from a child’s point of view, but also provide ideas about how to prevent trauma and remediation exercises to do with kids when trauma occurs. The second book provides a wealth of information about avoiding trauma at birth, at school, during natural disasters and during medical procedures. They also advise parents about when trauma is serious enough to require professional treatment.
However, neither book deals with the cutting edge theory and treatment coming out of the Intensive Trauma Therapy Institute. If your child is dealing with long-standing trauma issues, visit their website for more information. The healing they do in one week can be miraculous.
If you know of other good trauma therapy resources, please tell us about them.
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