#Obviously ptsd is not the only disorder that trauma causes and I'm not an expert on

[fantasy-costco]

I hope every single person who talks on the internet about trauma responses and being worried about being 'broken' forever will realize that the vast majority of people with ptsd see recovery over the course of their lives. 'it gets better' isn't just a phrase it's a scientific fact. The world feels so much better once you finally internalize this

#Obviously ptsd is not the only disorder that trauma causes and I'm not an expert on #Psychology so I can't speak to other disorders #But God seeing fifteen year olds on tumblr worried that they'll be stuck in their own heads forever is so sad #I want to shake them by the shoulders and tell them that by definition their problems are not permanent #And it sucks right now! It sucks so bad and I'm sorry! But with treatment-- and even without it a lot of the time but please seek treatment #If you can-- it does get better #The flash backs get less common some things stop triggering you the panic attacks slow down. And it's only been a year since I started #Getting treatment. I'm only 21. In five years who knows where I'll be. Probably way better. #I promise you. I promise you one day you'll be able to loosen your shoulders. I know it's hard to imagine now #That's what trauma does. It convinces you that you'll be afraid forever. But you won't. Even if you can't imagine it now you will be able #Tto relax one day #And in a culture full of people shouting about how they think they'll be sick forever. I think we should all remember that recovery isn't #Just possible. It's the rule not the exception.

[romymdxcontexualstudies3rdyr]

A Collection of Thoughts on Nonverbal Communication 

"Experts in interpersonal communication have estimated that nonverbal communication constitutes approximately 70% of what is involved in communication. In other words only 30% of communication involves words we actually use." (Hull, 2016)

I thought this was a good opening statement to segue into my idea for an advocacy piece, from Dr Hull, who is professor of communication sciences and disorders, in audiology/neuroscience, at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS. Particularly because I find it fascinating that such a large percent of our communication is nonverbal, it's not so surprising when you think about it a little, we use body language and facial expression to convey how we feel even when we don't realise it. But the more surprising thing is that I don't feel there is enough people discussing this. For something so important at such a large number I feel as though we should have people be made more aware of these different types of communication and how and why people can become nonverbal.

Being nonverbal isn't just limited to people who have disabilities, it can also stem from trauma, mental health can effect us in strange ways and becoming nonverbal is by far one of the most overlooked responses. it can stem from past experiences of negative listening reactions when speaking, you may feel unable to speak because every time we entered a speaking situation, we produce a post-traumatic stress response (PTSD) that deactivates our speech and language production system. (Brocklehurst, 2019) This is an extract from researcher Paul Brocklehurst, he argues stammering and post-traumatic stress may create a vicious cycle. I really relate to this theory as I myself suffer with past trauma and PTSD, I do actually go nonverbal when I'm having a panic attack or a particular bad patch of anxiety. Just like Dr. Hull said, I find it physically impossible to speak, its like all my words are lost, I feel like I want to cry out for help but something is blocking this.

This is just one example of being nonverbal from a traumatic incident, there are studies of mutism in certain people, particularly children who have witnessed a traumatic event which causes them to go mute. I think this relates back to Brocklehurts theory of the vicious cycle, we don't think about the effect certain events will have on a person, obviously we cannot prevent everything from happening but that is why I want to create this advocacy piece for people who have had these traumas or disabilities that cause them to become nonverbal from no fault of their own. They have already suffered, this I cannot change, but I can make it easier for them, they will be heard verbal or not.

bibliography:

Brocklehurst, P., 2019. Stammering and post-traumatic stress – some food for thought. [online] STAMMA. Available at: <https://stamma.org/about-stammering/research/about-stammering/stammering-and-post-traumatic-stress-some-food-thought> [Accessed 17 October 2022].

Hull, R., 2016. The Art of Nonverbal Communication in Practice. [online] Available at: <https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2016/05000/the_art_of_nonverbal_communication_in_practice.5.aspx> [Accessed 17 October 2022].

Hull, R., 2016. The Art of Nonverbal Communication in Practice. The Hearing Journal, [online] 69(5), pp.22-24. Available at: <https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2016/05000/the_art_of_nonverbal_communication_in_practice.5.aspx> [Accessed 17 October 2022].