Marine & Family Programs

Volume 1, Issue 1 July 2011

RESILIENCE EDUCATION
Post-traumatic Growth: Something Good Can Come Out of A Trauma!
This may be a new idea to you, but it is a reality: Traumatic events we experience often lead to something very positive in our lives! We usually look at Combat and Operational Stress Control (COSC), and/or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) entirely from a negative perspective. Combat can be traumatic, and psychiatric challenges such as PTSD are very real. There are also situations which may cause a person who has never gone to war to have to deal with the same challenges in life. We often see this played out in the lives of law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and emergency response personnel. Any person may experience trauma in their life and go through the same thing. You may have experienced traumatic events, or a time of unrelenting stress in your own life; or seen this in the life of someone close to you. Yes, there may be a negative impact of stress, but it may also open the door to a period of growth! After going through the experience, you may be a better person in some way; more focused on the truly important things of life, and more resilient. To fully understand traumatic stress, we need to know that there can be a very positive side to bad experiences along the journey of life. Trauma can cause us to grow, to come through the experience as a stronger individual, to be better in some significant ways. But do not forget that this posttraumatic growth occurs in the context of suffering and significant psychological struggles. As we learn about this subject, be sure to maintain a sense of empathy for the pain and suffering of trauma survivors. For most trauma survivors, post-traumatic growth and distress will coexist for a time as the growth emerges from the struggle with coping; not from the actual trauma. The traumatic event stimulates within us a resiliency we typically did not know we possessed beforehand. After going through the bad experience, and struggling with the natural (normal) mental and emotional upset that ensues, we discover within ourselves a whole new view of life and a whole new ability to see things in a different perspective. And, yes, it takes time and work to get there. Consider these facts: A person can develop in the same meaningful ways without having to experience trauma. The trauma is still not good - even when something good comes out of it. The bad experience is still bad. It would be great if no person ever faced traumatic events. But it is good to know that having gone through this experience one can come out the other side of it healthier, more mature, and more focused. The growth that often comes out of trauma is not automatic. When the trauma is followed by emotional and psychological healing, we become open to significant and meaningful growth.

Schedule of Events/Workshops 06 Jul Improving Self-Esteem 0830-1130 BASIC Training 0800-1200 Urinalysis Coordinators Course 1300-1600 Stress Management 0830-1600

08 Jul

11 Jul

12 Jul

13 Jul

Anger Management 0830-1600

14 Jul

Alcohol 101 0830-1130

18 Jul Urinalysis

Coordinators Course 1300-1600

19 Jul Stress

Management 0830-1600

20 Jul Anger

Management 0800-1600

So, what must one do to seek and experience both healing and personal growth after trauma? We must get help in processing through the traumatic event to move beyond invasive thoughts and painful memories. We must not self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs that numb the pain but also inhibit our ability to heal and grow. This process cant be done on our own, even if we want to do it alone. It requires talking this stuff out to engage our brain in such a way that we can heal and grow; it requires another person to listen, care, and help us reframe our thoughts and experiences.

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Post-traumatic Growth: Something Good Can Come Out of A Trauma! (cont)

So, what must one do to seek and experience both healing and personal growth after experiencing trauma? We absolutely must get help in processing through the traumatic event, so that we can move beyond the invasive thoughts and painful memories. We absolutely must not self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs that numb the pain but also inhibit our ability to go through the necessary process that makes the healing and growth possible. This process cant be done on our own, much as we may desire that to be possible. It requires talking this stuff out to engage our brain in such a way that we can heal, and that requires another person to listen, care, and help us reframe our thoughts and experiences. It is a well-known fact that trauma often results in disorders (physical and emotional), with ongoing personal distress. Just know also that alongside those well-known results of trauma there is the very real possibility of growth on many levels. We are blessed here at Camp Lejeune with numerous people in several different specialties who are equipped to help in this process and want to do so. Where to start? The most important thing is that you start in the recovery process! Here are some of the resources: your unit chaplain, your doctor, the mental health department at the Naval Hospital, Division Psych, Deployment Health, Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program, the Community Counseling Center, and Resilience Education. Just dont keep it bottled up inside you, because that will make it far worse and will keep you from the possibility of experiencing PostTraumatic Growth.

Did you know:..

In 2009, approximately 7.0 million persons were current users of psychotherapeutic drugs taken nonmedically (2.8 percent of the U.S. population). This class of drugs is broadly described as those targeting the central nervous system, including drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2009). The medications most commonly abused are: Pain relievers5.3 million Tranquilizers2.0 million Stimulants1.3 million Sedatives0.4 million iors, including abuse of other drugs and alcohol, have also been reported.

Multiple factors are likely at work: Misperceptions about their safety. Because these medications are prescribed by doctors, many assume that they are safe to take under

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Among those who abuse prescription drugs, high rates of other risky behav-

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Did you know: (cont.)

any circumstances. This is not the case: prescription drugs act directly on the same brain systems affected by illicit drugs; thus their abuse carries substantial addiction liability and can lead to a variety of other adverse health effects. Increasing environmental availability. Between 1991 and 2010, prescriptions for stimulants increased from 5 million to 45 million, a 9-fold increase, and opioid analgesics increased from about 30 million to 180 million, a 6-fold increase. Varied motivations for their abuse. Underlying reasons include: to get high, to counter anxiety, pain, or sleep problems; or to enhance cognition (although they may, in fact, impair certain types of cognitive performance). Whatever the motivation, prescription drug abuse comes with serious risks.

Reference Cited: NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

June 27, National HIV Testing Day, Camp Johnson

Who is Your Role Model?

Aristotle believed that people learned to be virtuous, by modeling the behavior of moral people in their lives. Think about some of the things in your life that you do, or have done, that youre not so proud of. Did you do these things because you are inherently bad? Or, did you see someone in your life model this behavior for you? Although some of our bad habits might be attributed to genetic predispositions, most negative behaviors are often learned, and reinforced by people who model these bad behaviors for us. One should never underestimate the impact generated by people around us, and who come in and out of our lives. The old adage, misery loves company, is correlated to this idea of the importance of role models. If your friends are typically miserable or negative, it should come as no surprise that you might exist in a dismal state of being. Contrastingly, if you surround yourself with positive people, the modeling of this good behavior might actually rub off on you. Ultimately, if you want to avoid being glum and you wish to approach the world with optimism, perhaps you can start with changing who you view as your role models.

Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) Program

Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) has extended the signup date for the Youth Leadership Camp, which is slated to begin this August. Military I.D. cardholders with children ages 9 to 12 can enroll until July 15. The free program teaches children about the dangers of drugs, bullying, peer pressure, and many other things that children face on a daily basis. DEFY participants also go on field trips to fun and interesting places, which reinforce their other camp experiences. The DEFY Program operates all year long. DEFY doesnt have to stop at the end of the summer leadership camp. It continues throughout the school year. We highly encourage parents to allow their children to continue being a part of the program until completion. After the summer camp, we meet the last Saturday of every month until May. The DEFY Camp starts at 8:00 am and ends at 4:00 p.m. During that time, children are given a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack. This is a complete program. It is not solely about drug education. DEFYs goal is to empower military youth to build positive, healthy lifestyles as drug-free, successful citizens. We focus on a wide spectrum of topics including physical fitness, nutrition, gang resistance, internet safety, and other subjects in an effort to reach this goal.

Resilience Education
Bldg 302 Holcomb Blvd Camp Lejeune, NC 28547 Phone: 451-2865

Fax: 451-4912

Were on the web: www.mccslejeune.com

For more information, please contact our office at 451-2865.