Description
Lenore Terr’s Too scared to cry: Psychic trauma in childhood is a psychology book that discusses various real-life scenarios when children were exposed to traumatic events and their response to those situations. Initially, the author explores and defines childhood trauma and what factors may cause it. She provides examples of older adults who were harassed and hence developed an aversion to sex. Furthermore, she presents the story of a young boy who was kidnapped and raped by a middle-aged man. In this case, the child seems to have a poor recollection of that event because it happened when he was three. Additionally, the author tells about a group of kidnapped schoolchildren who were buried alive and, fortunately, survived (Terr, 2008). In the subsequent chapters, Terr (2008) presents a range of responses to traumatic events that include terror, rage, numbing, denial, grief, shaming, and guilt. Furthermore, the author discusses how these emotions affect a person for the rest of one’s life if left unresolved. Lastly, the book presents treatment methods available for patients with traumatic life experiences.
Analysis
Childhood trauma is a severe and often poorly discussed topic, resulting in many untreated traumatized adults that project their issues onto their families and other people. Too scared to cry can be related to three concepts in A guide to crisis intervention textbook: situational crisis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and trauma-informed care. Situational crises are unexpected and often negative experiences and events that a person cannot control or prevent (Kanel, 2019). PTSD is a clinical diagnosis established for individuals in the state of pathologic grief after the loss or death of a loved one longer than six months (Kanel, 2019). The PTSD diagnosis also applies to those who have flashbacks about a traumatic event for an extended period of time (Kanel, 2019). Trauma-informed care focuses on ensuring a person’s physical and emotional safety, providing collaboration, and empowering the victim (Kanel, 2019). PTSD and other psychological traumas are the consequences of inciting events known as crises, resulting in a wide range of healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms among individuals.
The response of victims of assault, neglect, or sexual abuse varies depending on the age of exposure to that type of violence. The sooner a child is removed from an unfavorable environment, the higher the chance one has to leave a traumatic event in the past and continue developing normally if exposed to trauma-informed care. Although Terr (2008) admits that not all traumatized children remember their issues vividly for their entire lifetime, she believes that it shapes their relationship style, methods of communication, and overall reaction to various external stressors. The author claims that many people remain paralyzed for a long time after being raped, while some displace their anger on objects or people. The latter usually results from cases when a child was continuously abused in one’s family or school.
Self-Reflection
I chose this book for reading and reflection because it is an essential and painful topic for me because I know many individuals who carry their childhood traumas with them. I am certainly not an exception because the author of the book showed that all adults were traumatized at some point in their lives, but they respond differently. Undoubtedly, the reaction varies depending on the type of crisis. Still, in all of these cases, the only solution is to help these individuals understand their psychological problems, accept them, and eventually heal.
References
Terr, L. (2008). Too scared to cry: Psychic trauma in childhood. Basic Books.
Kanel, K. (2019). A guide to crisis intervention. Cengage Learning.