LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .


                                                  "A CLUSTER OF CRISES"


We like simple answers.  Sometimes we reduce problems to simply a label.  It is as if once we can label something we somehow feel like we have dealt with it, or at least have come to a conclusion that explains or justifies why we do not have to deal with it.  Unfortunately, over a period of time that strategy will often and eventually snowball on those who refuse to face and address the initial issue needing attention.

There are examples of this phenomena in individual lives as well as at a systemic level: marriages, families, communities, businesses, politics, schools, churches, etc.  Sometimes we fail to address what needs to be addressed out of some emotional base like fear or guilt.  Sometimes we simply do not know where to begin or how to address complicated and convoluted issues.  Sometimes it is a refusal to feel that loss of control when life gets "messy." Perhaps, it is all of the above.

Recent events at Fort Hood reminded me of these realities.  Both our medical and our mental health systems are wrestling with how to effectively treat post traumatic stress disorder.  It is not a simple linear process.  As well, it is a relatively new discipline of study and treatment; this cluster of symptoms were set forth in the diagnostic criteria of psychiatry (DSM III) in the late eighties or early nineties of the last century.  The factors contributing to any given crisis or trauma or why it results in different effects in different individuals experiencing the same event are not always the same or easy to ferret out.

I grew up in an extended family where there have been or are more than fifteen military personnel including army intelligence and special forces.  My birth family system was powerfully shaped by the effects of crisis and trauma. When an individual is affected by crisis or trauma it effects the entire system. My father was an infantry soldier in the 34th Red Bull Division during WWII. It was a division that arose out of the National Guard in Minnesota and Iowa. That division saw more front-line days of combat than any other (between 500-600).  Their field of operation was North Africa, Sicily, Italy, etc.  They suffered over 21,000 casualties and over 3400 were missing in action.

My father was missing in action for close to three-quarters of a year before the Red Cross found him and he was medically discharged to the States with a label of "battle fatigue" or "shell shock."  He underwent shock treatments intermittently to deal with the disturbing symptoms. As a child, however, I did not know any of this; he was just "Dad." I do remember, however, being incredibly curious about him.  He was always in proximity but never really "with us."  I thought it mysterious!

It was not until I was in graduate school that I realized what had happened to my father. I realized that the cluster of symptoms was something he had, not who he was at the core of his being.  I had the privilege of talking to him about all of this on a trip home when the DSM label came out.  He went back to the Veterans Association who then knew more about how to provide what he needed.  He changed through these interventions.  As well, it allowed him to come to terms with other realities he probably never would have been able to even think about talking about or resolving.

One need only listen to the news to realize our world is seeing more and more examples of individuals and systems experiencing crises and traumas.  We wonder if the phenomena are really increasing in frequency and intensity or are we just more aware of them through social media?  How do we even begin to address what is happening?

I believe part of the reason I have worked in the field of mental health for the past twenty years is that it is my adaptive response to where I grew up.  I believe we need to continue to grow in our collective understanding, early intervention and treatment of these clusters of symptoms and crises as they present themselves in various settings and circumstances.

This blog may seem like a disruption to the flow of previous blogs.  It is actually more of an expression from the psychological side of the integration I hope to attempt one day and that was
mentioned in my last blog.  I do not believe we have even begun to plum the depths of the resources available to us.  Actually, I do not believe we have approached the whole topic from a deep enough or inclusive enough model.  I love the saying, "every heart knows its own pain."  How do we deal with the pain and crises that touch our lives?  Are we satisfied with the outcomes or resolves we have experienced to date?

Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!