Truth That Hurts......

Trauma Symptom Checklist: Where to Begin

If you have been through a traumatic event, you may find it hard to talk about your experiences. But, it can be helpful to tell your doctor or a counselor about any symptoms you have. Witnessing or going through a trauma can lead to both emotional and physical problems.

The checklist below can be a good start to talking about your symptoms following a trauma. You can print this page, complete the checklist and show it to your doctor, therapist, or someone who can help you find care.

Sharing this information will help a health care provider know you better and plan the best treatment for you. Not everyone who goes through trauma will get PTSD, but keep in mind that good treatments are available even if you only have some PTSD symptoms.

Brief checklist of trauma symptoms

Check the symptoms below that you experience. Include symptoms you have even if you are not sure they are related to a traumatic event.

I experienced or witnessed a traumatic event during which I felt extreme fear, helplessness, or horror.

The event happened on (day/month/year) _______________.

What happened? ________________________________________.

1. I have symptoms of re-experiencing or reliving the traumatic event:
• Have bad dreams or nightmares about the event or something similar to it
• Behave or feel as if the event were happening all over again (this is known as having flashbacks)
• Have a lot of strong or intense feelings when I am reminded of the event
• Have a lot of physical sensations when I am reminded of the event (for example, my heart races or pounds, I sweat, find it hard to breathe, feel faint, feel like I'm going to lose control)

2. I have symptoms of avoiding reminders of the traumatic event:
• Avoid thoughts, feelings, or talking about things that remind me of the event
• Avoid people, places, or activities that remind me of the event
• Have trouble remembering some important part of the event

3. I have noticed these symptoms since the event happened:
• Have lost interest in, or just don't do, things that used to be important to me
• Feel detached from people; find it hard to trust people
• Feel emotionally "numb" or find it hard to have loving feelings even toward those who are emotionally close to me
• Have a hard time falling or staying asleep
• Am irritable and have problems with my anger
• Have a hard time focusing or concentrating
• Think I may not live very long and feel there's no point in planning for the future
• Am jumpy and get startled or surprised easily
• Am always "on guard"

4. I experience these medical or emotional problems:
• Stomach problems
• Intestinal (bowel) problems
• Gynecological (female) problems
• Weight gain or loss
• Pain, for example, in back, neck, or pelvic area
• Headaches
• Skin rashes and other skin problems
• Lack of energy; feel tired all the time
• Alcohol, drug, or other substance use problems
• Depression or feeling down
• Anxiety or worry
• Panic attacks
• Other symptoms such as: ______________________________

Summing it up

If you checked off some of the symptoms above, it is important for you to let your health care provider know. This information helps providers plan your medical treatment. It can also help them connect you with services you may need.

If you think you may have PTSD, print this checklist, fill it out, and take it to a health care provider, or someone you trust.

 (c) T.Vossen 2013

Trauma Therapy: Family Dysregulation - Part 2

Truth That Hurts......

 Toni L.Vossen 2013

Trauma Therapy: Family Dysregulation

Truth That Hurts...... Toni L.Vossen 2013

Intro to Personality - Psychology 101

Truth That Hurts...... 

Intro to Personality Psychology

Toni Vossen

3/27/2013

~~~~~`Chapter 1: Introduction to Personality Theory and Development~~~~~~~~

_{So what is personality}?

To understand this concept, you first need to understand

 the difference between a trait and a state…

A trait is a relatively permanent individual characteristic.  For example, most of know people who are outgoing, friendly, confident, or shy.  When we describe these people, we use these traits to better understand their personality; to better understand who they are. 

A state, on the other hand, is a temporary change in one's personality.  Examples of states might be angry, depressed, fearful, or anxious.  We typically use states to describe a person's reaction to something.

Here Are some facts I found out…………………….

Ø  Personality is one of the most theorized aspects of Psychology researched.

Ø  To Understand the difference between trait and state you need to think about how a person is and then take note of how they may change; temporarily.

Ø  Traits are characteristics of an individual that makes them standout or unique.

 Why is it important to research and theorize about personality?

Ø  To understand the characteristics of a person’s behavior to observe future patterns; in hopes to change or control the outcome.

Ø   To understand certain aspects of a person’s lifestyle that is causing negative impacts, in hopes to make a positive impact.

 As you can see, the ultimate goal of psychology is to improve the quality of life through a better understanding of individual differences and similarities.  Personality is concerned a great deal with all five of these goals, but we will spend the majority of the text discussing the first three.  In other words, personality theory is concerned with observing individual characteristics, understanding how these different characteristics came about, and finally, how they are impacting the individual’s quality of life

Why Study Personality?

If we know a person is confident, or outgoing, or friendly, what do we need to study?  Why is it important to research and theorize about personality?\To answer these questions, you need to understand a little about the field of psychology in general.  Psychology is the study of thoughts, emotions, and behavior, and their interaction with each other and the world.  There are five basic goals of psychology:

Ø  Describe – The first goal is to observe behavior and describe, often in minute detail, what was observed as objectively as possible

Ø  2. Explain – While descriptions come from observable data, psychologists must go beyond what is obvious and explain their observations. In other words, why did the subject do what he or she did?

Ø  3. Predict – Once we know what happens, and why it happens, we can begin to speculate what will happen in the future. There’s an old saying, which very often holds true: "the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."

Ø  4. Control – Once we know what happens, why it happens and what is likely to happen in the future, we can excerpt control over it. In other words, if we know you choose abusive partners because your father was abusive, we can assume you will choose another abusive partner, and can therefore intervene to change this negative behavior.

5. Improve – Not only do psychologists attempt to control behavior, they want to do so in a positive manner, they want to improve a person’s life, not make it worse. This is not always the case, but it should always be the intention. ~*Cit.  Dr. Christopher L. Heffner

Licensed Psychologist

Published: August 21, 2002

The Online Tests at AllPsych are divided into three categories: Psychology Academic tests are taken directly from the material on this website and are designed to test your knowledge and understanding of psychological principles and theory.   Diagnostic Screening tests were developed to help you better understand your own mental health based on general categories of psychopathology and mental illness.  Please remember, these quizzes can not replace a true diagnostic assessment by a licensed mental health professional. Finally, the Self-Help quizzes were designed to give you a better understanding of your relationships, communication, stress level, etc.  These quizzes provide both a score and an interpretation, but please use them as a guide only.

Ø   

 Toni L.Vossen 2013

Characteristics of Narcissistic Mothers......2

Truth That Hurts...... Toni L.Vossen 2012

Mother Dearest ch2 It's about secret things. The Destructive Narcissistic Parent creates a child that only exists to be an extension of her self.  It's about body language. It's about disapproving glances It's about vocal tone. It's very intimate.  And it's very powerful. It's part of who the child is. ~ Chris     2. She violates your boundaries.  You feel like an extension of her.  Your property is given away without your  consent, sometimes in front of you. Your food is eaten off your plate or given to others off your plate.  Your property may be repossessed and no reason given other than that it was never yours. Your time is committed without consulting you, and opinions purported to be yours are expressed for you.  (She LOVES going to the fair! He would never want anything like that. She wouldn't like kumquats.)  You are discussed in your presence as though you are not there. She keeps tabs on your bodily functions and humiliates   you by divulging the information she gleans, especially when it can be used to demonstrate her devotion and highlight her martyrdom to your needs  ("Mike had that problem with frequent urination too, only his was much worse. I was so worried about him!") Y ou have never known what it is like to have privacy  in the bathroom or in your bedroom, and she goes through your things regularly. She asks nosy questions,  snoops into your email/letters/diary/conversations. She will want to dig into your feelings,  particularly painful ones  and is always looking for negative information on you which can be used against you. She does things against your expressed wishes frequently.  All of this is done without seeming  embarrassment or thought. Any attempt at autonomy on your part is strongly resisted.  Normal rites of passage  (learning to shave, wearing makeup, dating)  are grudgingly allowed only if you insist,  and you're punished for your insistence  ("Since you're old enough to date,  I think you're old enough to pay for your own clothes!") If you demand age-appropriate clothing, grooming, control over your own life, or rights, you are difficult and she ridicules your "independence."

Characteristics of Narcissistic........ 1

Truth That Hurts...... Toni L.Vossen 2012

Mother Dearest  ch.1 "It's about secret things. The Destructive Narcissistic Parent creates a child that only exists to be an extension of her self. It's about body language. It's about disapproving glances. It's about vocal tone. It's very intimate. And it's very powerful. It's part of who the child is." ~ Chris   1. Everything she does is deniable. There is always a facile excuse or an explanation. Cruelties are couched in loving terms. Aggressive and hostile acts are paraded as thoughtfulness. Selfish manipulations are presented as gifts. Criticism and slander is slyly disguised as concern. She only wants what is best for you. She only wants to help you. She rarely says right out that she thinks you're inadequate.  Instead, any time that you tell her you've done something good, she counters with something your sibling did that was better or she simply ignores you or she hears you out without saying anything, then in a short time does something cruel to you so you understand not to get above yourself. She will carefully separate cause  (your joy in your accomplishment) from effect (refusing to let you borrow the car to go to the awards ceremony)  by enough time that someone who didn't live through her abuse would never believe the connection. Many of her putdowns are simply by comparison. She'll talk about how wonderful someone else is or what a wonderful job they did on something you've also done or how highly she thinks of them. The contrast is left up to you.  She has let you know that you're no good without saying a word. She'll spoil your pleasure in something by simply congratulating you for it in an angry, envious voice that conveys how unhappy she is, again, completely deniably . It is impossible to confront someone over their tone of voice, their demeanor or they way they look at you, but once your narcissistic mother has you trained, she can promise terrible punishment without a word. As a result, you're always afraid, always in the wrong, and can never exactly put your finger on why. Because her abusiveness is part of a lifelong campaign of control and because she is careful to rationalize her abuse, it is extremely difficult to explain to other people what is so bad about her. She's also careful about when and how she engages in her abuses. She's very secretive, a characteristic of almost all abusers ("Don't wash our dirty laundry in public!") and will punish you for telling anyone else what she's done. The times and locations of her worst abuses are carefully chosen so that no one who might intervene will hear or see her bad behavior, and she will seem like a completely different person in public. She'll slam you to other people, but will always embed her devaluing nuggets of snide gossip in protestations of concern, love and understanding  ("I feel so sorry for poor Cynthia. She always seems to have such a hard time, but I just don't know what I can do for her!") As a consequence the children of narcissists universally report that no one believes them  ("I have to tell you that she always talks about YOU in the most caring way!). ~Unfortunately therapists, given the deniable actions of the narcissist and eager to defend a fellow parent, will often jump to the narcissist's defense as well, reinforcing your sense of isolation and helplessness ~ ("I'm sure she didn't mean it like that!")  This is My Mother for sure.....   Get over yourself woman ITS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!