Healing Worldwide Wounds- Applied Trauma Theory and Relational Dynamics

Abstract

Psychological trauma has been explored to better understand the developmental, cognitive, psychodynamic, social, neuro-biological and chemical consequences due to exposure. Large populations who are exposed to trauma are often studied for their development of subsequent symptoms and psychopathology, but non-pathological and group interventions are infrequently addressed. Applied Trauma Theory (Bathory, 2013b) provides a means and structure for applying theory into practice for non-pathological responses in trauma subjected factions. By incorporating the research from the field of trauma, correlations from neurobiology and psychological applications a culturally customized intervention may be created. Sotero's Model of Historical Trauma discusses a heightened resiliency that occurs due to exposure to traumatic events (Sotero, 2006). Augmenting these models of trauma to adjoin culturally significant values provides a means of creating interventions that are potentially able to help vast numbers of people (such as populations exposed to war and disasters). This paper reviews the biological substrates of trauma, the roles of two major neurotransmitters (norepinephrine and dopamine), and their psychological expression in regard to age and cultural influences. This paper explores the underlying principles of Relational Dynamics and its' influence on decision making. Finally it notes applications that address the needs of large numbers of people exposed to trauma, and potential uses and misuses of this theory.