Over the last several weeks, I have shared some insights about the mental health continuum and how important it is that we become aware of what contributes to good mental wellness. Last week, I shared how traumas can often cause us to slide down the continuum, sometimes without us becoming aware of it.
I gave four general categories of traumas: 1) acute, 2) chronic, 3) vicarious and 4) post-traumatic syndromes. Acute traumas result from an event that most people would consider as severe such as being in a horrific accident or vicious attack. Chronic trauma comes from prolonged exposure to stressful or harmful people or events such as verbal abuse over a protracted period of time. Vicarious trauma results when we internalize the suffering of others such as first responders who experience other people’s trauma over and over again. Post-traumatic syndromes are a set of conditions that trigger previously endured traumas such as people who experienced a car accident are caused further damage by seeing an accident on the news which triggers the original trauma.
All of these traumas can easily cause us to slide down the mental health continuum and can be compounded with each other making matters worse. Yet, we need to realize that we all have different capacities to deal with trauma and our ability to process them can be hampered by lack of awareness and education. That is why it is so important to become more educated on mental illness and the wellness continuum for ourselves and for others. Community can make all the difference when it comes to this issue.
There are many accomplices to trauma that do further damage and can increase our chances of risk. Shame is the greatest accomplice to trauma and causes the largest damage. Unfortunately, our Catholic Church has not helped in this process of education and in fact has used shame to control people’s behavior with untold damage over the years.
Shame tells us that it is “our fault” and we “should have known better” and does not allow us to talk about our traumas keeping us isolated in our pain. This causes further damage to our heart and mind. There are many other accomplices such as poor self-care, poor sleep habits, risk-taking behaviors, among others.
There are a number of steps we can take to prevent trauma and a number of steps to take when we experience trauma. Making selfcare a priority in our lives is one of the greatest steps we can take to minimize the effects of trauma. For example, good diet, good sleep habits, watching our self-talk and being generally aware of the triggers for ourselves is critical. Calling shame for what it is—an accomplice to trauma and further damaging our mind and heart. We should not allow shame into our lives, or at the very least catching it when it does and bringing it to the light.
One of the most important techniques to deal with trauma is meditation and prayer. It allows us to take the events of the day and put them into the context of our lives. I suggest the examen and reflecting on the 3-5 highlights of the day to focus our energy and heal our memories of the day. It is a great way to start and finish every day. More to come at all the Sunday Masses.
Before I finish this bulletin, I want to invite you to join us in person for Mass this weekend. We have John Angotti here and he will playing and singing at every Mass. He brings the liturgy alive with his music and it is worth the effort to come in person.
Speaking of in person attendance at Mass, I invite you come to Ash Wednesday Mass this Wednesday as we begin our Lenten journey. We will return to giving ashes in the traditional way of a cross traced on the forehead. We have Mass at 6:30 am, 8:30 am and 7:00 pm. I hope that you can think of some way to make this Lent special for you this year. Maybe you can join us for the weekly Stations of the Cross and soup supper every Friday. Or maybe you can consider joining us for daily 6:30 am Mass each day in person before you head off to work or go about your daily activities. It is a wonderful way to start your day.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan