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By preparing in these ways a young person can tolerate extra distress without feeling out
of control and then reduce their chance of using unhelpful strategies such as substance
use.
Also for young people who have experienced complex trauma, they can often exist at a
very high level of arousal day to day (e.g. present as constantly irritable) and therefore,
they do not need much to tip them over into a flight/fight response. Integrating strategies
to reduce arousal state into day to day life e.g. regular exercise, can be very helpful.
A way to understand this is to imagine a young person walking around day-to-day carrying
two buckets of water that are both nearly full. It takes lot of energy and effort to keep
these from tipping throughout the day, leaving them exhausted, frustrated and
vulnerable.
For them, it doesn’t take much more water for the bucket to
overflow. Alternatively, finding ways to tip even smalls bits of the water out over the day
will mean the buckets are easier to manage and more is needed for them to overflow. In
other words, helping a young person to find ways to reduce arousal level over the day
may reduce their chance of becoming emotionally overwhelmed.
'During' Skills
This is about young people finding useful quick exercise such as controlled breathing or
grounding that work in the moment. Having a range of things that work for them within
different situations is important. Practicing these when they are least distressed can
make it easier for them to use them when they are.
'After' Skills
Reflecting on their learning is important. Give them some praise and reward for coping in
more helpful ways.
Helpful Thinking
Trauma can affect the way young people think about themselves, other people, and the
world. These thoughts are often really strong and persistent – things like “The world is a
dangerous place”, “People can’t be trusted”, “I’m unlovable” and “I’m to blame for what
has happened to me”. These can often make young people feel really ‘stuck’.
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