How is it that there are ideas
that we can't
get out of our heads?
How is it that some events
mark us for life?
Why is it so difficult to forgive?
Why is it so difficult to forget?
How is it that sometimes we are conditioned
by past events,
which influence us?
Today at the Well of Tales,
the greatest mystery
we have dealt with:
the human mind
and specifically
one of the most complicated themes:
trauma.
If you like mystery,
this is the right place.
(Sound of bells)
- Can you hear them?
- Do they sound?
I can't hear them, I'm deaf.
- I'm going to mass.
- I’m going up to pick up the tools, with the boy.
(Sound of seagulls)
(Sound of bells)
(Scream)
4, 5, 6, 7...
You can't go that way!
(Sound of falling into the water)
(Screams)
- Come on!
(Screams)
- The lighter!
- Come on, come on, come on!!
- He escaped!
- Oh, dear!
- Get back there!
Come on, again! Climb up, go!
- Tie yourself, boy!
- He isn't saying anything! He can't hear!
I got him! I got him!
- Are you okay?
Watch out, vertigo can make you fall!
It's a sensation
I've never had in my life.
I'm happy!
- Goodness!
What a traumatic experience.
The philosopher Thales of Miletus
- El filòsof Tales de Milet
also fell
into a well,
while gazing at the stars.
And was he traumatised by it?
- I don't know.
But look at these friends who have shared with us
their traumatic experiences:
As a child,
I received oralist education.
And often, I had to read
out loud
in front of the whole class.
I felt anxious,
had stomach aches, sweated
and my legs trembled.
The only thing I could do
was turn to the side
to not see anyone
and be able to read.
If I saw the audience,
I couldn't read out loud.
Now, if I have to read,
I do it for myself,
and in sign language for the audience.
When I was an interpreter
for sign language
I went to a job on a motorcycle.
And I had an accident.
I broke my elbow
and it came out.
Since then, I get terrified
when I get in a car
and they drive fast.
I haven't been able to ride
a motorcycle again.
Recently, I decided
to enrol in a driving school.
And I got my driving licence.
I'm not the king of the road,
but every time
I get in the car
I feel like I'm getting the hang of it
and that I'm driving better.
Before coming here...
in my country,
I had a partner.
He was abusive. He hit me,
had low self-esteem.
I decided to leave him,
but I felt very lost.
Luckily, my family
listened to me
and advised me
to leave the country.
And I got better,
little by little,
except in romantic relationships.
I'm still traumatised.
When I was little, the swimming instructor
asked us
who knew how to swim.
Since most
said yes,
I did too.
So I jumped in the water,
but since I actually
didn't know how to swim,
I almost drowned.
They had to save me.
Luckily, the instructors
were attentive
and were able to see me
and save me.
To overcome this trauma
I chose to
learn to swim,
but it was later on.
My trauma
stems from when I was
with two hearing friends
trying to communicate.
Since we couldn't understand each other
neither with signs nor gestures,
I told them verbally.
When they heard my voice,
they started laughing.
I decided not to speak with my voice anymore
as a strategy
to overcome the trauma.
But I am a signer and can speak in Sign Language!
Well, when I was little,
I started
watching series, cartoons
and horror films,
especially about sharks.
And even though they didn't traumatise me,
they got to me.
In the summer at the beach,
I enjoyed playing in the sea.
And I had no problem at all!
I was totally calm.
But I always ran
to get out of there.
In films,
the sharks always attack
people
when they're calm
and seemingly safe.
It's a surprise effect.
And that's why I believed
the same would happen to me.
That when I was about
to get out of the water,
a shark would come as a surprise
and attack me. So,
I still hurry out of the water.
Some time ago I enrolled
in university
to pursue my calling
of teaching children.
But every day I came home
with a headache and discomfort.
Since it was daily, I decided
to let it be.
And recently,
I've been diagnosed with autism.
Now I can see
that I needed some accommodations
that I didn't have.
Now with the help of a psychologist,
I'm figuring out a way to find
and make these adjustments.
Maybe later on
I can return to university,
but for now,
it has left me with a trauma.
When I was young,
after being with someone for four years,
There were non-consensual sexual relations
That I explicitly did not consent to
But I was forced to endure them...
It hurt
and I suffered every time it happened,
enduring the situation for years...
....until I decided to end the relationship.
Now I am undergoing psychological therapy,
working step by step to get better
although it's difficult.
That’s very courageous! Thank you!
I don't know if I've ever had
any traumatic experiences...
I do remember...
Once I took a trip
in a rental car
and had a serious accident,
but I forgot about it within days.
What about you, Laura?
- I don't think I’ve had
any traumatic experiences.
There are various signs
for trauma:
this one,
or this one,
and this one.
- I’ve seen this one before.
But in LSC, the correct one is this one.
- Okay, professor.
Notice that, in all cases,
each sign helps us
understand what trauma is.
This one means wound, and,
precisely, the word trauma
comes from the Greek word for wound.
This one indicates
something stuck in our head,
like an idea that won't go away...
and this one, a spot
on our life story
related to the psyche.
A traumatic event can involve all of this.
- Certainly! The signs are quite wise.
But the correct one is this one.
En LSC genuïna si us plau.
- There are also people
who, after a bad experience,
suffer post-traumatic stress disorder.
Others may forget it
and go on with their lives.
- I understand.
There are people who,
after a negative
and destabilising situation,
slowly recover.
Others find it
more difficult
or cannot...
- This ability to recover
after a negative experience
is called "resilience" in psychology.
It's a word
that comes from physics.
It's the ability of a material
to regain its shape.
- That is:
if a destabilising event occurs
in the psychic realm,
you can recover
or get stuck
and let the trauma
influence your behaviour.
Is that right?
- Correct.
- Our friends
have described negative events
of a physical or natural nature,
such as traffic accidents or drowning...
And other events
involving people:
oralist teachers or ex-partners...
Which is worse?
A traumatic event
caused by nature
or by a human being?
According to studies, undoubtedly,
damage caused by
another human being
is more traumatic
than a traffic accident
or an earthquake.
- That’s amazing!
"Hell is other people,"
said Sartre...
And what characterises
post-traumatic stress?
- Basically, it manifests
in 3 symptoms:
Activation, intrusion and avoidance.
- The first one:
- Activation.
When a person
is exposed to a triggering element:
a smell, a sight,
a sensation,
that reminds them of the traumatic event,
it can trigger anxiety,
and a fight or flight reaction.
Do you understand?
- Logical!
Something reminds you of that moment, and you relive it.
The second symptom?
- Intrusion.
Have you ever found
that sometimes
you can't stop thinking about it?
- Many times.
- Well, these are
intrusive thoughts
related to the trauma.
They can also manifest as
recurrent nightmares...
- And the third symptom?
- The symptom of avoidance
is trying not to talk about the issue
or go to places
or avoid facing situations
associated with the traumatic event.
- It happens to me
with some people; I avoid them.
- Something like it.
- And is the disorder cured?
- I don't know if "cured"
is the right word.
But it can be alleviated.
There are options:
talking about it is good.
We do visualisation, make it concrete...
It also helps to seek
help from professionals.
There are many types
of effective therapies...
It's also good
to lean on others,
friends, family, community...
- The community
is very important
for mental health.
You mentioned
resilience
as the personal characteristic
of being able to recover
after a destabilising impact.
It's an individual and social characteristic.
- What?
- That the role of society
is important.
That psychological health
doesn't depend solely on the individual...
Psychological therapy
doesn't solve
job loss
or being underpaid,
just like an antidepressant
doesn't cure poverty.
Sometimes it's not depression,
it's social disadvantage.
And it's society that should change too.
- You're right.
Sometimes psychologists
forget about the economic
and social factors.
- Also belonging
to a resilient group
and getting involved in their activities
is a protective factor
for our mental health.
And it helps contribute
to a full recovery
from traumatic experiences.
For example:
a school of fish.
They are together. They can scare away the sharks.
Collective identity
gives us resources.
Therefore, a community identity
such as the deaf one
must develop supportive behaviors
to help resist
the social marginalization
that we suffer.
- I completely agree!
A film?
- A film...?
About traumas...
I know!
Blood like Roses, in LSC
by Frank Vidiella.
Very good!
- Very good!
I recommend Vertigo,
by Alfred Hitchcock.
It's about trauma
and vertigo.
Book: Your microtraumas.
Written with clarity and simplicity.
It explains that not only
traumatic events
can cause disorders, but also
the accumulation of small stressful situations,
especially during childhood.
Books?
- It is written by
a survivor
of the German concentration camps.
A whole treatise on resilience.
Frankl observed that
there was a greater chance of survival
and greater resilience
among people who had
a clear purpose in life:
taking care of their children,
conducting research,
fighting against injustice…
On the other hand,
people who lived
without purpose,
just eating and sleeping…
were the ones who died first.
Some very interesting
observations by Frankl.
- Nothing more to add.
- Until next time!