The Miami Herald

July 22, 2001

 

SEMINAR DETAILS TRAUMA'S PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

 

Author: EUNICE PONCE, eponce@herald.com

 

Counselors, social workers and others who work with the victims of abuse or violent crimes got a dose of the latest research on the physical and psychological effects of trauma on Friday.   Teresa Descilo, executive director of the Victim Services Center>, visited City Hall in South Miami to give the three-hour overview of the effects of traumatic experiences and the consequences of not getting treatment early. The seminar was hosted by a local victim services agency and the South Miami Police Department.   The 6-year-old center was started under the aegis of the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office after law enforcement officials decided the mental health needs of victims weren't being addressed, she said.

Teresa Descilo, executive director of the Victim Services Center, gave an overview of the effects of traumatic experiences and the consequences of not getting treatment early.

 

“Trauma can be a very transformative experience,'' Descilo said, noting that its effects can be crippling, but it also can bring out strengths - such as when prisoners of war have found the courage to survive.

 

“[Trauma] is a perception,'' she said. ``Everyone has different coping mechanisms.''

 

She also talked about the chemical processes that take place when people are abused - processes that sometimes can lead to victims bonding with their abusers as in the widely publicized 1970s kidnapping case of Patty Hearst.

 

When it's in a high state of stress, either positive or negative, the body releases Oxytocin, a memory-inhibiting chemical that is also released during childbirth and helps mothers bond with their babies, she said.

 

That explains the phenomenon of battered women who remain with their abusive mates or who leave but end up coming back, she said.

 

Descilo also talked about the permanent damage that children suffer if they're abused when their brains are still developing.

 

“The trauma malforms the brain stem, and all subsequent brain systems forming on the brain stem are malformed,” she said.

 

Several in the audie! nce said the research helped explain some of their questions.

 

“This is really right on the money for me,'' said Ed Nelson, a social worker who deals with abused children for the county's Department of Human Services.

 

“In so much of the domestic violence training, there is so much about men having a violent gene, and all men being bad, but this is different.”

 

The Victim Services Center also offers Traumatic Incident Reduction that helps people cope with the after-effects of abuse.

 

It's different from traditional therapy that can go on for months or years in one-hour, usually weekly sessions. These sessions can go on for as long as the patient needs in order to deal with a particular aspect of the trauma, she said.

 

“It is a very safe place, and the sessions go on for as much time as they need,'' Descilo said. ``Whatever piece you're biting off, you get to chew and swallow.''

For more information on the Victim Services Center, call 305-899-5651.

 

Caption:

Memo:
SOUTH MIAMI

Copyright (c) 2001 The Miami Herald
Record Number: 0107250229

Reprinted with Permission