Childhood trauma and its effects

¶ … Wound and Trauma: PTSD and the Mind

Exploring Freud's viewpoints on trauma and Caruth's interpretation of them can illuminate certain dynamics of the human condition and the human experience in the world. As Caruth reminds us, "…in Freud's text, the term trauma is understood as a wound inflicted not upon the body but upon the mind. But what seems to be suggested by Freud in Beyond the Pleasure Principle, is that the wound of the mind -- the breach of the mind's experience of time, self and the world -- is not, like a wound of the body, a simple and healable event…" (4). This notion is indeed indicative of some of the discussions that we've had in class regarding the Holocaust and the lived experiences of the survivors. As we've discussed, often Holocaust survivors have yet another nightmare to live through when it comes to the task of rejoining society and attempting to move on with their lives. The experiences that Holocaust survivors have endured at times they seem like they cannot be properly processed by the mind, just as Freud discusses. Certain traumas, or wounds in the mind, can be so abrasive and indelible that they cause the individual symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). One could argue that PTSD is the repercussion of the traumatic events and the consequences of the damage that has been done and a manifestation of the mind's inability to deal with certain severe or tragic events (traumas). For instance, a study conducted in 2010 and published in Psychological Bulletin demonstrates that while Holocaust survivors demonstrate a tremendous amount of resilience, their minds still display some of the severe damage of the tremendous trauma. "Holocaust survivors had poorer psychological well-being, more post-traumatic stress symptoms and more psychopathological symptoms. There were no significant differences in cognitive functioning or physical health" (apa.org). These research findings demonstrate the mind's inability to process or deal with certain wounds. This inability causes the event to create an entanglement or web of symptoms which all originate from the traumatic event and the difficulty of the mind in processing it or understanding how to incorporate the event into the lived consciousness or memory.

As Caruth explains, certain wounds represent "…events experienced too soon, too unexpectedly to be fully known and is therefore not available to the consciousness until it imposes itself again, repeatedly in the nightmares and repetitive actions of the survivor" (4). This description appears to allude indirectly to common symptoms and signs of PTSD. This perspective also shows how what the mind cannot process will still create a ripple effect in the actions of the human being and in the dreams of the unconscious mind. Thus, the wound still needs to be properly dealt with or else the symptoms of PTSD will persist, particularly with individuals from such a group who've lived through such a disturbing event as the Holocaust. If events are not properly dealt with, there's always the danger of becoming re-traumatized, something which Holocaust victims today are potentially dealing with.