Protea and South Africa
¶ … protea, one of the world's most striking flowers, is a crucial part of South African culture, economy, and politics. The largest (and arguably the most spectacular of the proteas), the king protea, has an important…
Christian counseling: principles and practice
In the case of Leon, a 52-year old man with a dysfunctional childhood who has been unable to experience life in typical fashion, the most prominent presenting issue is definitely the individual's lack of emotional capacity and general apathy, both of which are obviously symptoms of a deeply repressed psychological trauma. The circumstances described in the introduction to Leon's case, wherein his eventually divorced parents both suffered from chemical dependency and addiction, while the father inflicted sever emotional and physical abuse, is extremely typical in terms of being connected to later symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV Text Revision (DSM-IV TR), "diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to a traumatic event that meets specific stipulations and symptoms from each of four symptom clusters: intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity," (DSM–IV, 1994, 4th ed.) and Leon's current symptoms are closely aligned with this diagnostic template. Intrusion comes in the form of Leon's deeply seated resentment towards his absentee and abusive parents, as well as the memories of that experience which continue to haunt him. Avoidance is evidenced in Leon's apathy and social withdrawal, as well as his fear of commitment and inability to develop intimate emotional bonds with his own family. Negative alterations in cognition and mood, as well as alterations in arousal and reactivity, can be linked to Leon's insomnia, anxiety, and lack of energy.