Intergenerational Trauma: The Ghosts of Times Past by Thomas Hodge

Author:Thomas Hodge [Hodge, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-02-07T05:00:00+00:00

Treatment and Change

The treatment of trauma-related disorders has a long history, but the evidence-based treatment of these disorders is a relatively new thing. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is nowadays the most commonly and widely known disorder related to trauma. PTSD, however, was not recognized as a diagnosable disorder until 1980 in adults and was not recognized in children until 1987. The treatment of PTSD has had a long and dark history. Over the years, the stigmas and misconceptions have waned over time to give way to more effective treatments, but many of the historical treatments of trauma related disorders tended to cause additional trauma that has led many individuals to be cautious of seeking help. The effects of historical treatments for trauma-related disorders in creating barriers to treatment is often seen as having similarities to how Intergenerational Trauma occurs.

One of the earliest noted treatments for trauma was around 2000 BC when tribes in modern-day Russia ingested poisonous mushrooms to counteract symptoms similar to PTSD-like symptoms. The mushrooms produced a euphoric state with delusions, which replace the fear and dread that is normally experienced during PTSD-related flashbacks. The ancient Greeks told trauma victims to get married to help with their PTSD and anxiety-related symptoms. The Vikings drank deer urine to help cope with symptoms. During the middle ages, Europeans attempt to purge the body of PTSD symptoms by taking laxatives. The Inca of South America were found to chew on Coca leaves to overcome their combat-related anxiety.

During the nineteenth century, a few treatments began to emerge that resembled modern treatments for PTSD and trauma-related disorders. In Japan, Dr. Genyu Imaizumi developed an approach to treating anxiety called persuasion therapy during the 1850s. The approach was fundamentally similar to modern Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). Rest Therapy was an approach developed during the American Civil War that consisted of bed rest, a milk diet, massage, and electrical shock. Rest therapy, therefore, served as one of the earliest treatment to utilize electricity for the treatment of anxiety. Psychiatric medications, such as Potassium Bromide, were developed to treat individuals suffering from trauma-related disorders and anxiety disorders. Potassium Bromide was the forerunner of Barbital and Phenobarbital. During the late nineteenth century, early forms of psychotherapy emerged in Europe as treatments for PTSD symptoms.

During the early to mid-twentieth century, a variety of treatments for PTSD emerged that could be seen as highly questionable today. The questionable approaches can be seen as stemming from the denial of PTSD as a legitimate condition during those time periods. During World War I, common practices included the use of tranquilizers, placebos, and the surgical implantation of metal balls in the larynx of soldiers. The tranquilizers were used by the Russians and served to make the soldiers functional enough to return to the front lines with little to no resolution to the soldier’s symptoms. The placebos were used to make the soldiers think that they were getting treatment when they were not receiving any treatment. The

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