The Body Remembers Casebook: Unifying Methods and Models in the Treatment of Trauma and PTSD (Norton Professional Books) by Babette Rothschild

Author:Babette Rothschild
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 2003-04-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Job Loss and Public Shame

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY, SOMATIC TRAUMA THERAPY

The emotion of shame and the issue of self-forgiveness, although often neglected, are central in working with trauma. Technically, being laid off or fired is not a trauma, as it doesn’t pose an actual threat to life—there is no weapon, no physical injury. However, when job loss threatens one’s livelihood, it can be perceived as a threat to life, and, the internal response can be very similar to traumatic stress.

Iris was 61 years old. She was not financially or emotionally ready to retire, nor was she yet eligible for social security. She had worked for many years as a secretary in a large corporation. Competent in her job, at the highest salary for her employment level, she had never aspired to move further upward. For a long time she had been very comfortable and felt secure. She planned to retire in 4 years when her company pension and social security would make it affordable. All went well until a new department manager was hired and Iris suddenly had a new supervisor. They did not get along. Iris felt the supervisor had her targeted. Mostly she was able to skirt around the supervisor and just do her work. But eventually conflict became unavoidable. One day, without warning, Iris was publicly humiliated, laid off, and made to leave the office within a matter of minutes.

For the 3 months following the dismissal, Iris suffered panic attacks and cried almost daily. She was too nervous and too ashamed to look for a new job, and she felt hopeless about finding anything “at my age” anyway. She had not even filed for unemployment. Friends had urged her to seek legal advice, but it was all too overwhelming for Iris. At the urging of her granddaughter, she sought psychological help.

Our first sessions helped Iris to contain her wealth of emotion and hyperarousal. Body awareness and muscle toning were particularly useful for her. Between sessions she had ample opportunity to use those new tools, as she was often aroused. I asked Iris to keep a log noting which situations and thoughts triggered her arousal. Additionally, I encouraged her to tend to her garden—much neglected since she was laid off—as it had always been a source of comfort and an engaging activity. Over a period of a few weeks, her frayed nerves began to settle as she identified triggers and decreased their impact. Less anxious and more in control, Iris began to feel angry, a healthy sign. Rather than discharging the anger, I helped Iris to become comfortable with it and to use it to her advantage. It gave her increased energy to take direct action and helped her to feel less vulnerable.

The next steps were practical. Aided by her newfound anger and with the assistance of her granddaughter, Iris applied for unemployment, engaged a lawyer, and began to search the want ads for secretarial jobs. Those processes underway, Iris felt better and was ready to address the events and emotions of that horrible day she was laid off.

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