Of the eight trauma reactions discussed by Laasar in the course presentation, which reaction(s) do you
think might be the most challenging for the client and why? Please substantiate your opinion by citing
the texts, presentations, or outside sources.
In the course presentation, Dr. Mark Laaser speaks about eight trauma reactions. Those reactions
are trauma bonds, trauma splitting, trauma pleasure, trauma blocking, trauma reactions, trauma
abstinence, trauma shame, and trauma repetition. Of these reactions, I feel that trauma repetition
could be one of the most challenging for the client. Dr. Laaser mentioned that people in this sort
of reaction will continue to repeat the same behavior hoping that there will be a different
outcome.1 I see this one being challenging, first, because the client is somewhat bound to this
pattern and role that they are constantly going through they cannot break free of it. The client’s
behavior, whether it be destructive or self-deprecating continues in a cycle that holds them. The
second part of the challenge is that in which the person who has been wounded recreates the
trauma they have experienced, but instead of being the victim they are becoming the perpetrator
of the trauma. Dr. Laaser spoke to the experience of males who had been sexually-traumatized at
a young age would end up in their later years sexually traumatizing boys that are around the
same age they were when they were traumatized. This type of trauma repetition is sometimes
called the victim-to-victimizer cycle.2 This reaction, in my opinion, not only delays the healing
process, but also adds another layer that a person must try to heal from; guilt, consequences of
their actions, regret, etc. Instead of trying to cope and heal from the initial trauma, I believe that
those who take the victim-victimizer approach block out the pain and the hurt that they once
felt ,that they may have had no control over, and instead use that control to prevent themselves
from feeling such a pain. In some cases they unknowingly try to pass on their own trauma to
another person by victimizing them. The other process that could potentially be happening is
1 Liberty University, Trauma And Addiction, image, accessed 31 March 2022,
https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2167581/uiconf_id/39959791/entry_id/
1_0udknhgp/embed/dynamic.
2 Ibid.
Of the eight trauma reactions discussed by Laasar in the course presentation, which reaction(s) do you
think might be the most challenging for the client and why? Please substantiate your opinion by citing
the texts, presentations, or outside sources.
they are showing, to their own self, that they are no longer a victim and they are stronger and
more able to stand up. The trauma repetition reaction is very complex and can cause the person
who experienced the trauma to act out in ways that are not in their normal character, but because
of their need to repeat the trauma, whether by simply inciting the bad behavior that caused it or
by implementing the victim-to-victimizer symptom, their actions become very cyclical and this
can become a hard pattern to break. The person who experienced the trauma even runs the risk of
this repetitive behavior becoming their normal behavior because it has been acted out so many
times.
Of the eight trauma reactions discussed by Laasar in the course presentation, which reaction(s) do you
think might be the most challenging for the client and why? Please substantiate your opinion by citing
the texts, presentations, or outside sources.
Vanessa,
Great post. Thank you for your incite into trauma blocking. I chose a different reaction, so it is
always interesting to read other’s thoughts on the various choices. I can definitely understand
how one of the coping mechanisms for trauma blocking is substance abuse. In the military I see
this often as a first resort. As with any coping mechanism, it is only good for a while, then the
individual requires more and more for it to be effective. This spiral of need can then in turn cause
the person to suffer at work and in relationships and ultimately can cause even more mental
trauma in the end. Another problem is that as Cash says in our text, “psychological states such as
hostility, anger, and behavioral avoidance through alcohol or drug use have dire health
consequences as well.”3 Many of my fellow Soldiers have sought out drugs and alcohol as a
coping mechanism, only to find that they were constantly needing more and more. Eventually, it
led to health complications and further mental breakdown. Chemical dependence is definitely not
the way to go in coping with such trauma. Thank you again for your thoughts.
3 Adam Cash,;Wiley Concise Guides To Mental Health: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder;(Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons, 2006), 43.
Of the eight trauma reactions discussed by Laasar in the course presentation, which reaction(s) do you
think might be the most challenging for the client and why? Please substantiate your opinion by citing
the texts, presentations, or outside sources.
Benjamin,
What a great post. I really enjoyed the way you tied trauma pleasure in with trauma repetition. I
personally discussed repetition as the reaction that I believe is most challenging but seeing your
thoughts on the two in correlation was very informative. I do believe that several of the reactions
feed into other reactions, which in turn could make them the most challenging of the reactions.
The addictive nature is truly a threat in several of the reactions and can cause further
complications also. Cash states in our text, “psychological states such as hostility, anger, and
behavioral avoidance through alcohol or drug use have dire health consequences as well.”4 Not
only do the drugs and alcohol pose their own problems concerning health, but they also can
introduce a myriad of further mental concerns when used repeatedly. In the military this tends to
be a first resort and causes numerous complications in the healing process. Whether it be alcohol
or some variant of drug use, the person can potentially become dependent upon the substance,
and can also suffer isolation and deepening depression from such substance abuse. Thank you
again for your thoughts.
4 Adam Cash,;Wiley Concise Guides To Mental Health: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder;(Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons, 2006), 43.
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