The Orange StripeYour Information Center For All Veterans AvoidanceAgent Orange, Anthrax, Depleted Uranium, Dioxin, Gulf War Veterans' Health, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, Herbicidal Warfare, Hodgkin's Disease, News, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas PTSD, Multiple Myeloma, Radiation-Related Health Issues, Respiratory cancers, Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Veterans' Health, WWII, Korean, Vietnam Veterans and more. |
If you are in an immediate crisis, please go to your nearest Emergency Room, or call 911, or call 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to talk to someone right now. AvoidanceLaura E. Gibson, Ph.D., The University of Vermont
What is avoidance?Avoidance is a common reaction to trauma. It is natural to want to avoid thinking about or feeling emotions about a stressful event. But when avoidance is extreme, or when it's the main way you cope, it can interfere with your emotional recovery and healing. What are the different types of avoidance?Emotional avoidance is when a person avoids thoughts or feelings about a traumatic event. For example, a rape survivor may try to force herself to think about other things whenever thoughts about the rape arise. Or, she may stop herself every time she begins to feel sadness about the rape, or focus on something else that makes her feel less sad. She may say things to herself like, "Don't go there," or "Don't think about it." Avoiding reminders of a trauma is called behavioral avoidance. For example, a combat veteran may stop watching the news or reading the newspaper because of coverage of the war. Someone who lived in Manhattan might move out of the city after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Assault survivors might go out of their way to stay away from the scene of their attack. What are the consequences of avoidance?Growing up, you may have heard advice like, "just try not to think about it", or "don't dwell on it." But if you avoid thoughts and feelings of the trauma all of the time, your symptoms may get worse. Using avoidance as your main way to cope can make it harder to move on with your life. Is all avoidance bad?No, not all avoidance is bad. It can be helpful to learn ways to focus your thoughts and feelings on things that are not related to the trauma. Distraction is a useful skill that can help you to get on with your daily life after a trauma. It can allow you to go to school or work, or buy groceries, even in the face of difficult life events. Although distraction and avoidance can be helpful in the short-term, they should not be your primary way of coping. How can you learn to cope with difficult thoughts and feelings?You may be afraid that if you let yourself feel difficult emotions, they might overwhelm you. You may be afraid that if you start crying, you'll cry forever. Or you may worry that if you experience the anger inside you, you might lose control. Therapy can help you learn to deal with your thoughts and feelings about the trauma instead of being afraid of them. ReferencesBryant, R.A., & Harvey, A.G. (1995). Avoidant coping style and post-traumatic stress following motor vehicle accidents. Behavior Research and Therapy, 33, 631-635. Coffey, P., Leitenberg, H., Henning, K., Turner, T., & Bennett, R.T. (1996). The relation between methods of coping during adulthood with a history of childhood sexual abuse and current psychological adjustment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 1090-1093. Foa, E.B., & Rothbaum, B.O. (1998). Treating the trauma of rape: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for PTSD. New York: Guilford Press. Gibson, L.E., & Leitenberg, H. (2001). The impact of child sexual absue and stigma on methods of coping with sexual assault among undergraduate women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25, 1343-1361. Gold, D.B., & Wegner, D.M. (1995). Origins of ruminative thought: Trauma, incompleteness, nondisclosure, and suppression. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 25, 1245-1261. Hayes, S.C., Strosahl, K.D., & Wilson, K.G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York: Guilford Press. Hayes, S.C., Wilson, K.G., Gifford, E.V., Follette, V.M., & Strosahl, K.D. (1996). Emotional avoidance and behavioral disorders: A functional dimensional approach to diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 1152-1168. Shipherd, J.C., & Beck, J.G. (1999). The effects of suppressing trauma-related thoughts on women with rape-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 99-112. Valentiner, D.P., Foa, E.B., Riggs, D.S., & Gershuny, B.S. (1996). Coping strategies and posttraumatic stress disorder in female victims of sexual and nonsexual assault. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 455-458. Wegner, D.M., Schneider, D.J., Carter, S.R., & White, T.L. (1987). Paradoxical effects of thought suppression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 5-13. Wenzlaff, R.M., & Wegner, D.M. (2000). Thought suppression. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 59-91. From the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,
US Department of Veterans Affairs. What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Trauma Exposure MeasuresChart - Trauma Exposure Measures PTSD Screening InstrumentsBelow is a list of links to information on select PTSD Screens, brief questionnaires completed in order to identify people who are more likely to have PTSD. A positive response to the screen does not necessarily indicate that a patient has Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. However, a positive response does indicate that a patient may have PTSD or trauma-related problems and further investigation of trauma symptoms by a mental-health professional may be warranted. Chart - Screens for PTSD PLEASE NOTE: Screens are to be used to determine possible problems, and positive cases should be followed up by assessment with a structured interview for PTSD. Common Reactions to TraumaPeople experience a range of reactions following trauma. Here you will find information on what these common reactions are, including anger, nightmares, sleep problems, and more. Avoidance If you are in an immediate crisis, please go to your nearest Emergency Room, or call 911, or call 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to talk to someone right now. |