A SCHEMATIC EXPLANATION OF EVENT PROCESSING.
by William Bliss. MNCP. MGHR.
MHA.
This flowchart was initially developed as a method of explaining
an element of Critical Incident Debriefing (CrID) when describing
the process to delegates at a seminar. The simplicity of this
chart enables therapists to help individual clients, who present
with symptoms related to past trauma or stress. Using this
chart enables them to develop an understanding of why they
re-experience a traumatic event in some way, and thus it facilitates
resolution. I accept that there may well be discussions regarding
the total accuracy of this chart but in the interests of simplification
and client understanding this is an acceptable model that readers
may find useful.
EXPLANATION
Starting from the bottom at external stimulation.
EXTERNAL STIMULUS
All of our senses are connected to the most primitive part
of our brain. Everything we experience is deciphered in terms
of feeling elsewhere. At this level we are merely interested
in the possibility of danger
FIGHT FREEZE OR FLIGHT RESPONSE
At this level we are only concerned with ‘is the experience
dangerous and or fight, freeze or flight responses are triggered.
Our hand moves from the heat without thought, it is a reaction
directed by this response
PATTERN MATCHING
Once this basic survival instinct has served its purpose we
then start to try to make sense of what happened. At this
point we decide how we feel about the event ‘does it
make us happy or angry or what?’ if we can identify
the event in some way, we are able to allow it to be stored
in a part of our long-term memory (LTM). An easy way of considering
this is to think of LTM as a series of filing cabinets holding
memories of past events and all of the details relating to
those events. Other filing cabinets hold other subjects,
a numbers cabinet, a language cabinet etc. We look into the
events cabinet to see if there is a file that we can put
what happened into. This is what we refer to as pattern matching.
SHORT TERM MEMORY
If we are not able to identify the correct file it is because
the event is outside our normal terms of reference and we
can’t make sense of it. At this point we hold the event
in our short-term memory and use our Altradian rhythms, or
dreams (waking or sleeping) to ‘make sense’,
identify which file we can put the event in and stop it from
interfering in our life.
LONG TERM MEMORY
Once an incident is rationalised (we make sense of it) we file
it away into our long term memory for access when required.
If we fail to make sense then we begin the processing again
through dreams, flashbacks etc. This may lead to acute stress
disorder or posttraumatic shock.
I am delivering a two day seminar regarding CrID
in March 2005.
If you would like to know more about this method of intervention
that can be used in either a group or one to one setting
please contact me.
Bill Bliss
positive_health@msn.com or telephone 01245 426414
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