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bitesized PTSD Insights - Self Image affected by Trauma
11/08/2022
bitesized PTSD Insights - Self Image affected by Trauma
In this episode Chris and I are discussing how our Sense of Self has been affected by severely traumatising events in our lives. Both of us, for very different reasons, have felt estranged by the mirror reflection of our faces as we felt a total stranger was looking back at us. This felt unnerving and frightening, at times. Chris underwent significant facial reconstruction after a horrific cycling accident, while my face assumed a ghost-like appearance following a total breakdown that resulted in PTSD. Remembering 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs' Triangle which identifies different levels of human motivation, I wonder how my impaired Sense of Self corresponds with my most dominant needs. We find that Self-Image, as we have experienced it after severe Trauma, isn't necessarily just an idea about ourselves in our minds. Instead, it has been shaped by our physical and emotional experience of the traumatic events. Thankfully, as time moves on and recovery progresses, we experience how we are naturally growing into a fuller and more grounded Sense of Self.
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