21/02/2024
Edit: this photo was taken many months ago, I am so incredibly grateful for this whole experience and to be well is something I will never again take for granted.
Psychological safety is a big buz word right now and rightly so. The impacts of Trauma are far reaching and when Trauma erupts and someone is diagnosed with Complex PTSD or PTSD they are far from the only person who is impacted. We can begin by opening conversations with our teams and not simply ticking the box on the OHS legislation surrounding this. I speak from lived experience here, having been told last year that I have Complex PTSD. I'm blessed to have moved through my Trauma back to a fully functional state, though many are still going through this as well as their loved ones who are significantly impacted by the experience of caring for a Trauma patient.
So, what is Complex PTSD? It stems from Childhood Trauma. The body has held onto the Trauma of the past and has not been able to process or release it, instead it is held until the pressure builds so much that it erupts out of the person. I don't resonate with the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, for I don't see this as a disorder at all. I see it as something which is meant to happen for us, not to us. That this was never meant to be stored between our cells in the first place and that by releasing the trauma we are then able to move from someone who has survived to someone who gets to thrive.
Why do workplaces need to be aware of this? Firstly, this is now legislated for through OHS legislation. However more importantly I've lived and seen my family live through the impacts of Trauma and without love, support and understanding from those around, it is an incredible battle, one which many do not survive. I'm blessed to be alive and I'm now being guided to help others to find their way to thrive. We weren't born to simply be survivors, we were born to be Thrivers.
