Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1474

SPECIAL TOPIC night -- "Recovering From The Effects of Childhood Abuse, Neglect, and Trauma." (Part 2 of 4). Tonight we will finish Mindfulness Skills and begin Distress Tolerance Skills/Strategies. The emphasis is to learn to bear pain skillfully since avoiding pain tends to increase it and can lead to impulsive acts that can make the situation worse. The strategies we will discuss are Distracting, Self-Soothing, Improving the Moment, and thinking of Pros and Cons of tolerating vs not tolerating painful, distressing emotions. Mindfulness skills are recommended by the VA for reducing symptoms of PTSD, and both sets of skills can reduce dissociation, anxiety, panic, depression, suicidal ideation, and other methods of self harm. When we learn these skills, and can be present and aware in our lives, we can move on to skills to regulate emotions, and interpersonal skills to improve our relationships including family, friends, and work which can improve our quality of life, enjoyment, and happiness. ~~ Article 1: Mindfulness Lessons - Article 2: Distress Tolerance Lessons ~~ This series of special topic shows will give us an opportunity to share information and experience with each other as we continue on our healing journey. The moderator will be Jacque LaFountaine RN, retired, who has been actively recovering from childhood abuse and trauma for 25 years. "When I started therapy, I learned that childhood abuse and trauma was affecting every area of my life, but there was very little information on what issues needed to be addressed or how to address them." For more shows in this series, go to: www.NAASCA.org/SpecialShows