Overcoming Trauma

Dr. Barker Browne  is one of the outstanding presenters at the 25th International Families and Fathers Conference. Dr. Narviar Barker Browne, MSW, Ph.D., LCCP is a Licensed Social Worker and the author of two books, Child Abuse and Neglect: An Interdisciplinary Method of Treatment. She has written in excess of 40 refereed articles dealing with children, families and minority health. Her professional career consists of educator, administrator, researcher, grant writer, program evaluator, and curriculum design. In her clinical capacity of over forty-five years, she specializes in working with children and families, couples, fathers, and trauma. 

Dr. Narviar Barker Browne, MSW, PhD, LCCP, LSW
Lecturer, Author, Researcher, Clinician, Child Abuse and Neglect Expert,
Spelman College
Atlanta, Georgia

January 9, 2024

2024 FFCA CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS OPEN

April 22-25, 2024
25th International Families and Fathers Conference
Hilton Los Airport Hotel
5711 West Century Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90045

"Even as an adult, many of my early childhood experiences continue to haunt me. I realize that much of my pain began years ago, and I continue to be triggered by thoughts, sounds, smells, behaviors, voices, and even faces that reflect those past hurt, pain, and fears. Fears that I never really worked through and that have control over me in my adult life. I should have my own voice. I should be able to speak out. I should be able to say "no". I even tell myself that I should be able to see that I am an adult now and not a child, but things that happened in my early childhood did not stay in my childhood. This trauma followed me into adulthood. I tell myself that I should be better, that I should know better, that I am not the same person, and that I have moved past my trauma, yet I'm struggling to maintain control, fighting to stay afloat, and struggling to find a space for my healing. Holding my pain within has hampered my growth. I have hindered my healing. I have sabotaged my own ability to overcome my past and to take charge of my life. I'm ready to move pass my grief, anxiety, and depression. I now commit to establishing a sense of personal empowerment and adaptive resolution to overcome past trauma and become my own personal hero."

John X, in high school, witnessed his younger sister, Mary X, being raped for retaliation while he was restrained to watch. The rape was the result of John X sleeping with the rapist's sister, whom John X was dating. Both John X and Mary X were told that their mother would be the next victim if they told anyone of the rape. Fearing that the threat would reach fruition, the sister and brother told no one, leaving them with immediate feelings of fear, anxiety, numbness, and depression. Such traumatic experiences can create multiple emotions that cause distinct behaviours. As John X grew into adulthood, fear of loss, and death, the need for control, obsessive-compulsive behaviour, the need to track loved ones, possessiveness, and an explosive personality disorder emerged, which were all symptomatic of complex trauma.

Trauma and Recovery

Trauma can occur at any age and frequently can occur without warning. The human brain responds with fear, sadness, isolation, pain, splitting, escape, conformity, or whatever it takes to go into survival mode. This internal turmoil or innate fear caused by trauma influences the individual's behaviour and thought processes.

In trauma recovery, John X learns that he fears loss. His anxiety, controlling, obsessive, aggressive, and tracking behaviours were an outgrowth of his fear of losing loved ones, which ultimately impacted his familial relationships, friendships, romantic relationships, and peer groups. He took on a sense of responsibility and protection for those he cared for and constantly worried about their well-being and safety. He felt responsible for his sister's rape and vowed to protect forever those he cared about. Recovery helped John X understand that his traumatic high school event was the root cause of his need to over-protect those close to him and his extreme fear of loss.

Trauma can generate self-doubts, confusion, negative self-conversations, and a lack of trust in self and others, and more importantly, it can prevent one from seeing the real "survivor" within. The impacts on individuals and generations are why trauma recovery is necessary. The hallmarks of trauma recovery are instilling hope and resilience and re-establishing a sense of safety and adaptive resolution.

Certificate in Trauma & Resilience: Level One
Becoming a survivor begins with accepting one's total being. The process includes unhealed, tucked away, painful parts that are kept secret. We often talk about self-love and putting ourselves first, but this can be challenging. We must begin with self-acceptance and knowing that we have value.

When engulfed with negative and unpleasant thoughts, one should view them as a marker from whence you've come rather than embracing them. Individuals can grow from one's past, or one can stalemate. The course is a 15-hour certificate program for persons working with individuals who experience trauma and seek healing, recovery, and resilience. It will also benefit individuals confronting their unresolved trauma.

Certificate in Trauma & Resilience: Level One is divided into two sessions. Session One consists of the ACEs, Childhood Trauma across the Lifespan, Core Concepts for Understanding Stress Responses in Childhood and Adults, and Case Studies. Interactive exercises, case illustrations, and open discussions will frame these concepts. Session Two covers secondary trauma, treatment approaches, and instilling hope and resilience.

A Glimpse into the Course Content

• How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime 
• A discussion by Dr Nadine Burke Harris reinforces that childhood trauma isn't something you just get over as you grow up. Repeated stress of abuse and neglect has real, tangible effects on the development of the human brain. 
• Core Concepts for Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses in Childhood
• The Physiological and Psychological Ways in which Children Respond to Traumatic Experiences
• Case Study: Examining a Case Study of Childhood Trauma, Secondary Traumatic Stress and Often, simply hearing or reliving the firsthand traumatic experiences of another can create emotional duress, i.e., secondary traumatic stress.
• Trauma Theory and Application