Discussion Board 5: Trauma in Relationships
Discussion Board 5 should take place after the reading and videos have been completed. You
will have a class discussion about how the material relates to trauma and addiction in
relationships. This discussion post is worth 5 points and is due November 3rd (11:59PM). You
will only earn credit for the insight and thoughtfulness in your post, as well as commenting on
other student's posts.
1. Reflect on one of the stories from the readings and how it increased your understanding of how
trauma can affect a relationship?
2. Reflect on a different story from the readings and how it increased your understanding of how
trauma and addiction relate within a relationships?
3. Explain why you think the happiness myth can be detrimental to those who have experienced
trauma and are in a relationship?
The story regarding trauma reaction gave me a better understanding of what PTSD can do to a
person. The man who is awakened by his wife in the middle of the night who was wearing his
old battle fatigues, believing that he was back in Vietnam in the middle of a battle was very real
to the man. It was as if he was right back in the war. Obviously other than the incident itself and
his wife waking him to get him back into bed, will most certainly put a strain on a relationship.
Having to deal with outbursts of anger, irritability, and flashbacks are going to be very difficult
for the other person in the relationship. They will have to be very understanding that the issue is
not with them, but it is the nature of PTSD that they are having to contend with.
The story about Connie, and how her father was an abusive alcoholic is one of the best examples
of how addiction and trauma can affect relationships. When Connie got older, she married an
alcoholic. Then, she got divorced and ended up marrying two other different alcoholics. It was
not that she was consciously looking for alcoholics to get into relationships with and marry, it
was an unconscious part of her childhood that she was re-traumatizing herself without knowing.
The happiness myth can be especially dangerous to those who have experienced trauma because
they have buried it so deep that when it does come out it will be immense. If they just continue to
go through life without dealing with past trauma, it is going to slowly cause resentment of others
in the relationship. The underlying trauma will undoubtedly be an issue in any relationship that
does not address it.
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