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Vietnam Veterans Return with Trauma
In the late 1960s and early 70s, Vietnam veterans began returning home from war, and many of these soldiers were experiencing symptoms of what was known at the time as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue", which is now known as PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There were very few known treatments for this disorder which was the cause of so many of the returning soldiers' struggles with assimilating back into everyday life. -
The Beginning of Trauma Informed Care and Treatment
Healthcare workers in the United States after the Vietnam War began realizing the impact that the battles had on returning soldiers, many of whom were injured or traumatized on the frontlines. -
The Science of Trauma
Many people in the psychology field began extensive research on the causes and possibility of treatment for trauma-induced illnesses such as PTSD, which had just become a new diagnosis, mostly because of the rise of cases of "shell shock" in Vietnam War veterans. -
Donald J. Cohen Reports his Findings
Donald J. Cohen, a psychiatrist, revealed his findings from his research on the effect of a child's environment and stressors on their mental well-being and emotional and physical health, as well as how it all ties together to form the symptoms of PTSD. -
Children of the Gulf War
After bombings and attacks that happened in Iraq during the Gulf War, many Iraqi children were traumatized by the carnage and damage. This caused a large amount of realization about how much these events can affect the brains of children who aren't even involved in the war in their country. Events like these prove to have long-lasting effects on the mental well-being of these children, even into adulthood. -
Donald J. Cohen's National Child Traumatic Initiative
In 2001, the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, also known as NCTSI, was founded. The main goal and focus of the initiative are to bring attention to the lifelong impact that traumatic events and stress have on children and adolescents. Trauma in a child's life can cause the child's brain to put the body in permanent fight or flight mode. This is why people with PTSD and childhood trauma often have a hard time feeling at ease or safe. -
The Birth of Trauma Informed Education
In 2001, Maxine Harris and Roger Fallot introduced the system of Trauma Informed Education, which involved teaching children who have been through traumatic situations. The system encourages meeting students where they are in their learning and healing journey and focusing first on their mental and physical well-being. This system allowed teachers to help their students who may be struggling. -
Trauma in New Orleans
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The storm left people's homes and lives in shambles and near ruin. The citizens of the city were left for dead in their houses with no food, power, or hope. Hurricane Katrina took the lives of around 1,833 people and traumatized all other survivors who lived to tell their stories. Schools in Houston as well as other parts of Louisiana had to use trauma-informed strategies to help the influx of traumatized children heal. -
The Katrina Babies
The phrase "Katrina Babies" refers to the children who survived Hurricane Katrina and all of the terrors that the storm led to. These people are now adults, but various survivors claim they are still tormented by the trauma caused by those weeks and months after the storm. These children and their families were without food, shelter, or clean water for days, and many people lost loved ones due to the storm. Hurricane Katrina was the root of childhood trauma for many people from New Orleans. -
Bessel van der Kolk's Psychomotor Therapy
Van der Kolk's method of Psycho-motor Therapy goes mainstream. His method includes using physical roleplay to work through past traumatic events for patients to help them hear the things they needed to hear at the time, which in hand helps them heal from those events. Although Bessel's method seems unconventional, those who have used it for treatment show great improvement, especially those who have been diagnosed with PTSD. -
The Body Keeps the Score
Bessel van Der Kolk releases his award-winning book "The Body Keeps the Score", which goes into depth about the physical, mental, and emotional effects trauma has on a person. His book made waves in the behavioral health field and was extremely eye-opening for many people who have dealt with post-traumatic stress. -
COVID-19 Pandemic
In early 2020, the United States was hit hard by a deadly and contagious virus that there was no cure or vaccine for. The virus spread fast, but the fear of the virus spread faster. Businesses, schools, and public spaces were closed, and people were quarantined in their homes. All students had to do online school and complete work in their homes. Adolescents began to communicate purely through the internet, which has had extreme mental effects that we can now see in those students. -
The Effects of Quarantine on Mental Health
Quarantine was a huge source of trauma for many adolescents in the 2020s. There exists a fear of mass illness and death, but it was amplified majorly after 2020, the year separating people away from their peers, causing isolation and depression. For many teenagers, the years of COVID-19 will be remembered as a dark time, a time of sadness and despair that will forever harm their mental health. Today, schools have turned to trauma-informed strategies and SEL lectures to help their students heal. -
Post-COVID Schools
Today's schools are heavily student-centered, especially in elementary schools. This strategy is a part of the Trauma Informed Education technique that is being used in schools. After quarantine, schools have changed their curriculum to better accommodate students and meet them where they are for them to succeed. The depressive effects quarantine had on scholars affected their work ethic and motivation in schools, so school systems began to provide students with accommodations that they needed. -
Trauma Informed Schools in 2024
More schools than ever before are now using trauma-informed care and education. Schools are finding that this system works well for students with disabilities and those who have been through traumatizing experiences. The system is used in schools widely now after the past couple of years of the pandemic.