healthcare certifications

Psychodynamic Theory in Counseling

Posted on by Mark Moran

For many counselors, psychodynamic and psychoanalytic schools of thought are considered outdated and less used.  While many good fruits came from Sigmund Freud and his theories, as a singular and closed system, it fails to meet many of the demands needed in modern psychology.  This short blog will take a look at some of the good aspects of psychoanalytic theory and some of the bad and suggest how useful or not useful it may be for clinical counseling, as well as a pastoral counseling.

Please also review AIHCP’s various behavioral and healthcare certifications, as well as its Grief Counseling Program and also Christian Counseling Program

Basics of Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic

Sigmund Freud is not only the father of psychodynamic theory but also considered one of the fathers of psychology itself

Freud as a medical professional saw most problems from a pathological level of care, instead of a wellness approach to care.  Unlike modern psychology, his thought looked more inwards to the subconscious mind and early childhood development.  Due to biology and upbringing within the first six years, a person’s personality was determined early, instead of focusing more on a person’s choices later in life, as well as other social and environmental factors leading to personality.  In essence, psychoanalytic and psychodynamic is a talk therapy with big emphasis in discussing the past, unlocking the unconscious and finding balance in life.

Within Freud’s system of thought existed the ID, Ego, and Superego.  These classical terms are well known to even the least exposed person to psychology and counseling.  It is no doubt that one has heard these terms throughout life.  In Freudian psychology, the ID is humanity’s inner instincts and drives, such as life instincts of life and sexual energy and death instincts of death and aggression. The Ego dealt more with persons inner self or mind and its relation to the outside world and the Superego was a person’s connection to a code outside of itself, such as customs, laws, morality and conscience (Tan 2022).    When these three parts of existence became unbalanced, then pathology was the end result in various forms of anxiety, depression or other more serious mental defects.

Since most issues are at the unconscious level, Freud believed in long term and in-depth counseling that interpreted the person’s subconscious and helped the person face those subconscious issues in a conscious confrontation.  By awakening the unconscious and confronting it by bringing the subconscious material to the conscious spotlight, Freud looked to help individuals find peace and reconciliation with who they were and how to adjust.

In doing so, Freud believed the counselor was an interpreter and guide, not a coach or soul helper.  Freud believed the counselor must be as neutral as possible and become a listener.  This anonymous nature was better created by having a person lay on a couch or sofa out of sightline from the therapist.  This led to the next step of free association where the client was encouraged to discuss whatever immediately came to one’s subconscious, in which the therapist would then interpret and when necessary ask necessary questions.  In helping the process, the therapist can also utilize dream interpretation as a way to understand the deeper meanings of the subconscious.   In addition, the therapist would help the client deal with any resistance to the blocking of the subconscious as to ensure the person is able to face it and understand it better.  As the relationship develops, psychodynamic therapists look to interpret and better help through transference in which the client subconsciously begins to relate to the therapist as a parental figure ( Tan 2022).

Finally, Freud greatly depended upon his analysis of one’s stages of life which he tied to human sexuality.  The oral, anal, phalic, latency and genital stages of sexual development all played key roles in a person’s psychological and mental development with the body in regards to healthy and unhealthy relationships with parental figures and later adult relationships (Tan 2022).

Utilization Today

Understanding the id, ego and superego

Today, there are very few pure psychodynamic therapists who utilize purely only Freudian methodologies.  According to Tan, 3 percent of clinical psychologists, percent of counseling psychologists, 5 percent of social workers and 2 percent of counselors consider themselves purely psychodynamic in practice (2022, p. 59).   Many modern psychologists or counselors may utilize some aspects of it, or borrow some terms, but most depend more on more patient centered models that incorporate other social factors into the clients life.

From a beneficial standpoint, Freud’s theories do express the importance of the subconscious mind that is a key element of all psychology, especially in regards to the early phases of life and trauma.  Freud’s defense mechanisms also illustrate many of humanity’s natural ways to try to avoid pain, suffering, guilt, or responsibility.

From a negative standpoint, Freud’s view of human nature is very pessimistic, as well as deterministic.   This can be at odds with more modern patient based models that look to promote healthy change and focus on wellness instead of complete pathology, as well as other motivational drives beyond the sexual (Tan 2022, p. 54).  In addition from a grief study perspective, Freud’s view that grief is an imbalance and a pathology itself, does not fall into line with basic bereavement science.  Obviously, for the spiritual counselor or those of various faiths, Freud’s atheistic views dismissed spirituality.  All recent studies show the important factors faith and spirituality play in a person’s healing process.

Tan also points out that many of Freud’s theories are not easily translated into a testable hypothesis (2022, p. 55).   In addition, Tan lists the long and expensive nature of psychoanalytic therapy since it rarely can be completed within a few months, much less a year due to its intensity.  Some patients can also become annoyed and the distance and anonymity of the counselor in such a sterile environment.  For many, this does not translate well into pastoral counseling settings which demands empathy display in counseling (Tan 2022).

While psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapy has been seen as a successful method for some, it still lacks empirical controlled and uncontrolled tests to fully testify to its effectiveness.  Nonetheless, it is still seen as a empirically useful method of therapy with good results since its conception (TAN 2022).

Ultimately, it comes down to the style that works best for the client and the type of counseling relationship and beliefs the client holds.

Conclusion

Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic counseling still has multiple benefits but is rarely used as a stand alone approach in modern psychology

While few utilize psychodynamic and psychoanalytic in professional counseling, it still is an effective method for some.  This school of counseling has many beneficial concepts and tools that can be employed by a counselor, but for many, it is not the primary school utilized.  Instead many borrow certain concepts and use as needed in their professional careers with clients.  This does not diminish the shadow of Sigmund Freud’s stamp on modern psychology.  He clearly took psychology from a more soul helping endeavor in pastoral settings to a more academic and medical format.  While some of this was good, some of it left out centuries of past wisdom seen from the Church and other pastoral traditions.  It also neglected some of the basic ideals of a more client centered care with other factors at play seen with Alfred Adler and later Carl Rogers.

Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification, as well as its Grief Counseling program.  AIHCP offers also a wide variety of other healthcare certifications

ADDITIONAL AIHCP BLOG

Freudian Self Defense Mechanisms- Access here

References

Tan, S-Y. (2022). Counseling and psychotherapy: a Christian perspective. (2nd Edition). Baker Academic, a division of the Baker Publishing Group.

Additional Resources

Cherry, K. (2025). Sigmund Freud’s Life, Theories, and Influence. VeryWellMind.  Access here

Cherry, K. (2025). What Is Psychoanalytic Therapy?. VeryWellMind. Access here

McCleod, S. (2024). Sigmund Freud’s Theories & Contribution to Psychology. Psychology Today.  Access here

Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology (2022). APA. Access here

 

 

Behavioral Health Certifications: Freudian Self Defense Mechanisms

Posted on by Mark Moran

Despite numerous modern objections to various aspects of Freud and psychoanalytic theory and counseling, Sigmund Freud nonetheless gave psychology many beneficial concepts that can be borrowed from his school of thought and utilized to help one understand human nature.  Among one of these useful tools are Freud’s defense mechanisms of the ego.  To recall, Freud considered the makeup of the human mind to consist of the id, ego, and superego.  The id referred to humanity’s natural inclinations and instinctive drives, the ego was in essence the executive drive behind the self and the interaction with the outside world and the superego was humanity’s alteration of self to customs, social patterns and inherited morality.  When these three were at odds with each other or in imbalance, then psychological discomfort resulted.  This short blog will look at these Freudian defense mechanisms.

Freud identified defense mechanisms people utilize to avoid pain, stress and conflict

Please also review AIHCP’s numerous behavioral and healthcare certifications.

Facing Anxiety and Defense Mechanisms

When dealing with anxiety, or distress, the ego, according to Freud, would attempt to cope with the issues, but sometimes in an unhealthy way through defense systems (Tan 2011, p. 41).   Freud stated that in particular, neurotic or moral anxiety caused most individuals to look to defend their actions or views.  Neurotic anxiety referred to one’s own fears of being overwhelmed by one’s own desires and drives, while moral anxiety was the fear of being at odds with one’s conscience (Tan 2011, p. 41).   Since many individuals’ actions are at odds with their beliefs, then naturally, individuals look to find a way to exist creating a cognitive dissonance.  In therapy, it is important to identify these defense mechanisms since they prevent the truth of the matter or the reality of the situation.

Repression

Freud considered repression to the most fundamental and important defense mechanism (Tan 2011, p. 41).  At the subconscious level, Freud believed that individuals within their first formative years could repress and block out past and painful memories.  Many of these subconscious memories would be lost to consciousness  but could only be retraced through therapy or dream work.  In addition to these memories, emotions tied to them could also be repressed but remain boiling within one’s subconscious.   This involuntary type of defense mechanism helped the person find peace but still left unresolved issues that could fester in one’s later life if not faced.

Denial 

Our subconscious looks to repress and deny uncomfortable things

Denial is a common defense mechanism and even one of the first responses in grief.  Denial looks to push away the horrid reality and to pretend it does not exist.  In grief, denial is temporary, but for some denial can become a very dangerous thing as it festers.  For instance, if one is diagnosed with a disease, one may live in a state of denial for a very long time, or if one refuses to accept the consequences of bad habits, one can continue down a unhealthy path.

Displacement

Displacement is a common mechanism that is quite unfair to others.  Instead of coping with the issue directly or facing the person causing it, one displaces the confrontation and frustration onto an easier substitute.  For instance a man who returns home from work, may instead yell at his spouse or children.  It is very common for individuals with high level stress to displace the stress source onto someone else.  This can cause great turmoil at home or with family and friends for individuals who are unable to channel their frustration into the proper source.

Sublimation 

In a very similar way, the stressed person may aim their frustration or energy into other things or projects instead of facing the primary stress itself.  This is far better than blaming a person for one’s own issues, but this defense mechanism nonetheless re allocates the problem to something else without finding resolution.  In the end, the person at least temporarily is defended from the stress but it remains waiting later.

Reaction Formation

Ironically, some individuals ignore the intense feeling they experience by acting out the exact opposite emotional reaction in a hope of controlling the situation.  Instead of confronting a person one dislikes, one instead over exaggerates the response of kindness.  While this may seem nice, it is nonetheless toxic as it builds up resentment because the stress or emotion is not being acknowledged or the issue is not being resolved.

Projection

This defense mechanism is very toxic because it places one’s own impulses or behaviors on another person.  This permits the person to blame others and to defend oneself from one’s own judgement and consequence.    This can occur when a boy hates his father because he believes his father hates him (Tan 2011, p. 42).  In essence, projection permits the person to escape the emotion by placing it on the other person.

Rationalization

Rationalizing is defense mechanism that blinds us to the truth. Please also review AIHCP’s Healthcare Certifications

Sometimes when something bad happens, individuals try to convince themselves that what occurred is not that bad after all.  This false attempt to find a silver lining does not permit the person to grieve the situation from a truthful perspective.  Because of this, the person then misses the opportunity to face the issue as well as to learn from it.  This is why especially in grief counseling, it is important to acknowledge the reality of the situation.  It is OK to feel something went wrong and to feel bad about it, but sometimes subconscious defense mechanisms try to derail this process for temporary relief.

Regression

When things go wrong, sometimes people fall back.  If something is terrible instead of facing it, sometimes people may feel the need to hide or not confront and return to more childlike behaviors or even immature behaviors.  In children, this is even more common and visible in behavior, such as bed wetting, or other thumb sucking.

Intellectualism 

Sometimes individuals may try to theorize or philosophize a bad event instead of focusing on the emotions themselves.  This defense mechanism again looks to keep the painful emotion away through rational thought about the situation.  This mechanism like many others is only prolonging the issue.  In grief counseling, it is detrimental to bury emotion and not acknowledge it.  One cannot avoid what needs to be faced.

Identification 

Sometimes, the cross or problem is so big, that one feels oneself is not equipped to face it.  In this regard, they identify with other people who have successful faced these issues.  While this can be good, it can also be bad when one begins to emulate the other person at a pathological level.  It is fine to see how others handled problems, but ultimately our problems are unique to us and we must sometimes walk the road alone and figure it out for ourselves.

Conclusion

Defense mechanisms may help in the moment but they do not resolve long term issues

In society and counseling, one can see many of these defense mechanisms.  It may be with a client or a relative or friend, but these are common place issues.  In grief counseling, many of these issues shuffle the current emotion away to find temporary relief.  Sometimes, in the moment this may be necessary, but as time goes on, these defense mechanisms can lead to pathological grief and stress reactions.  The mind hopes to spare the body as much emotional pain as possible, but sometimes, we need to face pain and suffering so that we can completely heal.

Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification as well as its many healthcare certifications.

Additional Blogs

Shame, Fear and Guilt in Trauma Counseling: Click here

Reference

Tan, S.-Y. (2022). Counseling and Psychotherapy: a Christian Perspective (2nd edition) Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Additional Resources

Cherry, K. (2025). 20 Defense Mechanisms We Use to Protect Ourselves. VeryWellMind. Access here

McCleod, S. (2024). Defense Mechanisms In Psychology Explained (+ Examples). Simply Psychology.  Access here

Defense Mechanisms.  Psychology Today.  Access here

Pass, JC. (2023). An Exploration of Freudian Defence Mechanisms.  Simply Put Psych.  Access here

 

 

 

 

Trauma and Informed Care and Imminent Danger in Counseling Video Blog

Posted on by Mark Moran

It is a grave and immense responsibility of counselors to protect their clients when imminent harm to themselves, others or abuse is reported.  Confidentiality has its limitations in these cases and a legal obligation to report becomes necessary.  This video looks at signs of imminent harm as well as how to help clients understand the need to submit to the safest decisions that may include temporary mental ward observation or reporting an abuser.

Please also review AIHCP’s Healthcare Certifications as well as AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Certification

Trauma Informed Care: Understanding Dissociation

Posted on by Mark Moran

The most common trait we think of when discussing PTSD is dissociation.  Whether through flashbacks, or disconnections from the present, dissociation primarily seen as a pathological left over from a traumatic event, most seen with combat veterans.  Within this imagery, one sees a firecracker or backfire from a car that sends a military veteran into a flashback of a past war scene.  While this is accurately captures PTSD, this is only one minor aspect of dissociation and only illustrates its pathological symptoms instead of its overall necessity within the protective and defense mechanisms of the human body against extrema trauma.  It is important to remember according to Contreras, that some dissociative behaviors are also part of the human experience and not necessarily pathological symptoms (2024, P, 181).   In this blog, we will shortly look at dissociation in a broader scope and see how it exists not only during the trauma, but after the trauma as well, and how it manifests in multiple different ways.

Dissociation while a natural mechanism for some during the actual trauma becomes pathological if it becomes chronic and persistent after the actual trauma event

Please also review AIHCP’s Healthcare certifications, especially AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care and Spiritual Trauma Informed Care programs.

Peritraumatic Dissociation

During extreme stress or trauma, or life or death situations, the body’s autonomic nervous system responds through its sympathetic or parasympathetic branches.  As discussed in previous blogs, this can lead to fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or even fade.  Since dissociation deals with fade or immobility, it is part of the parasympathetic response during a traumatic event.  In its peritraumatic state, the survival mechanism is natural and looks to help the person disconnect, detach, or compartmentalize the event.  This is shutdown is is to spare the mind the horrible nature of the event and other emotional and mental damages, albeit, it also shuts the person’s physical abilities to continue resistance.  During this moment of detachment, the Prefrontal Cortex’s emotional processing is inhibited and the sympathetic activity is reduced.  In turn, the parasympathetic response increases and the activity of the cortico limbic brain creates algesics to skip the process of storing memories, or recalling memories, especially painful ones.  In addition, analgesics are produced to reduce pain and numb the body from the event (Contreras, 2024, p. 176-177).   This process can leave gaps in memory as well as other cognitive and emotional related issues.  The more traumatic event, the more traumatic the dissociation and due to this the  higher possibility to dissociate later (Contreras, 2024, p. 173).

What to remember is this natural defense and survival response is normal in its hope of protecting the mind and body.

Posttraumatic Dissociation

Dissociation becomes pathological when it continues to haunt the mind after the actual event.  The mind can be easily triggered due to similar scents, surroundings or signs that evoke the survival response.  For many, they are already existing in a constant survival strategy mode, keeping systems on red alert.  Within dissociation, individuals may experience psychological and functional alterations of memory and identity.  Others may sense physiological symptoms such as temperature loss in the limbs, or a lowered heart rate.  Others may sense a detachment from surroundings or disconnect from bodily sensations.  Others may experience less pathological experiences with temporary states of day dreaming or disengagement with life (Contreras, 2024, p. 174).   Various aspects are also affected by dissociation such as loss of time, disconnect from body, disconnect from identity of self, lack of motivation, amnesia and memory loss, or loss of capacity to recognize emotions and their affect, meaning and range (Contreras, 2024, p. 175).  All of these issues represent true significant issues for a person who has not returned to homostatis or baseline due to the traumatic event.  Since the body remains in a state of survival mode, mechanisms that are meant to be temporary instead are becoming permanent states of being for the individual.

Dissociation can become especially dangerous when in its extreme form it can cause individuals to become invert and thoughtless to their surroundings or what is happening.  When amnesia is present, it can disconnect a person from their true self which forces the person to create new schemas or behaviors that are extreme in nature (Contreras, 2024, p, 182).

Dissociation according to the DSM-5 can also be experienced as a DPDR disorder (Depersonalization-Derealization disorder), as a Dissociative Identity disorder (multiple personality) or a amnesia based disorder.  Due to these more extreme cases, it is critical to find help if these issues grow worst or persist.  With personalization, the person feels detached, or even as an outside observer of one’s mental processes.  With derealization where one experiences a type of unreality about one’s surroundings, as if dreamlike, distant or distorted (Contreras, 2024, p,. 319).

Finding Help

Therapists, especially those trained in trauma informed care, are especially equipped to help a person again find baseline or homostasis.  They can help the individual again deactivate the autonomous nervous system and turn off survival mechanisms that have hijacked the overall person’s life.  This involves not only learning to regulate emotions, but also instructing others in grounding techniques that can limit the dissociation.   In many cases, exposure therapy and reframing is necessary to help the person move beyond the traumatic event.  It involves helping the brain properly store the memory and process it.   In doing so, the brain can eventually reset without being alerted to non threats.

Please also review AIHCP’s blog on grounding techniques for those suffering from PTSD.  Click here

Conclusion

Please also review AIHCP’s healthcare certifications as well as its Trauma Informed Care program

Dissociation is a natural response of the parasympathetic nervous system that involves detachment during a traumatic event.  It shuts down many centers of the brain for memory by effecting encoding , storage and retrieval.   Instead the memory becomes emotional and tied to the amygdala.  Additionally, the hippocampus  has a difficult time differentiating the past memory and event with the present moment and associates everything as imminent.  This in turn leads to triggers and continued detachment from non existent threats.   Since the body remains in a state of red alert, dissociation as a survival mechanism instead becomes a survival strategy that persists until the person is finally able to resolve the past trauma.

Please also review AIHCP’s healthcare certifications as well as its Trauma Informed Care and Spiritual Trauma Informed Care programs.

Resource

Contreras, A (2024). “Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Sympathetic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders”

Additional Resources

Tull, M. (2025). “What Is Dissociation?.  Very Well Mind.  Access here

“Dissociation”. Psychology Today.  Access here

“Dissociative Disorders”. Mayo Clinic.  Access here

Guy Evans, O. (2025). “What Is Dissociation? Types, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment”. Simply Psychology. Access here

Trauma Informed Care: Emotional Abuse

Posted on by Mark Moran

Abuse has many faces.  It can be physical, it can be sexual and it also can be emotional.  Prolonged emotional abuse which is chronic overtime chips away at the person and places him or her into a state of constant survival.  Instead of stress responses acting as responses in the moment to survive, they become a constant state of existence.  This is one of the primary differences between PTSD and C-PTSD.  Under long periods of repeated duress due to emotional abuse or even neglect, the brain rewires itself to exist within a survival state.  With no acute emotional wound but a collection and series of events, emotional abuse or any type of abuse that is chronic or repeated, becomes difficult to discern what started ignition from survival response to survival state itself.   The delicate balance of allstasis or the ability to remain stable adjusts to constant change eventually reaches a state of allostatic load that eventually can crash in which the survival state becomes a new state that overtakes the person.

Emotional abuse is abuse. Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program as well as AIHCP’s numerous behavioral healthcare certifications

Neglect and Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is a trauma overtime that can lead to a survival state due to the repeated abuse or neglect.   Around 80 percent of all maltreatment of children can be reduced to emotional abuse and neglect.  While these things do not necessarily require physical or sexual abuse, they gradually wear the person down.  This is especially true of children with developing brains that can be hindered by chronic emotional abuse or neglect.

According to Contreras, neglect as a type of abuse categorized as omission (2024, p. 183).  With neglect and emotional abuse, the child or even person enters into a state of survival mode.  One is on red alert constantly for what may go wrong in a particular day due neglect or emotional abuse.  When those limits are met, just like any stress, the person is able to adjust or lose ability to cope and falls victim to the stressor, trauma or abuse.  These individuals will have emotional regulation issues, hyper or hypo arousal states, and react to the abuse in different ways according to these states.  Individuals under constant barrage can fall into fight, flight, fawn or fade as the daily barrage of abuse or neglect degrades their personhood, identity and mood.  In these cases to survive the prolonged neglect and abuse, the person appeases, becomes aggressive with others, looks to escape confrontations, look to please, or fade into thinking there is no true abuse (Contreras, 2014, p. 201-202).  From this, neglect and emotional abuse drains the person of self, identity  and self worth, replacing daily actions into survival responses adapted for prolonged exposure to the stressors or minor traumas of the day.  It is because of this that many who have gone through such abuse or neglect, develop C-PTSD.

Emotional Abuse and Neglect

Neglect to basic needs, both physical and mental are detrimental to children and their development into mentally stable adults.  Neglect and emotional abuse not only hurts the development of the brain but also can lead to physical ailments due to the constant state of survival.

Chronic emotional abuse according to Contreras is any words or non physical actions that hurt, belittle, weaken, manipulate or frightens a person.  In addition the abuse causes distortion and confusion that shakes the person’s very stability in life.  Many forms of mental abuse are carried on through neglect, but also intimidation, manipulation, objectification, gaslighting, yelling, and even obsessive jealousy (2024, p. 184).   Individuals are left with exhaustion, depression, low self esteem, and feel trapped.  In doing so they look for maladaptive ways to cope with trauma.  Many times, especially children, but also adults, can become stuck in a co-dependent relationship which are detrimental to all levels of their existence.  While the person is not in a life or death situation,  the person does develop a shattered sense of self.  This is accomplished through mind games, devaluation, and scheming that mentally undermines the person.  Contreras lists manipulation, gaslighting and objectification as key ways of controlling and harming the person (2024, p. 187-189).

Manipulation, gaslighting and objectifying another human being are all types of emotional abuse. Please review AIHCP’s behavioral health certification programs

Manipulation

Contreras defines manipulation as a type of subtle abuse to debilitate a person’s will and capabilities to obtain personal gain,  control, submission, obedience and pleasure from the abused (2024, p. 187).    Individuals who are constantly manipulated lose sense of self, and self esteem leading them to feel used, depressed and hopeless.  If they do not respond to the manipulation, many emotionally and neglected fear abandonment and rejection from the abuser.

Gaslighting

According to Contreras, gaslighting is an effective for abusers to control and manipulate their victim.  They do so by making the individual doubt his or her own reality making the person feel crazy or insecure (2024, p. 188).  It intentional to control the person and keep them within the abuser’s web of chaos.

Objectifying 

In many cases, those who are emotionally abused, as well as physical, are objectified as property.  The person loses autonomy of self.   Contreras lists a variety of ways objectification occurs.  Instrumentality refers to using the person as a tool to meet an end or satisfy one’s own goals.  Denial of autonomy refers to the inability for the person to act on his or her own without consent from the abuser. Ownership refers to a person’s literal autonomy belonging to the abuser to be used and sold as the abuser sees fit.   Denial of subjectivity dismisses the abused and his or her experiences or feelings as not worthy of attention or need.  Finally silencing refers to taking away the person’s voice (Contreras, 2024, p. 190-191).

Individuals who objectify other human beings in general lack any form of empathy, are ego-centric, and put their needs and goals over everyone.  They are usually tied to the personality disorder of narcissism (Contreras, 2024, p. 189).

Unfortunately, this leads to trauma bonding which according to Contreras, leads the abused to an attachment with the abuser that disempowers the individual into a perpetual state of defeat under the mirage of being loved (2024, p. 192).

Conclusion

Please also review AIHCP’s healthcare certification as well as its trauma informed care program

Severe neglect, as well as emotional abuse is a different wound than physical wounds.  They may not inflict immediate death or harm but they lead to a chronic breaking of the spirit and the person’s development.  It leads to a host of emotional and mental problems that destroy the mind and soul.  Due to its usual chronic state and repeated offenses, it wears the person down and can manifest in states of C–PTSD where the person enters into a constant survival state that breaks down not only the mind but the body.  It steals the joy of life and the dreams of others.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Certification as well as AIHCP’s Healthcare Certifications

 

Additional Blog

PTSD vs C-PTSD.  Click here

Resource

Contreras, A. (2024). Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systematic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders”

Additional Resources

Valdez, R. (2025). “Signs of Emotional Abuse”. VeryWellMind. Access here

Pietrangelo, A. & Raypole, C. (2025). “How to Recognize the Signs of Emotional Abuse”. Healthline. Access here

“Emotional Abuse”. Psychology Today.  Access here

“What Is Emotional Abuse”. National Domestic Violence Hotline.  Access here

 

 

 

Trauma Informed Care: PTSD vs C-PTSD

Posted on by Mark Moran

Stress induced responses are the same responses experienced with trauma.  When stressors strike, the human body responds, but unfortunately, the human body does not respond to all stress the same and the autonomous nervous system activates the sympathetic branch to induce fight or flight responses which carries the price of pumping nor-epinephrine and epinephrine (also adrenalines) with cortisol into the body.  This takes blood away from the core of the body and pumps it into the limbs for action.  In addition, the human body’s blood pressure and heart rates increase to assist in the survival response.  Inside the brain, the amygdala becomes more active, while the prefrontal cortex becomes less active.  Less thinking, conserving energy and promoting a primal and instinctive ability at a more physical level are all the results of this activation.  While in occasional and short spurts, this is not dangerous but when the body enters in a chronic or consistent state, then long term issues arise.  The body is not intended to remain in survival mode, the survival mechanisms of fight, flight, freeze, fawn or fade are healthy responses in the moment but can become detrimental long term.

What is the difference between PTSD and C-PTSD. Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program as well as its healthcare certification programs

Hence long term stress is very dangerous to over health, but what about long term trauma?  Since they both induce the same reactions, the body not only consistently enters into unhealthy physical states with constant trauma but becomes subject to the consistent presence of survival mechanisms that become the new reset.  The body rarely returns to a state of homostasis and attempts to learn how to adjust and change to ever present but non-existent threat that the brain perceives.  Contreras refers to this as allostasis where the body constantly adjusts to the changes of stressful present trauma  or stability through change(2024, p. 195).   When the prolonged stress or trauma reaches an overflow to the allostatic load, then the system breaks down and the body gives into a trauma disorder.  According to Contreras, C-PTSD is a type of prolonged stress and chronic trauma that dysfunctions the ANS through a prolonged cumulative burden of allostatic changes that eventually results in overload of the system (2024, p. 198)

PTSD vs C-PTSD

There is no diagnosis in the current DSM-5 for C-PTSD but there are characteristics that separate it from PTSD itself.  PTSD according to the DSM-5 is a disorder that follows an event or extreme event that is life threatening and horrific that negatively effects the ANS placing the person in a constant state of survival mode (Contreras, 2024, p. 198).   Like stress, trauma effects individuals differently, so some individuals will develop PTSD while others will not.  Initial survival responses that manifested during the traumatic event, return as survival strategies and overtake the person and create a new and pathological way of life that is in constant danger from threats that resemble or may not even be present to the initial trauma.  So for many, fight or flight and other survival mechanisms and responses become a permanent part of one’s life.  C-PTSD was coined by Judith Herman to explain the higher severity beyond basic PTSD to those who existed in a constant state of survival mode and long-term traumatization.   Due to these overactive survival responses becoming the new baseline, individuals with PTSD as well as C-PTSD experience emotional dysregulation due to hyper arousal and hypo arousal states induced by the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous systems.

In reviewing C-PTSD, all of these criteria are met, but in addition, the person experiences more severe emotional regulation, as well as low self esteem and lost world view and difficulties maintaining relationships (Contreras, 2024, p., 198).  Some even contend, that this resembles a type of borderline personality disorder or at least sharing a similar pathological umbrella.  Unlike PTSD, which involves a singular event, C-PTSD is a prolonged series of traumatic experiences that build up over time.  Individuals who are exposed to sex trafficking, genocide,  child abuse, torture, war and  prolonged and repeated emotional, physical or sexual abuse can this disorder. Children with multiple adverse childhood events (ACE) are also more closely subject to C-PTSD.  What makes it particularly harder to treat is that there is no one date or source that broke the allostatic load.  Unlike a cut or physical wound that has a definitive mark, C-PTSD is more likened to a wound that is constantly scratched over and over.  This repeated damage does not permit any wound to heal and instead it festers until it reaches overload. Obviously an individual in a constant state of trauma and prolonged stress can suffer internal injuries to the body from the endocrine system and its lasting effects due to higher blood pressure, but it also can harm the hippocampus and in younger children affect proper development of the prefrontal cortex.

Different individuals may respond differently due to existing in constant survival mode.  Survival mechanisms become survival states that have numerous behavioral responses.  From the initial survival response of freeze, one in chronic trauma may enter into a mode of lock where the individual tries to adjust the adverse situation by accepting the worst and hoping for the best despite the innate desire to fight back.  Some move from fawn into a complete appeasing strategy. others with fight, become aggressive socially to try to regain some control.  Flight becomes escape and avoidance of certain scenarios to diminish the abuse or trauma.  Some in this mode may turn to substances or sex or gambling to escape.  With tonic immobility or collapse immobility, one sees a parasympathetic dominant strategy of submit and fade.  An individual in these cases portrays dissociation and becomes disengaged.  When these survival mechanisms become survival strategies, homostasis becomes an impossible goal and almost a new personality emerges as the person looks to cope.  The individual can have  poor self esteem, lose meaning, become detached, lose emotional regulation and have a difficult time maintaining relationships with others.

Conclusion

When understanding trauma and PTSD, one must understand that the event, experience and effects all play out different within the subjective nature of the person.  Regardless, when a stressor or traumatic life event does occur, survival mechanisms occur.  These mechanisms are healthy in themselves and help the brain and body to respond to a potential threat.  Many are able to regain homostasis over a couple weeks or months, but others develop a trauma disorder such as PTSD which keeps the body in a perpetual state of trauma response that is no longer present.  In cases of complexity due to ambiguity of an exact event but chronic abuse, the human body can eventually overload and exhibit a new way of existing in regards to C-PTSD.  The wound is more complex because it festered over a long period of time with no clear delineator of what caused the trauma.  The mere existence of a constant trauma and multiple events creates the more severe reaction.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program

Helping individuals heal from C-PTSD obviously involves more intense and longer psychotherapy than traditional PTSD.  Herman suggested a three phase treatment which included safety and stabilization, trauma processing and integration and rehabilitation.  In addition, various therapies such as emotional regulation, grounding, EMDR and attachment focused interventions look to help the person process the trauma but also learn to regulate the symptoms and help the person reach homostasis.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care program as well as its numerous behavioral health and healthcare certifications

Additional Blog: Grooming.  Access here

Resource

Contreras, A. (2024). Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systematic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders”

Additional Resources

Tull, M (2025). “How Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) Differs from PTSD”. Very Well Health.  Access here

Complex Trauma (Complex PTSD) (2025). Psychotraumatology.  Access here

Wiginton, K. (2024). “Complex PTSD and Its Symptoms” WebMD.  Access here

“Complex PTSD” Psychology Today.  Access here

 

 

 

 

Regulation Emotion and Grounding Video Blog

Posted on by Mark Moran

Helping clients regulate their emotion during counseling is critical in helping them heal. This video looks at a variety of grounding techniques.

Please also review AIHCP’s TRAUMA INFORMED CARE CERTIFICATION as well as its SPIRITUAL TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PROGRAM.  AIHCP offers a variety of healthcare certifications to review.  Please click here

Trauma Informed Care: Protecting at Risk Populations from Grooming

Posted on by Mark Moran

There is nothing more insidious or disgusting or repulsive than the predatory nature of grooming a weaker, exposed, innocent or at risk community to sexual assault.  Whether if one is of faith or secular, it cries to the most inner core of basic humanity for justice.  Those who work with children, the disabled, the aged and other vulnerable populations need to show special and extra care for signs of potential grooming against these individuals.  Ironically, statistically it is not the creepy person in a spooky van trolling down streets at night but grooming occurs in most cases from individuals of authority that have spiritual duties, or even care duties to these individuals.   These persons are can be family members, friends of family, or individuals of supposed good name in the community.  Many misuse their positions of authority and care to sexually assault.  This short blog will look at grooming, the process of it, and special populations that need special guarding for potential grooming targeting.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program, as well as many of its Healthcare Certification Programs.

Grooming and its Phases

Identifying grooming.
Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program

According to Compton, grooming is the methodical and deliberate process to create emotional intimacy with the intent of sexual abuse (2024, p. 159).   The five phases of grooming include victim selection, gaining access/isolating, trust development, desensitization to sexual content and physical contact and finally post abuse maintenance (Compton, 2024. p. 159-160).   As safe guarders, counselors, social workers, healthcare providers, and as well spiritual and pastoral caregivers, it is essential to be aware of these phases and to investigate anything that seems to illustrate this type of behavior between an individual and a victim.  It is especially important to safeguard and show extreme diligence for at risk populations such as children, the disabled and elderly who are unable to protect themselves.

Selection of a victim is opportunistic.  Like any predator, the easier prey is observed over a healthy and powerful one.  Hence children, the disabled or elderly are opportune targets but not all children, or elderly or disabled are as easy to target than some.  Children with healthy attachments and a strong family relationship can be more difficult to navigate as well as elderly who have strong support systems.  Sexual groomers look not just for weaker populations but also those within those populations that are already broken, or isolated, or lacking the proper support to ward off these advances.  Individuals with less parental supervision, or caregiver supervision, as well those with less financial resources and face economic hardships are easier targets for predators.  In addition, those with lower self esteem, unhealthy attachment schemas, identity issues, or disabilities are far more easier to manipulate and control (Compton, 2024, p. 160-161).

The second phase is gaining access and isolating the victim. Predators may already be a member of the family or become close friends to the family or hold a position of spiritual or political power.  They will use these connections and places of power as a way to become closer to the individual.  Through family connections, or social interactions, the predator will then spend time with the individual.  With children, the predator will spend more time with child than others at events as an attempt to know the child better but in addition they will also try to see the child or person beyond regular events and superimpose themselves into the selected victim’s life.  This can be accomplished through sharing of social media or private messaging (Compton, 2024, p. 162).   During these times, the predator will also try separate the victim from other resources and support systems.  The predator will attempt to turn the child or person against the more secure relationships in order to weaken any resistance to advances.

Following this phase, the predator will attempt to form a bond of trust.  As other relationships are pushed away, the predator will insert him or herself into such a way as to appear as a good friend, confidant, or guide.  Unfortunately, children, disabled and the elderly rely on others more so than healthy adults.  Children are taught to obey authority figures, the elderly are supposed to listen to caregivers and disabled are completely at the mercy of those who watch over them.  Hence, when trust is established, victims can be very confused when that trust is used to hurt them.

The fourth phase includes introducing victims to sexual content or advances that look to normalize the abuse and permit more and more contact with the victim.  In this phase, sexual jokes, quick touches, or sexual behaviors are normalized between predator and victim.  The victim may doubt if anything is truly wrong, even one feels initial guilt or shame.  In fact, the predator desires guilt and shame to exist within the person.  The predator looks to break down moral barriers and replace them with shame and guilt as way to continue the relationship.  When horrible things are normalized, then a predator can keep a victim trapped in the cycle.

The final phase is post abuse maintenance.  In this phase, the predator in order to continue the abuse, as well as protect him or herself, will employ various lies to frighten, scare, shame and guilt the victim.  Many will threaten violence against a loved one, or dehumanize the victim as dirty, or remind a victim that no-one will believe the victim (Compton, 2024, p.164).   When grooming is successful, this emotional hold can confuse children into becoming cooperative or even feeling it is their choice to continue in the abuse.

As protectors, we need to be aware of red flags.  When we notice odd amounts of time beyond reason with a child, disabled or elderly person, then we should investigate the nature of the other person’s interest.  The person may be merely kind but we cannot risk children, the disabled or elderly until it is proven to be innocent.  We also should be aware of odd flattery or gifts given to these at risk groups, as well as unusual favoritism, hugs, or jokes.   When children speak of secrets between an adult and themselves, then these secrets must be made known and the other person approached upon the content of the secrets.  Other red flags involve the use of providing drinks, or drugs or even smoking with children, disabled or elderly.

At Risk Populations

Sexual predators prey upon children and other at risk populations

It is of the most importance in trauma care, counseling, and even as a family member or friend to see potential grooming to children, the disabled or elderly.  Professionals must report what they discover, but as observers, sometimes its important to put our nose into other people’s business when things do not look right.  This is why it so essential to not only be aware of the signs of grooming ourselves, but also to help educate children, as well as the disabled and elderly who are potential victims.

Unfortunately, how many times are elderly dismissed as senile?  How many times are their concerns or what they may say ignored?  The disabled especially can have difficulty communicating or sharing stories of abuse.  If they cannot communicate, trauma in the disabled can still be seen in their emotional regulation as well states of hyper or hypo-arousal.   Children as well may have difficulty communicating sexual abuse since they do not understand it.  Ultimately, it befalls upon us, not just as counselors but for everyone to observe and protect at risk populations to the potential of abuse.  We do not want to become over scrupulous in seeing every hug as a potential grooming, but we need to see patterns and consistencies and most importantly listen to these at risk populations and understand how they communicate without dismissing.

In regards to children or those with disabilities, education is key.  Teaching sexual and physical boundaries and identifying with at risk populations bad touches versus good touches is essential.  As well as teaching children and others about the dangers of accepting weird gifts, or random flatteries that seem odd.   Also, parents, caregivers and counselors need to be aware of at risk populations and their use of social media and messaging.  It is essential to have limitations on the uses of these electronic devices as well as monitoring what is being viewed, sent, or read.  Caretaking means being involved and being ready to discuss tough conversations by letting children, disabled or elderly that no conversation is awkward regarding potential abuse.  Reassurance to believe and also teaching others is a big way to prevent grooming and to scare off potential predators.

Conclusion

We need to be alert for grooming to protect at risk populations. Please also review AIHCP’s Healthcare Certification programs

Grooming is a disgusting process but unfortunately something that needs spoken about and addressed despite the discomfort.  Counselors as well as any person needs to understand the phases of grooming and be especially mindful of at risk populations.  This also involves prevention by educating individuals about grooming and creating an opening for positive dialogue and concern to prevent it.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program as well as AIHCP’s multiple Healthcare Certification Programs.

Other AIHCP Blogs: “The Devastating Impact of Trauma on Children.  Please click here

Reference

Compton, L & Patterson, T. (2024). Skills for Safeguarding: A Guide to Preventing Abuse and Fostering Healing in the Church” Intervarsity Press.

Additional Resources

“What Is Grooming?” (2025). Cleveland Clinic:  Health Essentials. Access here

“The Real Red Flags of Grooming | What Every Parent, Educator, and the Public at Large Needs to Know” (2025). National Children’s Alliance.  Access here

“The Grooming Behaviors Every Adult Should Recognize”  Center for Violence Prevention and Self Defense Training.  Access here

“Online grooming: how predators manipulate their victims” (2025). NetPsychology. Access here