Brains in Pain

An Eudtopia article describes the challenge of working with students who are experiencing difficult mental conditions in “Brains in Pain Cannot Learn! (January 7, 2016), claiming that “Over 29 percent of young people in the U.S., ages 9-17, are affected by anxiety and depression disorders. The thinking lobes in the prefrontal cortex shut down when a brain is in pain.” The article suggests three ways for helping students suffering from depression or trauma-related conditions: Movement, Focused Attention Practices, and Understanding the Brain.

What does the picture look like for adults? “Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. In 2014, around 15.7 million adults age 18 or older in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year, which represented 6.7 percent of all American adults. "(https://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression )

How do you work with students who are not learning to read or write well (a challenge for most!) and whose “brains are very likely to be in pain?” Any tips for the rest of us? Leecy

Comments

Hi Leecy, 

Thanks for introducing this critical topic. My dissertation research is on Trauma Informed Leadership. As the foundation, I am using the ACEs Study, (Adverse Childhood Experiences). This study links traumatic experiences in children to later life health issues. As we understand more and more about the trauma and the impact on the brain, and as we understand more about the impact of poverty as an extreme stressor, we are learning more and more about how to help our learners. There is a great deal of research that is coming out now about the increased number of adults with anxiety and how that is 'showing' itself in early adulthood. This age is typically when individuals begin living on their own, changing behavior from supervised and structured, to making individual decisions. While I certainly don't believe that ACEs are the cause for all the anxiety related issues we are seeing, there is a large body of research indicating they are a prevalent factor. 

Now, to get to your question about how do we help a brain in pain, the answer begins with TIL. It begins with leadership and creating an environment, and pace of instruction, that is safe. I invite you all to read the following information. http://www.traumainformedcareproject.org/resources/SAMHSA%20TIC.pdf

Sincerely, 
Kathy Tracey