Trauma Informed Practices: Teaching Self Regulation through Mindfulness
Trauma is not new to America. In its many forms trauma can be observed in communities across all fifty U.S. states and territories. Whether it is the generational trauma experienced by African American children living in poverty, refugee or migrant children arriving at the southern border after harrowing journeys through other countries, in children whose parents are addicted to opioids, in fire victims in California, earthquake and hurricane victims in Puerto Rico or those who have experienced frequent or sustained adverse childhood experiences; trauma is pervasive in America. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2015) suggests that two thirds of children in the United States have experienced at least one traumatic even by the age of 16 ranging from psychological, physical or sexual abuse, neglect, witnessing or experiencing violence (domestic or war related), natural disasters, school and community violence (shootings and gang violence) and traumatic home situations (deaths, relocations, homelessness, accidence and life threatening illness or conditions.)
Trauma affects the developing brain of a child causing a multitude of challenges related to coping, learning and thriving. Children who experience trauma may also demonstrate difficulties in school related to attention and emotional regulation, language processing, and academic learning. Children may present atypical behaviors ranging from being withdrawn or checked out (dissociative), angry, aggressive, impulsive, clinging to others, anxious, seeking attention in inappropriate manners, lacking in social skills or overly rule bound, or unable to form trusting relationships with adults. These students may complain of a range of somatic issues such as headaches, stomachaches, difficulty sleeping or sleeping in class, have frequent physical illnesses like colds or they may seem less resilient to illness. While children can present a variety of physical and psychological symptoms, the causation of these symptoms may not be attributed to trauma. Cook, et al. (2005) studied complex trauma on children and adolescents concluding that complex trauma results in “the loss of the capacity for self regulation and interpersonal relatedness” (p.390). The inability to self regulate can result in difficulties with expressing emotions, identifying and labeling feelings, and communicating desires, wishes and needs. Children experiencing trauma fail to develop the ability to self soothe which can further lead to numbing, dissociation, avoidance, or other maladaptive behaviors. While diagnosing trauma remains within the domain of the clinical psychologist and physician, the symptoms of trauma are often first noticed by a child’s teacher.
Trauma Informed Teaching Practices
At the most basic level, teachers provide for both the physiological and psychological needs of their students. They strive to construct classroom environments that are warm, peaceful, predictable, safe and secure. Teachers build trusting relationships with their students and often engage in intimate intrapersonal conversations with them, which may reveal instances of trauma or other causes for concern for the well being of the child. Teachers aspire to build the self-esteem of their students and promote feelings of association, inclusion, and to celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and groups in order to enhance feelings of self worth and self-efficacy. The teacher’s role is unique and encompassing. While most teachers are not trained to be mental health providers or therapists, they are actively engaged in observing children and behavior. Teachers are often the first to glimpse into the psyche of a child and discover past experiences or events and possibly adverse childhood experiences.
Trauma-informed education refers to “the specific use of knowledge about trauma and its expression to modify support for children to improve their developmental success.” The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN, 2015) describes a trauma-informed school system as a place where school community members work to provide trauma awareness, knowledge and skills to respond to potentially negative outcomes following traumatic stress. The NCTSN has published a study that discussed the ARC (attachment, regulation and competency) model, which other researchers have based their subsequent studies of trauma-informed education practices. Trauma-sensitive or trauma-informed schooling has become increasingly popular in Washington, Massachusetts, and California in the last 10 years in response to the understanding that students are entering the school systems with greater social, emotional and physical needs. Trauma informed practices are particularly relevant and warranted in the 21st century classroom. Trauma informed schools and teachers are better able to respond to the needs of students who have experienced or are currently experiencing trauma and are able to help them learn how to self regulate their emotions and behaviors. Teachers have become aware that students who have experienced trauma often have difficulty meeting academic expectations because they do not have the ability to regulate attention, emotions and behavior (Briggs et al., 2012). Trauma-informed schools are responsive to the needs of students by providing access to social, behavioral, and emotional supports (NCTSN, 2017).
Responding to Trauma — Teaching Self Regulation through Mindfulness
There is a growing body of research promoting mindfulness practices and therapies as interventions for self regulation (Kabat Zinn, 1990; Corcoran, et al., 2010; Farb et al., 2010; Siegel, 2007). Early interventions in trauma informed schools often include cognitive behavioral and mindfulness based strategies (NCTSN, 2017). Mindfulness based interventions can teach and affirm feelings of self awareness and self control, enhancing self beliefs and intrinsic motivation leading to feelings of empowerment and increased perceptions of self efficacy. Mindfulness based interventions lend themselves to trauma informed teaching practices in that they “present centered” and can be taught to students of all ages to enhance self awareness, allowing participants to identify and label thoughts without responding to them, reducing reactivity and increasing resilience. Follette, Palm & Pearson (2006) suggest that including mindfulness in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy may enhance the response to trauma related therapies, especially relating to emotional regulation and reducing avoidance behavior by increasing an individual’s ability to contact stimuli without engaging in avoidance behaviors. As an intervention to trauma, mindfulness enhances self regulation through a process of self awareness involving cognitive monitoring, attention and emotional regulation, and self appraisal. Engaging in self awareness with the goal of being present without being reactive to thoughts and emotions is facilitated through breath awareness and control. Mindfulness teaches students to be self compassionate and to refrain from judgment of the present experience while promoting acceptance. As previously stated, engaging in mindfulness requires the ability to monitor cognition, regulate attention and emotions and refrain from self judgment allowing for the experience of being present (Kabat-Zinn, 1990; Eberth & Sedelmeier, 2012).
Mindful breathing is a mindfulness strategy that supports emotional regulation by teaching self-soothing to increase self awareness and reduce emotional reactivity. Using a breathing technique called “diaphragmatic breathing” student can increase awareness and learn how to slow down and work more efficiently in stressful situations. This is accomplished by having students refocus their attention on their breathing which is an effective form of self-regulation training. Mindful breathing increases resilience to stressful situations and helps to regulate responses to them. Mindful breathing is taught and practiced over a period of sessions. Through modeling and rehearsal, students become aware of the relationships between breath control, attention and emotional reactivity. As a metacognitive tool, mindful breathing allows teachers to observe students as they reflect on their ability to monitor attention and emotions and thus measure self-knowledge and self regulation. Once students have learned the strategy they apply it as needed to enhance awareness of attention and feelings of self control and reduce rumination and anxiety. Self awareness, a form of social emotional learning is a foundation for self-management and critical to learning and school success.
Teaching metacognitive strategies like mindful breathing reduces the dependence on the teacher to manage student behavior and increases the student’s ability to develop coping skills and self regulation. It is empowering for students and teachers to understand how to regulate their thoughts and emotions, which increases student potential in achieving academic outcomes and reaching personal goals. As an intervention for trauma, mindfulness offers teachers the ability to help students become more self aware and self compassionate as they learn to self-manage thoughts, emotions and behaviors.
If you would like to learn more about mindfulness interventions for teachers, take the Mindfulness for Teachers micro-course at https://sites.google.com/view/mindfulnessforteachers/home.
Donald D. Matthews, Psy.D is an adjunct professor and teacher educator at Brandman University where he teaches courses in social-emotional learning, constructing positive classroom environments using trauma informed practices, restorative practices, metacognitive thinking and mindfulness. W
References
Briggs, E. C., Greeson, J. K. P., Lane, C. M., Fairbank, J. A., Knoverek, A. M., & Pynoos, R. S. (2012). Trauma exposure, psychosocial functioning, and treatment needs of youth in residential care: Preliminary findings from the NCTSN Core Data Set. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 5(1), 1–15.
Cook, et. al. (2005). Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents. Psychiatric Annals. May, 2005. 390–398. DOI: 10.3928?00485713–20050501–05.
Corcoran, K. M., Farb, N., Anderson, A., & Segal, Z. V. (2010). Mindfulness and emotion regulation: Outcomes and possible mediating mechanisms. In A. M. Kring & D. M. Sloan (Eds.), Emotion regulation and psychopathology: A trans-diagnostic approach to etiology and treatment (pp. 339–355). New York: Guilford Press.
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Follette, V., Palm, K.M., & Pearson, A. (2006). Mindfulness and trauma: implications for treatment. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Vol. 24, №1, Spring 2006. DOI: 10.1007/s10942–006–0025–2 Published Online: August 2, 2006
Kabat-Zinn, J. Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York: Delacorte Press; 1990.
Siegel, D. (2007; 2014). Wheel of awareness. Retrieved from www.drdansiegel.com
National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Schools Committee. (2017). “Creating, Supporting, and Sustaining Trauma-Informed Schools: A System Framework” (PDF). Los Angeles, CA and Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.
