Dealing With PTSD After Incarceration
The imprisoned population, in particular, has a pressing need for effective therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is because trauma history and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are significantly more common among jail and prison populations than in general populations.
Sometimes, PTSD advances to Post Incarceration Syndrome that affects a large portion of the prison population. Inmates are likely to develop the PICS symptoms upon subjection to long incarceration periods in environments of punishment with few opportunities for education, job training, or rehabilitation. These symptoms are more severe for those under the exposure of lengthy solitary confinement and brutal institutional mistreatment.
What Causes PTSD among Inmates?
Prisoners are subject to a variety of different types of trauma. Imprisonment itself is a terrible experience and a significant trigger for inmates. As such, this may be what causes them to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during and after release from imprisonment.
Other variables, such as the many risk factors that underpin offenders’ behavior and thinking patterns, are intertwined with the pathophysiology of this condition. Examples include childhood traumas such as living in a state of severe poverty, experiencing child maltreatment, neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and other kinds of mistreatment. Prison life has a demeaning, harsh, and unloving environment and culture. As such, the childhood traumatic and tragic experiences are likely to resurface upon incarceration.
Violence in Prison as a Cause of PTSD
Violence inevitably occurs in jail. There are a few safe havens in prisons where inmates may hide out. Even the safe places that do exist provide only a minimal level of security. The safe places include cells and monitored public areas, which make inmates feel safer. Such secure public spaces include churches and other religious institutions rather than in areas such as showers, reception, or their units. However, individuals remain susceptible to seeing or hearing acts of violence even while in these safe places.
The acts of violence that inmates witness include stabbings, beatings, broken bones, and attacks with makeshift weapons. Occasionally, other prisoners are compelled to directly and involuntarily participate in an assault or murder by having to mop up the blood after an inmate’s attack.
These violent acts may lead the prisoner to feel the debilitating mental and emotional reactions that they elicit and the terrible repercussions from those reactions. As a result, there is already a laid groundwork for developing full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after imprisonment.
Symptoms of PTSD
PTSD manifests itself in the form of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. These signs and symptoms include:
- Intrusive memories and flashbacks of severe institutional abuse.
- Intense psychological anguish and physiological response upon exposure to triggers of the institutional abuse.
- Dissociation, emotional numbness, and lack of affection.
- Irritability, outbursts of rage, trouble focusing, sleep disorders, and an increase in startle response. These symptoms portray chronic mental functioning problems.
- Avoidance of anything that brings up recollections of the traumatic occurrences.
- Hyper-vigilance, generalized paranoia, and a decreased ability to trust. These symptoms result from continuous fear of maltreatment from correctional personnel and other prisoners. The symptoms continue to be part of the inmate even after release.
Ways of Dealing with PTSD after Incarceration
Below are a few approaches that inmates can consider after release to deal with PTSD issues:
Mindfulness
This mental training technique shows inmates how to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and relax both the mind and body. It utilizes a combination of mindfulness and meditation to recognize and accept one’s thoughts and emotions without judgment. It involves a state where the mind is in complete concentration on the present.
Mindfulness meditation techniques may vary, but they generally entail deep breathing and awareness of one’s own body and thoughts. It is not necessary to use any props or prepare anything before beginning to practice the therapy technique. As such, there is no need for candles, essential oils, or mantras.
Impacts of the Technique
The technique is essential in stress reduction, thus improving sleep quality. Ex-inmates may benefit from mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in dealing with stress symptoms, a standard therapeutic approach to mindfulness meditation. The practice is vital in dealing with several mental and physical problems, including anxiety, sadness, and chronic pain.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy deals with the connection that exists between thoughts, emotions, and actions. Additionally, it focuses on present issues and symptoms, as well as developing patterns of behavior, attitudes, and emotions that are causing difficulties in functioning.
Therapists use several methods to assist patients in decreasing symptoms and increasing their ability to function. These therapists may urge their patients to re-evaluate their thinking patterns to uncover harmful tendencies in their thinking.
Such harmful tendencies include overgeneralizing outcomes, lack of positivity in life, and anticipating catastrophic events. Individuals may then develop better and productive thought patterns as a result of this experience. This approach assists the individuals in rethinking their knowledge of traumatic events and their understanding of themselves, and their capacity to cope with problems.
CBT often exposes the patient to the trauma narrative and the trauma memories, which helps reduce avoidance and maladaptive connections with the particular traumatic event. However, the exposure must be moderate under the collaboration of the therapist and the patient. As a result, there is a restoration of the patient’s feelings of control and self-confidence. On the other hand, escape, and avoidance behaviors are reduced.
Physical Exercises
An inmate upon release from prison can choose to engage in physical exercises to help deal with trauma. Such activities include morning runs, yoga, boxing, or visiting the gym. Exercise is a simple way to open up communication pathways between the body and the brain. It’s crucial to understand that we humans retain and experience the effects of trauma in our bodies. This is because the body will mirror traumatic experiences, regardless of the details of the event.
So, how does exercising help a former inmate recover from PTSD?
Exercises Improve Neuroplasticity
Physical activities, particularly cardio activities, produce substantial biochemical alterations in the brain. These changes contribute to the formation of synaptic connections and neural networks, which in turn promotes neuroplasticity. This is because the brain flourishes when it receives a constant stream of blood flow which is important in brain healing for people with traumatic experiences. As such, this is a significant step for inmates with PTSD in the recovery process.
Exercises Help in Burning Adrenaline
The brain and body get “locked” in a hyper-arousal state upon subjection to trauma. The body continues to be in a traumatic condition even during the healing phase after the traumatic episodes.
Exercise aids in the restoration of equilibrium to the neurological system by generating endorphins and burning off excess adrenaline. Endorphins help in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which accumulates from an individual’s traumatic event or an inmate’s imprisonment experiences.
What Kind of Exercises Can Better Help the Inmate?
It is necessary for the ex-inmates to start slowly and with a modest level of intensity. They can then increase the intensity until they reach their maximum capacity. Aerobic exercise is particularly beneficial for regaining health. This is important for those individuals who were violence victims during incarceration. It is also important to begin with low-impact activities and gradually increase the intensity with time.
Balance training and flexibility exercises also play a crucial role in helping with the trauma. Notably, it’s essential to start with exercising 2-3 times a week. The individual then can gradually increase that number to 5 times a week.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
It is a relatively new and unconventional technique. It is becoming more popular, especially for the treatment of severe mental health issues. EMDR seems to take a novel approach to the treatment of psychological problems. As such, it neither applies conversation techniques nor medication. Instead, it makes use of the patient’s own fast, rhythmic eye movements. Emotionally charged recollections of terrible experiences in the past become less powerful because of these eye movements.
How Does This Technique Work?
The duration of an EMDR therapy session may range from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Typically, therapists use their fingers and move them in front of a patient’s face in a back and forth manner. In turn, they ask the patient to follow the hand movements with their eyes. The therapist also asks the patient to remember traumatic incidents from their past during the finger movements. This activity will cover the accompanying emotions and bodily feelings as well as the physical sensations.
The therapist gives step-by-step assistance through the process of shifting thoughts to more positive ones. Other therapists use different techniques such as hand or toe-tapping or musical tones instead of finger motion.
Use of Emotional Support Animals (ESA)
Emotional support animals are usually able to assist in alleviating some of the PTSD symptoms. Emotional Support Animals may be of any species. However, individuals who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often seek the assistance of dog companions. These people prefer dogs as they have intuitions; hence they can detect when their owner is anxious or overwhelmed by their surroundings. These animals are also:
- Perfect companions for the individual suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Entertaining and will assist the person in alleviating tension while also releasing those relaxing endorphins.
- Helpful to the individuals getting more involved in the “love” feeling, causing them to feel less distant, especially for those with childhood traumas.
- Helpful in increasing the desire of the owner to go out of the home and spend time outside and make new friends.
Joining a Reentry Center for Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is the analysis of mental and emotional processes from a psychological perspective. It has its roots in conventional psychoanalysis and relies on other disciplines such as object relations and self-psychology. It is a more straightforward and less time-consuming alternative to psychoanalysis.
The goal of psychodynamic therapy is to address the underlying causes and formations of psychological phenomena. It hopes to do this by reducing symptoms and improving people’s quality of life.
Central Tenets of this Therapy Technique
A therapist’s goal in psychodynamic therapy is to assist patients in acquiring a greater understanding of their lives and current issues. The therapists also evaluate people’s patterns of behavior. They achieve the goal of this technique by discussing with the patients about various aspects of their lives, including:
- Childhood experiences.
- Thoughts.
- Emotions.
- Attitudes and beliefs.
Knowledge of recurrent patterns may assist individuals in recognizing how they avoid discomfort or build defensive mechanisms to deal with situations. Hence, they can begin altering their habits as a result of this realization.
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the establishment of a therapeutic connection. It may reveal how a person connects with their friends and family. Furthermore, transference in therapy may show how a person’s early-life relations are influencing his/her life today. This in-depth examination of interpersonal interactions may assist individuals in better understanding their roles in relationship patterns. As a result, it may give them the confidence to change the situation.
The Inmate Must Live a Generally Healthy Lifestyle
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be physically exhausting. Hence, the inmate needs to take good self-care and adopt some healthy lifestyle practices, including:
Avoiding Drug Use
It’s natural to feel the need to self-medicate with drugs when dealing with challenging emotions and trauma. However, substance abuse exacerbates many symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and interferes with therapy, interfering with an inmate’s reintegration into society.
Adopt Relaxation Techniques
Meditation, deep breathing, massage, and yoga are all examples of relaxation methods. These techniques are necessary to activate the body’s relaxation response and alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The relaxation techniques work best under guidance. As such, it is important to consult a professional if your financial status allows you to do so. A friend will come in handy in helping through the techniques in case the financial situation does not let you get professional help.
These guidance tips are likely to help the inmate reconnect with family and friends and play a key role in understanding the root of his/her problems.