Traumatology

Traumatology emerged within medicine more than 70 years ago. The original field of traumatology was the study of wounds and injuries caused by accidents or violence to a person, and the surgical therapy and repair of the damage. The root of traumatology is trauma (Greek for “wound”). However, the field of traumatology has come a long way from its origin as a subset of surgery. Modern traumatology, facilitated by Charles R. Figley's 1978 book Stress Disorders Among Vietnam Veterans and by the emergence of Traumatology, the international journal founded in 1995, is sometimes called psychotraumatology. This branch of traumatology concerns the study of the psychosocial and psychophysiological causes and consequences of trauma experiences and memories, and the strategies for measuring and managing the consequences.

The scope of the field of traumatology is from “womb to tomb” and covers nearly all aspects of human experience. Trauma early in the life cycle (childhood abuse, for example) disrupts safety, trust, beliefs, and identity cycles, producing adults who are vulnerable to chronic affect dysregulation. These early experiences can also lead to destructive behavior against self and others, learning disabilities, dissociative problems, somatization, and distortions in concepts about self and others.

As noted throughout this encyclopedia, human beings react to traumatic experiences differently. The extent of such impact varies depending on multiple factors, among which are the following:

• The nature of the trauma (traumas such as rape and torture tend to have more impact on the psyche of the survivor because of their personal nature)
• The magnitude of the trauma and its proximity to the survivor (the higher the likelihood of an imminent danger, the more its impact)
• The coping skills, defense mechanisms, and support systems of the trauma survivor before, during, and after the traumatic event

Because people respond to trauma in many ways, the need emerges for the practitioner to be open-minded, flexible, and creative in dealing with its survivors. At the same time, the science to support a full understanding of the trauma induction and reduction process remains lacking, though the knowledge base in this area is growing exponentially.

An example of such growth can be found in both the social sciences and the medical sciences and professional societies. The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies emerged in 1995 to become the leading learned society for traumatology and more specialized field of traumatic stress studies that exclusively focus on the human factors of trauma exposure and recovery. Since then, all of the major mental health professions have accommodated to the significant growth in interest in studying and reporting on the traumatized in a wide variety of contexts. In 2009, the American Counseling Association and the accrediting bodies responsible for counseling education adopted an accreditation standard that requires a trauma-informed curriculum. This is already leading to major interest in traumatology.

Another sign of the emergence of traumatology is the American Psychological Association's (APA) newest division. APA is divided among state divisions and topical/specialization divisions, organized by its members. Division 56, approved in 2008, is the new Trauma Psychology division. By 2011, it was the fastest growing division in the more than 154,000-member organization.

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