Exploring the Impact of Trauma with Dr. Leanh Nguyen
As Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes of sex trafficking come to light and the public grapples with the depth of his depravity and the corruption among his powerful friends, Dr. Leanh Nguyen urges us to focus on the impact of such dehumanizing acts on the victims.
Drawing from over two decades of clinical work with victims of human rights violations and extreme sexual violence worldwide, Dr. Nguyen possesses deep insights into the psychological injuries these victims suffer. She emphasizes that the most heartbreaking and costly consequence of traumatic violations, like those inflicted by Epstein, is the disruption it causes to a person’s desire for connection and capacity to maintain their humanity.
Dr. Nguyen asserts that recovering from trauma reveals the profound challenges of being human. Trauma fundamentally shatters an individual’s sense of self, leaving them haunted by the event and trapped in the traumatic moment. This derailment of growth means that victims are no longer proactive agents in their own lives but instead become reactive to the triggers and meanings of their trauma.
Trauma disrupts the natural drive toward growth, necessitating post-traumatic survival responses that protect but also confine the person. For survivors, the tragic irony is that self-protection often involves suppressing their humanity, which hinders their chances of regaining it.
Survivors possess extraordinary knowledge and strength, having experienced dimensions of human existence beyond most people’s understanding. Dr. Nguyen likens trauma to a form of death—the death of one’s former self and the attempt to recreate another. Unfortunately, many people remain anchored to their traumatic past, unable to fully come back to life.
Quoting the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi, who said, “the wound is where the light enters,” Dr. Nguyen believes this reflects the potential for growth from pain and suffering. While some trauma survivors turn inward and live in darkness, society must practice care and compassion to help them find their way to the light.
To truly survive and break the cycle of violence, victims must find a path back to their humanity. This involves reclaiming and reshaping it with new meaning, knowledge, and power gained through their journey of loss. Society’s kindness can guide trauma victims toward healing and away from further pain and hate.
Dr. Nguyen defines trauma as a profound psychological blow that damages a person’s sense of self. This is more than just a terrible event; it’s a form of violence that splits a person’s psyche. Events like war, torture, rape, divorce, assassination, and deportation all can be traumatic. For Americans, the September 11 attacks represented a traumatic loss of innocence and a harsh confrontation with vulnerability.
Psychological trauma from human-inflicted violence dismantles a person’s ability to love, feel safe, and trust. It distorts their understanding of the world and disrupts their capacity for human connection. Traumatized individuals often end up in abusive relationships, believing they are unworthy of care, and find it hard to trust or love again. They may isolate themselves, fearing further harm and convinced their experiences are incomprehensible and unshareable.
According to Dr. Nguyen, the key to overcoming trauma is deep, authentic contact with another human being. No medication can restore faith in humanity; only the kindness and tenderness of another person can help a trauma victim reconnect with their humanity. Genuine, vulnerable interactions are essential for healing.
Dr. Nguyen advocates for a broader practice of kindness and tenderness in society. She believes that living in an age of widespread traumatizing and dehumanizing forces requires us to maintain our humanity through genuine compassion and care for others. This, she suggests, is not just a strategy to end psychological violence but an ethical imperative to preserve our humanity.
