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Addressing stress-related trauma in military personnel – Part 4
Post-Traumatic Stress Injury can occur after you have been through a trauma. A trauma is a shocking and dangerous event that you see or that happens to you with or without warning. During this type of event, you think that your life or other’s lives are in danger.
The causative factor behind trauma in the military is stress which is the most dangerous unseen terrorist and an enemy that strikes and launches offensive lethal attack without warning killing instantly. No military weapon –arms and ammunition can fight it when it strikes with maximum force.
This is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world dealing with issues that affect our gallant
Military Officers who defend and protect the security and integrity of our nation and every nation worldwide.
Stress has been defined severally in diverse ways but in practical terms: Stress is an emotional virus that attacks its victim by eating away one’s happiness and creative intelligence leaving him/ her in a state of helplessness which in most instances results in suicide, shooting spree, psychosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s, PTSD –Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, etc.
A typical example is Timothy McVeigh –Operation Desert Storm American soldier who master- minded the Oklahoma City bombing in the nineties.
Stress is caused by the hormone Cortisol which disturbs the proper function of the human brain and it takes a Specialist Inventor and a Brain Programmer who understands the proper networking and engineering system of the human brain to be able to solve the challenges of traumatic stress.
Stress sets in when the human brain under-performs or over-performs within its original operative equilibrium.
Untreated stress gets shelved everyday logically and psychologically sediments and if not remedied through flushing systems of Surgery for Emotions or Emotional Surgery results in traumatic brain injury.
For example, depression sets in when there is power fluctuation in the brain –electrical impulse from neuron to neuron fades along the way.
We all use the word “trauma” in everyday language to mean a highly stressful event. But the key to understanding traumatic events is that it refers to extreme stress that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope.
Psychological trauma is the unique individual experience of an event that distorts ones’ mental and body vibration, frequency and wavelength.
The healthy human body has a frequency that sits in a range between 62- 68 MHz sickness and diseases begin to kick in at 58MHz.
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, sound of mortar fire, flying missiles hitting targets creating loud bangs that disturb the brain’s level of tolerance.
Trauma is distressing event in which a person feels severely threatened emotionally, psychologically, or physically. Most people experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives, such as abuse, a violent criminal act, exposure to the violence of war, or a natural disaster.
WHAT IS POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER –PTSD?
This is the psychological reaction to a severely stressful and physically threatening event that often results in anxiety, flashbacks, hyper-vigilance, depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental health concerns for an extended period of time.
People who experience PTSD may continue to feel afraid or anxious even when no danger is present.
PTSD is commonly associated with war veterans, and in fact, it was first classified as a mental health condition as a result of the Vietnam veterans working group who lobbied the American Psychiatric Association to recognise PTSD as an official condition.
Studies indicate that 3.5 per cent of the USA population will experience PTSD in any given 12 month period, and almost 37 per cent of these cases can be classified as “severe.”
Although men are statically more likely to experience traumatic events than women, women are more than twice as likely to develop PTSD than men, perhaps due to the fact that sexual assault leads to PTSD more frequently than do other forms of trauma, and women experience sexual assault at higher rates than men do.
Many people recover from trauma with time and through the support of family and friends, bouncing back with great resilience, but for others, the effects of trauma are lasting, causing a person to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or post-traumatic stress far after the event has passed.
Often, the support, guidance, and assistance of mental health professionals is fundamental to healing from trauma.
Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. While these feelings are normal, some people have difficulty moving on with their lives.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace. The same report found that managers spend an average of four hours per week dealing with conflict, and nearly 25 per cent of people think their managers handle conflict poorly or very poorly.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you’re trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved, here are seven steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
1. Don’t put it off
Facing conflict head-on is hard. However, waiting too long to address it can negatively impact your emotional well-being, focus, and the entire office environment. If you’re feeling angry, letting that emotion fester can also escalate it over time. This can make you less responsive to other points of view and make it harder to resolve the issue.
The sooner you can address the conflict, the better it will be for you, the person you disagree with, and your entire team.
2. Learn all you can about the problem
It’s important to determine the type of conflict you’re dealing with. Begin by considering the cause of the conflict. For example, ask yourself whether someone said something that upset you or if you have emotions of anger and resentment that stemmed from something that happened.
Then try to identify if it’s a task, relationship, value, or team conflict. Once you know what type of conflict it is, you can work to resolve it with specific tactics for that situation.
If you skip this step, you may waste time or escalate the situation further by trying to address issues irrelevant to the real conflict.
3. Actively listen
Listen attentively when people share their side of the story. Active listening is one of the most valuable professional skills you can possess. This type of listening involves not only hearing what the other person is saying but also listening to understand their point of view.
No matter your role in conflict, it’s easy to begin sharing your opinion with little regard for the other people involved. However, it’s important to learn about all sides of a disagreement to make well-informed decisions before drawing conclusions.
To reach a resolution, you must step back and prioritize listening over talking. Ultimately, that will encourage the other person to do the same when it’s your turn to speak. –source: betterup.com
Today, I focus on the Temple Of Praise Ministries International (TOP Church) in Helsinki, as I continue my description of personalities or institutions and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The TOP Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments that must be made known to the public. 
Some history
The Church was established in Finland in September 2016. Since its inception, it has steadily grown both spiritually and numerically, by the grace of God, as disclosed to me by Mr Matthew Anini Twumasi, the Presiding Elder of TOP’s branch in Finland. The TOP Church has other branches across Africa, Europe, and America.
The Church in Finland was founded with a vision to create a welcoming and dynamic community where people could experience God’s love and grace (see, www.topchurchfinland.org). According to Presiding Elder Matthew, the TOP Church operates within a unique environment where Christianity coexists with what is seen as a largely secular society.
Despite this, he submits, there are significant opportunities for outreach, unity, and demonstrating the love of Christ through service and community engagement.
Activities
Church services at the TOP Church are typically held on Sundays for the main worship. In addition, there are mid-week prayer sessions, Saturday prayer services, and a half-night service held on the last Friday of every month. “We also organise quarterly programs”, Elder Matthew added.
His impression of the Church so far has been positive. “It is a vibrant and welcoming community where members are committed to worship, fellowship, and supporting one another in faith”, he stated.
In sum, Elder Matthew said the Church continues to grow by God’s grace. “We remain hopeful and committed to spreading the Gospel, strengthening the faith of our members, and making a positive impact in society”, he continued.
Achievements
The TOP Church has a number of achievements and achievements. Some of the strengths include strong community bonds, cultural diversity, and deep commitment to spiritual growth.
I also remember that during the COVID-19 period, I heard that the TOP Church was one such bodies that hugely supported its members and others to cope with the situation.
According to Elder Matthew, the challenges facing the church include “adapting to cultural differences, engaging the younger generation, expanding outreach in a secular society, and securing a permanent place of worship”.
Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland
The TOP Church plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the TOP Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
The Church also has mechanisms in place to support its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them in times of death and funerals.
The Ghanaian community has played a vital role in the growth of the Church. Their strong sense of fellowship, dedication to worship, and active participation have helped build a solid foundation and attract others to the ministry, according to Elder Matthew.
Integration
By its activities, the TOP Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society.
This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process.
The role of migrant associations and groups such as TOP Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
