Beth M. Broom, LPC-S, CCTP-II
When a person is in distress, s/he naturally gets a sort of ‘tunnel vision.’ It’s very difficult to see possible positive or even neutral outcomes, because his/her mind is focused on the threat of danger and the need to find safety. Even if a distressing moment is not brought about by actual danger (as in the case of someone being triggered by something similar to a traumatic memory), our minds will jump into high gear. And when that happens, we sometimes think and make decisions based on faulty assumptions.
As helpers, we get to guide trauma survivors toward calmness in the body and mind so that they can think wisely and make wise decisions. This is hard (and potentially slow) work, because a trauma survivor has been trained by his experience to think quickly, make fast assessments of situations, and jump into action in order to avoid danger. He’s in preservation mode even when he does not need to be. We want him to think about situations in which he had tunnel vision, helping him consider other possibilities besides the worst case scenario. As we do this, we are helping him to ‘take every thought captive to obey Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5b). We are seeking to gain a wider perspective and apply sound wisdom to distressing situations so that we can operate within God’s design.
When tunnel vision happens, our counselees need to increase their peripheral vision. Instead of looking only at the worst possible outcome and acting upon it, they need to ask themselves some questions about the scenario. Here’s an example of how I might talk someone through this process:
Monica: I’m in line at Starbucks, and a tall man comes through the door. He comes walking toward the counter where I’m standing. I suddenly get very anxious, and my heart is beating out of my chest. I just know he is coming straight toward me and planning to hit on me or even hurt me. All I want to do is run out of there.
Beth: So your tunnel vision is telling you this is a dangerous situation and you have to run away. Let’s consider what other possibilities could happen at this moment. Is there any other reason he could be walking toward you?
Monica: He could be asking a question of the barista or planning to walk past me to the bathroom. I guess he could be planning to cut in line, which would be rude but wouldn’t have anything to do with me.
Beth: Ok, let’s write down those possibilities. Let’s say he’s asking a question or going past you to the bathroom. What do you want to do if it seems like one of those things is happening?
Monica: I don’t have to get out of line. I can just look forward or watch him till he leaves.
Beth: If he cuts in line, do you want to do anything different?
Monica: No, I probably wouldn’t say anything because I don’t want to call attention to myself.
Beth: Ok, what would you do if he tries to talk to you?
Monica: I guess I could just ignore him or say I’m not interested. But what if he touches me?
Beth: What would your choices be at that moment?
Monica: I don’t think I could yell at him. I could maybe tell the barista he is bothering me. Or I could just pull away from him and leave.
Beth: Ok, so you have a plan for what you could do in each scenario. Now the question is how long do you wait to make a decision about what you’re going to do?
Monica: I can wait till he’s within six feet of me, I guess.
Beth: That’s good, it means you have time to move if you need to, but you don’t move till you feel pretty certain he’s going to engage with you. What will you do while you wait?
Monica: I’ll watch him. I’ll take deep breaths, and I’ll pray.
We write all this down and talk about whether this plan would work in other scenarios as well. The hope is that we’re brainstorming ways Monica can maintain her dominion in a situation, even if someone does something she doesn’t like. If Monica leaves Starbucks every time a man walks in, she will feel less and and less empowered to function in her daily life based on her goals and plans.
I try to start with small and normally benign situations when I do this work with survivors. I want them to have success in their day-to-day life as they face their fears and seek to make wise decisions. As they practice gaining peripheral vision, their acuity for this skill will grow.
I have created a worksheet called “Gaining Peripheral Vision” that can be given to counselees as they practice this skill. This worksheet is available to all CTHN members by clicking HERE. If you’re interested in membership with CTHN, please click HERE.
