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Wow, the past couple days have been really hard. I have some stuff to say about that--but later. First I want to say the good news. Last night, I went to the most amazing basketball game of my life!!! The first two quarters, my team was down by 18 points....it seemed impossible...but then the third quater we made a triumphant comeback! In the forth quarter, with only seconds left, we made a three-pointer that tied the game and brought it into over time. Unfortunately, we lost in over-time, but the game was still so pumped and adreniline-rushing that it was still nothing less than amazing!!! The final score was 60-56.
Next, I have the weekly reflection paper I wrote for psychology, as it kind of explains most of the reason I was down this week. I had some issues with my brother Hiroko-Kun too, but those shall remain private.
Paper
This week was very hands-on orientated. The main focus of the week was the projects—which, for the most part, turned out very well. Most of what the class noticed had little to do with psychology though, as we were intrigued by Callie and Ali’s Pepsi commercial as well as Luke and Andy’s many sexual innuendos. I give two thumbs up to Dob’s group though! Her group kept teenagers’ short attention spans at bay, presenting in a way that was both fun and informational. Unfortunately, because of Improv, my group had to go a day late.
Speaking of Improv…this week allowed me to experience some psychology theories first-hand. Specifically, I learned about extinction and post-traumatic stress disorder. I learned about anxiety as well, but that was in a book about natural medicine, not my psychology book =3
Allow me to start from the beginning. Last summer, I was involved in a very bad accident. I was driving towards the Appleton Public Library when a presumably drunk individual went through a red light the wrong way down a one way, accelerating through the intersection at approximately forty-five miles per hour. He or she slammed into my vehicle, completely tore off the front of it, and kept going. I blacked out temporarily, not even remembering hitting my head until days later. I went to the hospital to find out that I had suffered a concussion, bruised my chest, broken various blood vessels, and sprained muscles in my neck. The neck was what scared the doctors the most. The muscles I had sprained surrounded my seventh disk, the area that causes one to become paralyzed.
Now, months later, I thought I was sufficiently recovered to take part in the P.A.R.T.Y program. I had read some where in my psychology book that when one is involved in a severe accident, flashbacks of that accident come back months later, but I thought I would be fine. Well, the P.A.R.T.Y program involved the acting out of an actual accident on stage. I was back-stage when the 911 call was acted through and paramedics came on the scene. I realized I started crying, but I figured it was just me being my overly-emotional self. Then came Marissa, our trauma victim. She was acting as if she had suffered a head injury and had to act insane. Her job was to fight the paramedics and scream. Well, she made this very convincing, all the nurses said so. What name did she choose to scream the most, you ask? Mine. Pretty soon I was sobbing.
Awhile after I started sobbing, I don’t know when exactly, I felt Mrs. Hammen’s hand rubbing my back and heard her voice calling me back, “Alicia, it’s okay, you’re not at the accident, it’s over, you’re here—at the PAC.” I had gone into shock, flooded with flashbacks from my accident. Lucky for me, I was surrounded my nurses and counselors. I still spent most of the day crying though. I helped wash off Marissa’s fake blood and gore…I suppose that was more healing than harming though, when I think about it, it’s hard to explain.
Well, that all happened on Wednesday and then in Thursday’s reading, much to my surprise, what was talked about? Post-traumatic stress disorder: a disorder in which victims of a traumatic event re-go through the event in flashbacks or dreams. Scary coincidence, huh?
End of Paper
zzz...yawn