Trauma within family structures has a tendency to create three obstacles that families have to survive through. The first of these obstacles is constriction. Constriction involves the strangling of all emotions and dissension within the family unit. Tian Dayton, Ph.D., the author of Trauma and Addiction, feels that one of the reasons a family may use constriction as a defense mechanism is to make sure that disagreements and past trauma will not resurface. Maintaining complete compliance and being able to successfully bury emotions within the family will not help it at all in the long run. However, it will definitely allow for a superficial sense of peace and safety for all involved. Some families may see these actions as being very important within their own family structure. This way of co-existing may be the only way to survive. For other families, many may find coming together very hard to accomplish.
The second obstacle for families riddled with trauma is called avoidance. Many families are often unaware of how many avoidance tactics are used by family members until perhaps too late. Avoidance can eventually give rise to dysfunctional relationships and begins to slowly fragment the family structure. Avoidance is could actually be seen as the complete opposite of constriction. When using avoidance tactics, family members start to correlate their continuing fear of trauma with a specific person(s) within the family unit. This trauma will be so psychologically disagreeable that the family member(s) will try to avoid as much contact or physical proximity to that person(s). This is done in order to keep the traumatized family member's pain at a minimum. Avoidance can also include one's escape from subjects, places, and things that could trigger a painful episode. Now, if there were families that bury their emotions and families that shut each other out, then the last effect of trauma would be that of family explosion.
Impulsive behavior is the final traumatic obstacle seen within families. This obstacle can perhaps be seen as the most powerful and explosive behavior exhibited within a family.
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