如何在工作中應(yīng)對(duì)精神創(chuàng)傷
When Julio Harari’s son was suffering from cancer and became upset about his hair falling out after chemotherapy, the banker from Buenos Aires shaved his own head. He went to work the next day shorn of hair, to the puzzled reaction of colleagues.
當(dāng)胡利奧?阿拉里(Julio Harari，見(jiàn)文首照片)患了癌癥的兒子因化療脫發(fā)而心情沮喪時(shí)，這位來(lái)自布宜諾斯艾利斯的銀行家也剃光了自己的頭發(fā)。他第二天光頭上班的樣子讓同事們感到困惑。
Mr Harari describes his experience: “They tell you that your son is sick and you freeze. Then you get results from the next test, and you freeze again. You start thinking about what life is going to be like without your son, and you freeze. But you have to carry on, there are others in the family and other responsibilities as well.”
阿拉里講述了自己的經(jīng)歷：“他們告訴你，你的兒子病了，你嚇呆了。然后你拿到了下一次化驗(yàn)的結(jié)果，再次嚇呆了。你開(kāi)始想象沒(méi)了兒子的生活會(huì)變成什么樣，你又嚇呆了。但你必須堅(jiān)持下去，家中還有其他成員，還有其他責(zé)任?！?/p>
Although Mr Harari was traumatised by his son’s cancer, he was also able to put his feelings aside in this show of support for his son, who died in 2024 at the age of 24.
雖然阿拉里因兒子患癌受到了創(chuàng)傷，但他在精神上還是能夠挺住——剃光頭表示對(duì)兒子的支持。他的兒子在2024年去世，年僅24歲。
Trauma is an emotional and physical response to an unbearable event, such as bereavement, war, physical attack or abuse. The mind often rushes to protect the person, by numbing them from overwhelmingly painful feelings of grief, helplessness, rage and collapse.
精神創(chuàng)傷是對(duì)無(wú)法忍受的事件——如喪失親人、戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)、身體攻擊或虐待——的一種情感和生理反應(yīng)。大腦通常會(huì)迅速作出反應(yīng)以保護(hù)個(gè)人，讓他們對(duì)極度痛苦的悲傷、無(wú)助、憤怒和崩潰感到麻木。
People who have suffered trauma carry it with them, often unknowingly, wherever they go, including the office. Work can either help recovery or be the place where trauma is reignited. Much depends on the person’s early experiences, as well as their organisation’s culture.
遭受精神創(chuàng)傷的人經(jīng)常毫不自知地將創(chuàng)傷帶到自己行至的所有地方，包括辦公室。工作既能夠幫助一個(gè)人從創(chuàng)傷中恢復(fù)，也可以重新點(diǎn)燃創(chuàng)傷。這在很大程度上取決于當(dāng)事人早年的經(jīng)歷以及所處組織的文化。
For Mr Harari, who is an associate director of an international private bank and in charge of a team of five specialists, work was a helpful distraction. “If you’re only thinking about the chemo, life is very miserable,” he says. “But if you also have [work] you can carry on breathing.”
阿拉里是一家國(guó)際私人銀行的副董事，負(fù)責(zé)一個(gè)由5名專(zhuān)家組成的團(tuán)隊(duì)，對(duì)他而言，工作是一種有效的轉(zhuǎn)移注意力的方式?！叭绻隳X子里只想著化療，生活非常痛苦，”他說(shuō)，“但如果你還要（工作），你可以不讓自己窒息?！?/p>
During his son’s illness, it was important for Mr Harari to acknowledge that he would not be able to keep up the usual pace at work. This helped him to be realistic about what he could achieve. He also came to realise that he could only help his son by being by his side.
阿拉里承認(rèn)在兒子患病期間自己無(wú)法保持正常的工作節(jié)奏，這一點(diǎn)很重要。這幫助他以現(xiàn)實(shí)態(tài)度看待自己能取得的業(yè)績(jī)。他也意識(shí)到，自己能給兒子的幫助只有陪伴在他身邊。
“I knew I would always run behind the curve. And I learnt that I could hug my son, but I could not cure him.”
“我知道自己只能與時(shí)間賽跑。我知道，我只能擁抱他，但無(wú)法治愈他?！?/p>
Returning to work
返回工作崗位
After his son’s death, work provided a form of respite from his pain and grief. “He passed away on a Sunday night, and Thursday I was back working,” says Mr Harari. “Some people asked how could I do that and I said, ‘It keeps me alive’. I had to compartmentalise [my feelings] otherwise the pain would freeze me.”
兒子去世后，工作成為他緩解痛苦和悲傷的方式?！八且粋€(gè)周日晚上走的，周四我就回來(lái)工作了，”阿拉里說(shuō)，“有人問(wèn)我為何這樣著急，我說(shuō)，‘工作支撐著我’。我必須把（自己的情感）分隔開(kāi)，否則痛苦會(huì)讓我痛不欲生?！?/p>
“Compartmentalisation” — splitting off conflicting feelings — is a common reaction, and one of many defences the mind employs to protect individuals from extreme feelings. Such defences are normal, and only become harmful if they distort reality too far.
“隔離”——將矛盾的情緒分隔開(kāi)——是一種常見(jiàn)的反應(yīng)，也是大腦用來(lái)保護(hù)個(gè)人不受極端情緒影響的防御手段之一。這樣的防御是正常的，只有當(dāng)過(guò)度扭曲現(xiàn)實(shí)時(shí)，才會(huì)變得有害。
Mr Harari was fortunate to have the emotional stability not to be overcome by feelings of helplessness and despair during his son’s illness. That stemmed from a healthy and supportive early family life.
幸運(yùn)的是，在兒子生病期間，阿拉里的情緒穩(wěn)定沒(méi)有被無(wú)助和絕望的情緒擊潰。這源于其健康的、總是得到支持的早年家庭生活。
For others, however, experiences in early family life such as deprivation, neglect or abuse can affect the nervous system, making subsequent setbacks harder to bear.
然而，對(duì)其他一些人來(lái)說(shuō)，早年的家庭生活經(jīng)歷，如被剝奪、被忽視或被虐待，會(huì)影響神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，使他們更難以忍受后來(lái)遭遇的挫折。
Persistent unhappiness
持久不悅
For such people, even ordinary work disappointments, such as missing a promotion or being treated unfairly, can reactivate early traumas, leaving the person with incomprehensible and overwhelming feelings. The process is described in The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk.
對(duì)此類(lèi)人而言，即便是工作中的普通挫折，如錯(cuò)過(guò)升職或遭到不公平對(duì)待，就能夠重新激活早期的創(chuàng)傷，讓其陷入難以理解和難以抗拒的情緒中。貝塞爾?范德科爾克(Bessel van der Kolk)的《身體從未忘記：心理創(chuàng)傷療愈中的大腦、心智和身體》(The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma)一書(shū)描寫(xiě)了這一過(guò)程。
For these individuals, an anticipation of danger persists — frequently where none exists — putting them in a hyper-vigilant state and often reacting irrationally.
對(duì)這些個(gè)人來(lái)說(shuō)，對(duì)危險(xiǎn)的預(yù)期持續(xù)存在（而實(shí)際上往往不存在危險(xiǎn)），使他們處于極度警覺(jué)的狀態(tài)，而且經(jīng)常做出不理智的反應(yīng)。
Such employees avoid close relationships at work because intimacy often provokes strong feelings, which give rise to traumatic memories, says Julia Vaughan Smith, a psychotherapist and executive coach specialising in trauma. Instead they may become needy, compliant or even narcissistic.
心理治療師、專(zhuān)門(mén)治療創(chuàng)傷的行政教練朱莉婭?沃恩?史密斯(Julia Vaughan Smith)表示，這樣的員工會(huì)避免在工作中產(chǎn)生親密關(guān)系，因?yàn)橛H密往往會(huì)激起強(qiáng)烈的情緒，后者會(huì)引起創(chuàng)傷性記憶。相反，他們可能變得缺乏安全感、順從，甚至自戀。
Ms Vaughan Smith explains: “They can be close in a superficial or detached way in which they have a pseudo independence: ‘I don’t need any help I’m quite all right on my own’.”
沃恩?史密斯解釋道：“他們可以與人保持一種膚淺或超然的接近，使他們有一種獨(dú)立的假相：‘我不需要任何幫助，我自己過(guò)得非常好’?！?/p>
Such people fear being out of control and helpless. They control themselves, their work and others in an attempt to keep the parameters of their lives held firmly, so they are not taken by surprise. Their energy is consumed with strategies to avoid the traumatic memory, and vitality is lost. Exhaustion sets in because they are constantly under stress.
此類(lèi)人害怕失去控制和無(wú)助。他們控制自身、自己的工作和他人，試圖牢牢控制住自己生活的參數(shù)，以使自己不遭遇意外。他們的精力被消耗在想辦法避免創(chuàng)傷回憶，失去了活力。因?yàn)樗麄円恢碧幱趬毫χ?，所以總是感到精疲力竭?/p>
When Julio Harari’s son was suffering from cancer and became upset about his hair falling out after chemotherapy, the banker from Buenos Aires shaved his own head. He went to work the next day shorn of hair, to the puzzled reaction of colleagues.
當(dāng)胡利奧?阿拉里(Julio Harari，見(jiàn)文首照片)患了癌癥的兒子因化療脫發(fā)而心情沮喪時(shí)，這位來(lái)自布宜諾斯艾利斯的銀行家也剃光了自己的頭發(fā)。他第二天光頭上班的樣子讓同事們感到困惑。
Mr Harari describes his experience: “They tell you that your son is sick and you freeze. Then you get results from the next test, and you freeze again. You start thinking about what life is going to be like without your son, and you freeze. But you have to carry on, there are others in the family and other responsibilities as well.”
阿拉里講述了自己的經(jīng)歷：“他們告訴你，你的兒子病了，你嚇呆了。然后你拿到了下一次化驗(yàn)的結(jié)果，再次嚇呆了。你開(kāi)始想象沒(méi)了兒子的生活會(huì)變成什么樣，你又嚇呆了。但你必須堅(jiān)持下去，家中還有其他成員，還有其他責(zé)任?！?/p>
Although Mr Harari was traumatised by his son’s cancer, he was also able to put his feelings aside in this show of support for his son, who died in 2024 at the age of 24.
雖然阿拉里因兒子患癌受到了創(chuàng)傷，但他在精神上還是能夠挺住——剃光頭表示對(duì)兒子的支持。他的兒子在2024年去世，年僅24歲。
Trauma is an emotional and physical response to an unbearable event, such as bereavement, war, physical attack or abuse. The mind often rushes to protect the person, by numbing them from overwhelmingly painful feelings of grief, helplessness, rage and collapse.
精神創(chuàng)傷是對(duì)無(wú)法忍受的事件——如喪失親人、戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)、身體攻擊或虐待——的一種情感和生理反應(yīng)。大腦通常會(huì)迅速作出反應(yīng)以保護(hù)個(gè)人，讓他們對(duì)極度痛苦的悲傷、無(wú)助、憤怒和崩潰感到麻木。
People who have suffered trauma carry it with them, often unknowingly, wherever they go, including the office. Work can either help recovery or be the place where trauma is reignited. Much depends on the person’s early experiences, as well as their organisation’s culture.
遭受精神創(chuàng)傷的人經(jīng)常毫不自知地將創(chuàng)傷帶到自己行至的所有地方，包括辦公室。工作既能夠幫助一個(gè)人從創(chuàng)傷中恢復(fù)，也可以重新點(diǎn)燃創(chuàng)傷。這在很大程度上取決于當(dāng)事人早年的經(jīng)歷以及所處組織的文化。
For Mr Harari, who is an associate director of an international private bank and in charge of a team of five specialists, work was a helpful distraction. “If you’re only thinking about the chemo, life is very miserable,” he says. “But if you also have [work] you can carry on breathing.”
阿拉里是一家國(guó)際私人銀行的副董事，負(fù)責(zé)一個(gè)由5名專(zhuān)家組成的團(tuán)隊(duì)，對(duì)他而言，工作是一種有效的轉(zhuǎn)移注意力的方式?！叭绻隳X子里只想著化療，生活非常痛苦，”他說(shuō)，“但如果你還要（工作），你可以不讓自己窒息。”
During his son’s illness, it was important for Mr Harari to acknowledge that he would not be able to keep up the usual pace at work. This helped him to be realistic about what he could achieve. He also came to realise that he could only help his son by being by his side.
阿拉里承認(rèn)在兒子患病期間自己無(wú)法保持正常的工作節(jié)奏，這一點(diǎn)很重要。這幫助他以現(xiàn)實(shí)態(tài)度看待自己能取得的業(yè)績(jī)。他也意識(shí)到，自己能給兒子的幫助只有陪伴在他身邊。
“I knew I would always run behind the curve. And I learnt that I could hug my son, but I could not cure him.”
“我知道自己只能與時(shí)間賽跑。我知道，我只能擁抱他，但無(wú)法治愈他?！?/p>
Returning to work
返回工作崗位
After his son’s death, work provided a form of respite from his pain and grief. “He passed away on a Sunday night, and Thursday I was back working,” says Mr Harari. “Some people asked how could I do that and I said, ‘It keeps me alive’. I had to compartmentalise [my feelings] otherwise the pain would freeze me.”
兒子去世后，工作成為他緩解痛苦和悲傷的方式?！八且粋€(gè)周日晚上走的，周四我就回來(lái)工作了，”阿拉里說(shuō)，“有人問(wèn)我為何這樣著急，我說(shuō)，‘工作支撐著我’。我必須把（自己的情感）分隔開(kāi)，否則痛苦會(huì)讓我痛不欲生。”
“Compartmentalisation” — splitting off conflicting feelings — is a common reaction, and one of many defences the mind employs to protect individuals from extreme feelings. Such defences are normal, and only become harmful if they distort reality too far.
“隔離”——將矛盾的情緒分隔開(kāi)——是一種常見(jiàn)的反應(yīng)，也是大腦用來(lái)保護(hù)個(gè)人不受極端情緒影響的防御手段之一。這樣的防御是正常的，只有當(dāng)過(guò)度扭曲現(xiàn)實(shí)時(shí)，才會(huì)變得有害。
Mr Harari was fortunate to have the emotional stability not to be overcome by feelings of helplessness and despair during his son’s illness. That stemmed from a healthy and supportive early family life.
幸運(yùn)的是，在兒子生病期間，阿拉里的情緒穩(wěn)定沒(méi)有被無(wú)助和絕望的情緒擊潰。這源于其健康的、總是得到支持的早年家庭生活。
For others, however, experiences in early family life such as deprivation, neglect or abuse can affect the nervous system, making subsequent setbacks harder to bear.
然而，對(duì)其他一些人來(lái)說(shuō)，早年的家庭生活經(jīng)歷，如被剝奪、被忽視或被虐待，會(huì)影響神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，使他們更難以忍受后來(lái)遭遇的挫折。
Persistent unhappiness
持久不悅
For such people, even ordinary work disappointments, such as missing a promotion or being treated unfairly, can reactivate early traumas, leaving the person with incomprehensible and overwhelming feelings. The process is described in The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk.
對(duì)此類(lèi)人而言，即便是工作中的普通挫折，如錯(cuò)過(guò)升職或遭到不公平對(duì)待，就能夠重新激活早期的創(chuàng)傷，讓其陷入難以理解和難以抗拒的情緒中。貝塞爾?范德科爾克(Bessel van der Kolk)的《身體從未忘記：心理創(chuàng)傷療愈中的大腦、心智和身體》(The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma)一書(shū)描寫(xiě)了這一過(guò)程。
For these individuals, an anticipation of danger persists — frequently where none exists — putting them in a hyper-vigilant state and often reacting irrationally.
對(duì)這些個(gè)人來(lái)說(shuō)，對(duì)危險(xiǎn)的預(yù)期持續(xù)存在（而實(shí)際上往往不存在危險(xiǎn)），使他們處于極度警覺(jué)的狀態(tài)，而且經(jīng)常做出不理智的反應(yīng)。
Such employees avoid close relationships at work because intimacy often provokes strong feelings, which give rise to traumatic memories, says Julia Vaughan Smith, a psychotherapist and executive coach specialising in trauma. Instead they may become needy, compliant or even narcissistic.
心理治療師、專(zhuān)門(mén)治療創(chuàng)傷的行政教練朱莉婭?沃恩?史密斯(Julia Vaughan Smith)表示，這樣的員工會(huì)避免在工作中產(chǎn)生親密關(guān)系，因?yàn)橛H密往往會(huì)激起強(qiáng)烈的情緒，后者會(huì)引起創(chuàng)傷性記憶。相反，他們可能變得缺乏安全感、順從，甚至自戀。
Ms Vaughan Smith explains: “They can be close in a superficial or detached way in which they have a pseudo independence: ‘I don’t need any help I’m quite all right on my own’.”
沃恩?史密斯解釋道：“他們可以與人保持一種膚淺或超然的接近，使他們有一種獨(dú)立的假相：‘我不需要任何幫助，我自己過(guò)得非常好’?！?/p>
Such people fear being out of control and helpless. They control themselves, their work and others in an attempt to keep the parameters of their lives held firmly, so they are not taken by surprise. Their energy is consumed with strategies to avoid the traumatic memory, and vitality is lost. Exhaustion sets in because they are constantly under stress.
此類(lèi)人害怕失去控制和無(wú)助。他們控制自身、自己的工作和他人，試圖牢牢控制住自己生活的參數(shù)，以使自己不遭遇意外。他們的精力被消耗在想辦法避免創(chuàng)傷回憶，失去了活力。因?yàn)樗麄円恢碧幱趬毫χ?，所以總是感到精疲力竭?/p>
