The award winning hit television drama This Is Us follows the lives of the Pearson family, consisting of father Jack, mother Rebecca, and children Kevin, Katie, and Randall. Through special curation of storylines spanning across multiple timelines of their lives, the story of their family trauma is weaved. One thing is understood: Jack, the father, passed away at some point in everyone’s young life. Until the second season, the cause of Jack’s death is unknown. What is revealed, however, are the many difficulties Jack’s remaining family faces in struggling to cope with the trauma of suddenly losing their father at a young age. In addition, viewers learn that Jack had an ongoing problem with alcohol.
Each of the children respond to their life circumstances differently. Randall lives with severe anxiety. Kevin lives at one time with an addiction to painkillers. Katie has an addiction to food. Rebecca struggles to cope with the shock and grief of losing her life partner. Through their journey together as a family, they mitigate the ups and downs of their relationships to each other, to the loss of Jack, and to the trauma they have all experienced.
This Is Us has been applauded for its accurate representation of mental illness, trauma, grief, and loss, as well as its authenticity in depicting the real dramas of everyday life. Importantly, the hit drama materializes an important, yet often misunderstood truth when it comes to trauma: people respond to trauma differently. For each of the children, their reaction to trauma, grief, and loss, manifests differently. Growing up, each of them coped with their father’s alcoholism and other challenging family circumstances differently. Their individual struggles, coping mechanisms, and patterns of behavior emphasize that people respond to trauma differently.
Why It Matters
Too often, people who are uninformed about trauma are quick to judge, categorize, and minimize what people have gone through. They chalk up someone’s difficulties in a trope like “get over it”. Everyone responds to and copes with trauma differently. When someone seeks treatment for trauma, it is critical that the treatment provider have an intensive understanding of that philosophy: everyone copes with trauma differently. Individualized and custom treatment programs are essential to assess and treat each person’s response to trauma as well as the many ways that response manifests.
The Guest House Ocala specializes in trauma treatment as well as treatment for addictions and related mental health issues. Our concierge style care provides highly customized treatment, luxury amenities, and a remote location providing the comfort and privacy you need to heal. Everyone has a story. We welcome you with open arms. If you are struggling to cope with trauma, call us today for information on our residential programs for recovery: 1-855-483-7800