Runic Trauma
Brief
Runic Trauma can happen in many forms, but the primary source of this condition stems from the abuse of Control Runes and will be the main subject of the information provided. Runic Trauma is a form of Psychological Trauma, which is damaging to the creature's mind due to the stress of conflicting feelings and orders from the runes.Transmission & Vectors
Above: example of Control Runes applied to individuals. A faded, older example versus a freshly tattooed rune.
Causes
Symptoms
- The duration of contact or interaction with the rune(s)
- The severity of the rune(s)
Negative changes in thinking or mood
- Negative thoughts about themselves, or others
- Sense of hopelessness
- Memory issues, including not remembering importat aspects of their traumatic event
- Difficulty maintaining close relationships
- Feeling detatched from others
- Difficulty experiencing positive emotions; feeling emotionally numb
Changes in physical and emotional reactions
- Being easily startled or frightened
- Always on guard for percieved danger
- Disregard for their own safety
- Trouble with concentrating and sleeping
- Outbursts of uncontrolled emotions, typically anger, irritability or becoming aggressive without provocation
- Overwhelming guilt or shame
Avoidance
- Trying to avoid talking or thinking about the event
- Avoiding places, activities or people that remind them about the trauma
Compulsions
- Reoccuring, unwanted compulsions related to the rune(s) applied
- Difficulty distinguising between "trained" behaviour and their own
Intrusive memories
- Reoccuring, unwanted, and distressing memories of the trauma endured
- Flashbacks to their time under the rune's influence
- Upsetting dreams and nightmares about the trauma
- Severe emotional/physical distress to something that reminds the person of the events
Treatment
Removal
How the runes are removed is a key part of treatment. A rune must be dispelled either by pulling the magic out of it, or by modifying the rune itself into a negative of the command or idea within it to allow the person to act freely. It is not uncommon however for people in these situations to attempt to remove these runes by simply damaging the skin around the rune, which does the opposite effect. A rune with no binding, or damaged binding allows the magic to run freely, and makes reversal difficult, especially if the rune used is unreadable.Therapy
Like any trauma, going through therapy is recommended to help the indiviual learn how to cope with their emotions and find ways to go through life in a stable way after their incident.History
Cultural Reception
Attempts at support groups have been made but with the rarity of the condition, most support groups are online, or in larger cities.
A rune used to convince people to stay in a location longer than intended to. Commonly used in casinos and bars. A rune that would be tied to location and not an individual person.
A rune used to keep an individual silent about a specific topic, chosen when inlaying the rune with magic.
It should be noted that while runic trauma is typically co-morbid with PTSD, it is not commonly co-morbid in the reverse order. PTSD does not always come with runic trauma. It depends entirely on the individual and the traumatic event they've undergone.
I like the amount of detail put into this article! But speaking of the condition-- it really seems like an intense ordeal for whoever it is that suffers from it ):
Thank you, it was really fun to write! Yeah it's not fun to have this condition at all....