Contents
Introduction – A Complete Guide To Understanding Trauma
When a traumatic event occurs it can instantly shatter the safety and security we feel in the world around us. It may take awhile to fully return back to the sense of peace we once had. While this is perfectly normal, it can become debilitating and feel like a never ending black hole.
In order to begin your journey into overcoming trauma, you must first fully understand what trauma is. Think of it as learning all you can about your opposing enemy before you engage in battle. You’ll be much more equipped to spot the signs and tactics used against you if you know they’re coming.
So, stick around if you’ve just experienced a traumatic event or are still struggling with the past. We’re going to discuss what trauma is, how to spot the symptoms, and treatments you can utilize moving forward.
Defining ‘Trauma’
While the definition of trauma itself has not changed, you may be aware of its ever growing presence on social media within the last few years. This may be due to a misunderstanding of what trauma actually is, or the simple fact that more people feel empowered to speak up than ever before.
Whatever the case, trauma is defined as the emotional response and impact any extraordinarily terrible event has caused. These responses can be both short and long term effects and can range in severity.
Even if the traumatic event didn’t cause you any physical harm at the moment, a traumatic event can be any situation in which you felt overwhelmed in your ability to cope.
It’s likely you’ve heard the term ‘post traumatic stress disorder’. This disorder was originally given to soldiers returning home from war, however much research has been done to determine PTSD can affect anyone.
Keep in mind, you don’t have to be formally diagnosed with PTSD to experience the effects of trauma.
Symptoms Experienced After a Traumatic Event
As we’ve discussed, there are both long and short term effects that can follow a traumatic event. These can be mild and only affect an individual when they are triggered, or can be severe and affect daily functioning.
In long term symptoms, even after time has passed the effects may come up frequently or with immense strength.
Short Term Symptoms Of Trauma Include:
- Extreme fatigue
- Confusion
- Sadness
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Irritability
- Numbness
- Disconnect
- Hyper arousal to surroundings
These symptoms do affect most survivors of a traumatic event and fade away gradually with time.
Long Term Symptoms Of Trauma Include:
- Sleep disorders
- Nightmares
- Fear of the event recurring
- Flashbacks
- Anxiety around flashbacks occurring again
- Depression
- Suppression of emotions
- Anxiety disorder
- Avoidance of sensations, emotions, memories, or physical places even remotely associated with the event
Long term symptoms of trauma can cause a weakened immune response, putting those with PTSD and other forms of chronic trauma at risk for illness and disease.
Traits Associated With Trauma
Individuals that have experienced a traumatic event and either repressed their emotions, or have not yet done the work to resolve them often exhibit certain traits or behaviors that stem from these wounds.
This is particularly true for those who experience trauma during childhood as their brains are still learning and developing. When young children experience or witness terrifying or horrific events their brains begin to develop around the trauma and its impacts.
A few traits associated with trauma may include:
- Poor impulse control
- Difficulty controlling emotions
- Self-destructive behavior (such as alcohol or substance abuse)
- Aggression
- Oppositional behaviors towards authority figures
- Eating disorders
- Obsessions and/or compulsions
Experiencing a traumatic event can be incredibly confusing. The shame and guilt that often follows survivors can keep them from seeking help and resolving their pain. The long term effects of trauma can quickly become traits and toxic behaviors that only hinder someone even more from overcoming their past.
What Causes Trauma?
At its core, emotional and psychological trauma is caused by any stressful crisis that impairs an individual’s ability to access proper coping skills. These events are so distressing they can cause a massive disruption in daily living.
Trauma can be seen as any situation in which a threat to life or safety was present. A traumatic event doesn’t have to be objectively traumatic to everyone else, it all depends on your personal emotional experience of the event.
In addition, a traumatic event can either be experienced by the individual themselves, or can be witnessed. Both situations come with similar symptoms after.
A few experiences that cause trauma include, but are not limited to:
- One Time Events:
- Rape
- Sexual assault
- Physical assault
- Car accidents
- Severe injury
- Natural disasters: tornadoes, hurricanes, floods
- Hospitalization
- Sudden death of a loved one
- Shooting or stabbing of self or another person
- Ongoing Events:
- Living in a high crime neighborhood
- Battling a life threatening disease
- Bullying
- Domestic abuse
- Childhood neglect or abuse
Childhood Trauma
Trauma has a profound effect on an individual if the situation was experienced at a young age. Childhood trauma has been linked to many mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, panic attack disorder, and more.
The impact of childhood trauma lasts far beyond those early years and can lead to a lifetime of emotional dysfunction, mistrust, anger, bitterness, and an overall low view of oneself.
Childhood trauma is defined as any deeply disturbing, terrifying, or dangerous event that creates fear within a child. A few examples may be:
- An unstable environment
- Separation from parents
- Serious or chronic illness
- Sexual abuse
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Neglect
When childhood trauma is not addressed, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness continue to linger into our adult years. While you may grow older physically, inside you’re still that scared 6 year old boy.
How Is Trauma Treated?
While it’s completely normal to experience fear, anger, and resentment after a traumatic experience, the way our brains cope can lead to chronic problems. This is where treatment methods come in.
The positive news, however, is there are many ways to overcome trauma. If your emotions and behaviors are more on the mild side, you can try some at home treatments to help nurture and care for your inner self.
At Home Treatments may include:
- Leaning On Your Support System: This may be friends or family, or a support group. If you feel capable of doing so, talk about the traumatic event. This can help relieve anything building up inside of you. If you aren’t to that point yet, even asking for help with daily tasks can help lower your stress levels.
- Face How You’re Feeling: Your first instinct may be to isolate yourself indoors or use substances to help you forget. While these may help in the moment, it’s important to allow yourself to feel however you’re feeling in order to prevent those emotions from becoming stuck in your body.
- Practice Self Care: Take care of yourself. This can be physically by ensuring a healthy diet and exercise, or mentally by keeping a journal or engaging in a gratitude list.
Therapy is another fantastic way to help if you’re feeling overwhelmed and bombarded by your emotions, flashbacks, and memories of a traumatic event. If you feel as though you simply can’t cope on your own, there are many professionals that dedicate their entire lives to seeing you heal and overcome.
Therapy Treatments May Include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Often seen as the first line of defense against trauma, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) uses the power of talk therapy to help clients become ‘unstuck’ by their traumatic memories. A therapist will help a client learn to change unhelpful thinking patterns by challenging them. Once these toxic thoughts and beliefs are addressed, the client and therapist will work towards turning them into positive ones.
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy: As the name suggests, prolonged exposure therapy uses exposing a client to their fears or trauma in order to rewire the way the brain perceives it. While this may sound harsh, exposure therapy has been successfully used for clients with extreme phobias for years.
- Trauma Focused CBT: This type of cognitive behavioral therapy uses the same techniques as traditional CBT yet is aimed more towards children and teens. The goal of trauma focused CBT is to empower youth to correct destructive behaviors and thoughts, teach new skills in coping, and allow them to express their emotions in a safe and comfortable environment.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by RODNAE Productions(Pexels)
References
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/coping-with-emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm
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