Trauma: What It Really Is
Anger. Confusion. Denial. Hopelessness. Fear. Pain. Sadness. Shame.
Trauma can present itself in many ways.
Trauma can look different for everyone. One person's trauma could look very different from another's. Even two people who share the same traumatic event could show different ways of processing it. On top of all the emotional signs, there are also physical signs and symptoms.
Since there are so many different types of trauma and the signs and symptoms associated, let's take a deeper look at what trauma really is.
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is any situation or experience that overwhelms your thoughts, emotions, or physical body.
After you experience a traumatic event, your brain and body could become altered. Your emotions, feelings, memory, and mood could become negatively affected. Your central nervous system will begin to alter the way your brain interprets the information as a way to protect you. Unfortunately, your body's natural response to trauma or flight or fight mode can actually lead to worsened symptoms.
Types of Trauma
You've probably experienced trauma at least once in your life. In some cases, you may not even realize the trauma actually took place.
Here are a few common types of trauma:
Abuse
One of the most common signs of trauma is abuse. Abuse can occur in many forms: emotional, verbal, physical, and sexual. Unfortunately, all of these types of abuse can take place in any kind of relationship.
You may have experienced emotional or verbal abuse as a child from your primary caregiver yelling at you. You may even experience emotional or verbal at your job from a boss who bullies and harasses you on a daily basis. Even your significant other calling you a name would be considered a type of abuse.
Physical and sexual abuse involves a violation of your body and the boundaries you set for yourself. Typically, after a traumatic event involving physical or sexual abuse, you may not feel comfortable in your own body and skin anymore.
Assault
A physical attack or assault can be a very traumatic event. Assault can happen with a fight on the playground or getting mugged by a stranger on the street.
An assault can leave a lasting impact on a person. Often, flashbacks are common with physical assaults. Flashbacks can cause you to lose a sense of reality. You may get pulled into the past and not be able to live fully in the present moment. The assault could also cause you to be on high alert, fear certain places, and avoid certain situations.
Being Involved in an Accident
You may have experienced trauma while you were driving. Whether you witnessed an accident take place or you were involved in a car accident, you experienced trauma.
Another type of accident that you may have gone through without even recognizing it as trauma is a natural disaster. Floods, fires, and hurricanes happen everywhere. These types of accidents can be very unexpected and cause a lot of fear, stress, and anxiety.
Loss of a Loved One
Life also comes with death. Death can be a traumatic experience for anyone. Whether you knew the death was coming or if it completely caught you off guard, death and grief aren't easy to overcome.
How to Cope
Trauma is everywhere but often under-reported.
Therapy is a chance to share your trauma with someone who is deeply compassionate and will not judge you for what happened to you. I will accept you wholeheartedly and help you process your experience in a way that is comfortable for you.