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What is Trauma
Trauma is an emotional and psychological response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event, often leaving lasting effects on a person’s mental and physical well-being.
Trauma results from experiencing very stressful, frightening or distressing events which can result in strong feelings of terror, shame, helplessness and powerlessness. These traumatic experiences can compromise an individual’s ability to cope.
Trauma can result from a situation or an event we find traumatic ( i.e. being a victim or witnessing trauma) or from how we are affected by our experiences ( i.e. the effect the incident has on the sense of self – agency, identity, safety, belonging and connection).
Everyone has a different reaction to trauma, and there is no time limit, you may notice any effects immediately or a long while afterwards. If you’ve been affected by trauma, it’s important to remember that you survived however you could and are having common, normal reactions.
When we feel stressed or threatened, our bodies release hormones called cortisol and adrenaline. This is the body’s automatic way of preparing to respond to danger, and we have no control over it
The autonomic nervous system controls the glands and muscles of internal organs. It can be divided into two subsystems:
- The sympathetic nervous system which arouses the body
- The parasympathetic nervous system which calms the body
When there is something potentially threatening, our sympathetic nervous system is activated and our body prepares us for survival. Basically, our body prepares to fight, flight or freeze. This leads to increased heart rate, breathing and blood pressure.
When trauma becomes chronic (in other words, when a person experiences multiple or ongoing traumatic situations), our bodies remain in a constant state of alertness in order to be ready for threats. This ongoing activation of the sympathetic nervous system is very draining on the body and can lead to symptoms, such as a weaker immune system, headaches, insomnia, depression and anxiety.
The constant activation can also worsen an individual’s ability to tell the difference between threatening stimuli and harmless stimuli. Fear becomes the automatic response to both threatening and non-threatening stimuli.
Symptoms of Trauma
The impact of trauma can vary and are unique to each person. Some common trauma symptoms include:
- Dissociation
- Nightmares
- Flashbacks
- Changes in eating and sleeping
- Hyperarousal (feeling constantly alert, and having difficulty concentrating) or hypoarousal (feeling emotionally numb and disconnected)
- Social withdrawal
- Low self-esteem
- Self-harm/injury
- Suicidal feelings
- Alcohol/substance misuse