Understanding Trauma

Learn about trauma

If you have been through a traumatic experience, you may be struggling with upsetting emotions, a constant sense of being in danger, or terrifying memories. When bad things happen to an individual, it may take some time for them to overcome the emotional pain and start to feel safe once again. Psychological and emotional trauma is what people experience right after a particularly traumatic event has occurred. These disturbing events can happen once or can be repeated events that completely overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope with the resulting emotions. For some, the feelings caused by a traumatic event appear right away, for others it can take weeks or even years before they begin to experience these emotions. The time it takes for an emotional reaction to a traumatic event depends on the event experienced and the individual themselves.

These stressful events destroy an individual’s ability to feel secure, leaving them feeling helpless and vulnerable. Most often, traumatic experiences involve a threat to a person’s life or safety, but any event that leaves someone feeling alone and overwhelmed can be considered traumatic. It isn’t the actual facts that determine if an event is traumatic; it is a person’s subjective emotional experience of the event. The more threatened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.

The most typical responses immediately after a traumatic event are shock and denial. Shock is the rapid and intense disturbance of normal emotional states that leaves an individual feeling confused. Denial occurs when an individual does not acknowledge that the event occurred. Once the initial symptoms of shock and denial diminish, additional reactions will vary among individuals. Not all traumatic events cause lasting emotional and psychological damage for everyone. Some people are able to rebound quickly from severely devastating events, while others experience lasting devastation from the same event.

Psychological trauma can lead to serious long-term consequences. It is important that individuals who are suffering from severe traumatic reactions do not blame themselves for their reactions. Instead, they must realize that this is a perfectly normal reaction to such a horrible event. It is not clear why some individuals react so strongly to certain events, but it is very common for trauma victims to blame themselves.

Types

Types of Psychological Trauma

Trauma can be caused by a variety of events. Typical causes for the development of psychological trauma may include the following:

Falls
Exposure to violence
Sexual assault/rape
Sexual abuse
Sports injuries
Extreme poverty
Kidnapping
Sudden death of a loved one
Adult children of alcoholics
Vehicle accidents
Harassment
Domestic abuse
Natural disasters – earthquakes, deadly tornadoes, volcanoes
Police brutality
War or combat injuries

Co-occurring Disorders

Trauma and co-occurring disorders

Many individuals who have experienced intense trauma may develop serious co-occurring disorders at some point before or following the traumatic event. These types of co-occurring disorders may include:

Anxiety disorders
Alcoholism
Substance abuse disorders
Depressive disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder

Causes and Risk Factors

Causes and risk factors of trauma

There is no set way in which individuals should react to the stress associated with a traumatic event. Everyone reacts to traumatic experiences differently. Factors affecting an individual’s recovery from a traumatic event include the following:

Event was completely unexpected
Unprepared for the event
The severity of the traumatic event
Repeated trauma
The overall ability for an individual to cope with stressful emotional situations
The event was unnecessarily cruel
The trauma occurred in childhood
Amount of loss sustained
Stressful events which may have preceded the traumatic experience

There are a number of risk factors increasing the likelihood an individual will suffer from traumatic stress following an event. These include:

Heavy stresses
Recent losses
Feeling unstable and unsafe in the environment
Have been traumatized before
Serious illness
Abuse – sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional
Domestic violence
Intrusive medical procedures
Bullying

Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of trauma

Many individuals who undergo very traumatic events find themselves facing many different troubling symptoms. The severity of these symptoms depends upon the person, the type of traumatic event experienced, and the emotional support received after the event. Symptoms can be varied and differ from person to person, and are not always experienced in the same way by all individuals. There is no right or wrong way to respond to trauma, your responses are normal reactions to abnormal events. Common symptoms of trauma include:

Mood symptoms:

Depression
Anxiety
Shock
Anger
Irritability
Mood swings
Despair
Mood swings
Guilt
Shame
Self-blame
Sadness
Panic attacks
Anger
Irritability
Hopelessness

Behavioral symptoms:

Frequent nightmares
Insomnia
Startled easily
Fatigue
Edginess
Self-medication with drugs and alcohol
Self-harming behaviors
Difficulty concentrating
Social isolation
Avoiding certain events that may trigger memories
Avoiding certain people

Physical symptoms:

Insomnia
Racing heartbeat
Muscle tension
Easily startled
Aches and pains
Exhaustion
Nightmares
Edginess
Agitation
Fatigue
Muscle tension
Dry mouth
Tachycardia
Headaches
Nausea and vomiting

Psychological symptoms:

Confusion
Difficulty concentrating
Insecurities
Repressed memories
Dissociation
Emotional numbing
Constant fear
Denial and disbelief
Flashbacks – the individual may re-experience traumatic events over and over
Emotional detachment
Low self-esteem

Effects

Effects of trauma

Recovery from a traumatic event takes time and everyone heals at their own pace, however if the symptoms are still present after a few months have passed, it is time to seek treatment. If left untreated, traumatic reactions will only get worse over time, possibly leading to even more severe symptoms. Trauma needs to be treated sooner, rather than later, before the effects of the event become so severe that an individual is no longer able to function on a daily basis. These effects may include: