What is emotional and psychological trauma?
Trauma is the emotional, physical, psychological reactions caused by a stressful event that disrupts your sense of safety, making you feel helpless. When we are placed in a situation whereby our sense of security is compromised or lost it is normal for our bodies to react to the situation and to naturally heal and recover.
Trauma can be caused by:
- One-time events, such as an accident, injury, or a violent attack, child-hood violent attack.
- Ongoing, stressful environment, living in a violent community with high rates of crime, living through a life-threatening illness, bullying, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, childhood abuse and neglect, relative to someone suffering alcohol abuse.
- Other – grief and loss, diagnosed with a terminal illness, complicated pregnancy, miscarriage during pregnancy/ectopic pregnancy, stillbirths etc.
Each person may react differently to a traumatic experience and as a result may experience physical, psychological, emotional, and mental distress.
Mental Reactions may include:
- intrusive thoughts about the event
- racing or reoccurring thoughts of the event
- reduced concentration and memory
- confusion or disorientation.
Emotional reactions to trauma can include:
- feeling lost or numb
- shock – difficulty believing in what has happened, feeling detached and confused
- fear, anxiety and panic
- withdrawing from friends and family
- continued danger
- feeling as if someone is following you
- feelings of disappointments, anger, defeat, or revengeful
Traumatic experiences can result in physical reactions including:
- tiredness
- trouble sleeping
- headaches
- sweating of palms
- nausea, vomiting and dizziness
- increased heart rate.
Common behavioural reactions to trauma include:
- avoiding anything that reminds you of the event
- inability to stop focusing on what occurred
- getting immersed in recovery-related tasks
- losing touch with normal daily routines
- changed appetite, such as eating a lot more or a lot less
- turning to substances such as alcohol, cigarettes and coffee
- sleeping problems.
Recovery is possible and you can regain a sense of safety after you have experienced a traumatic event to continue enjoying your life, as you deserve.
