Have I Experienced Trauma?
What is Trauma
Trauma is :
-Extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world.
-Any event that is disturbing or incongruent.
-Impact our sense of control, safety and power in the world.
-Any situation that leaves us feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or even misunderstood or mis-attuned.
-Cause us to feel at fault or responsible.
-Alter our perception of what we feel we deserve
-Can continue to cause emotional and physical symptoms long after event
-Chronic dysregulation of the nervous system
Trauma is not in the event but in the activation of our survival response of our autonomic nervous system that does not get the chance to deactivate and come back to baseline. It is the perception of threat that triggers a traumatic experience.
What are the key signs and symptoms of trauma?
Physical Symptoms
Constant tiredness even after you have had a rest
Headaches and general pain in your body
Difficulty falling asleep
Having restless sleep
Strange physical sensations
Digestive issues
Hypervigelance
Trouble concentrating
Brain fog or memory loss
Nervous system dysregulation
Emotional Changes
Finding yourself being hypersensitive to emotional content (movie, song, book etc.)
Feeling disconnected from your emotions and/or your body
Feeling helpless or hopeless about the future
Being constantly angry or irritated at people and their actions
Finding yourself being constantly cynical or jumping to conclusions
Intrusive thoughts and imagery related to the traumatic material you have seen or heard
Different Behaviours
Avoiding going to work or planned events
Having no interest in activities which used to give you joy like sports or other hobbies
Changes to your personal relationships, like people avoiding you or you are avoiding others
No separation of personal and professional time – keeping busy all the time to avoid reminders of the trauma
Difficulty relating to others’ day-to-day experiences
Small talk becoming meaningless and difficult to relate to
Thinking no one understands
Being overly cautious about the health and well-being of others
Isolating yourself completely from others or only interacting with people who are in your same field or can relate to your experiences
If you have any concerns about any of these signs and feel like they may relate to you, it might be time to seek help or strategies to support you managing your journey. Please reach out. You never have to do this alone.
What should I do if I feel I’ve been affected by trauma?
Look after yourself physically, emotionally, mentally.
It’s important to remind yourself that you are safe and that the way you are feeling will not last forever.
Avoid alcohol and drugs as an escape. Although it can temporarily reduce symptoms, eventually they worsen and become compounded over time.
Find support from people who you trust and make you feel safe.
Seek the help of a professional - If you find yourself experiencing constant behavioural and physical symptoms of trauma and feel like it is starting to affect your daily life, this is the point where you should seek the support of a professional.