Experiencing Trauma
Trauma is anything that overwhelms the brain’s ability to cope. It is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causing feelings of helplessness, diminishing a sense of self and the ability to feel a full range of emotions and experiences.
Bessel van der Kolk, in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma states:
“We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body. This imprint has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present. Trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way mind and brain manage perceptions. It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.”
As the art and science of trauma recovery grow, we are recognizing different types of trauma including Post Traumatic Stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), birth trauma, and the impact of intergenerational and societal trauma. The importance of recognizing what types of trauma exist and who might be affected is the first step in treating trauma in individuals, families, and communities.
What kinds of events could be traumatic?
- One-time events, such as an accident, injury, natural disaster, or a violent attack, separation from a parent, sexual, physical, emotional, or verbal abuse, especially if it was unexpected or happened in childhood.
- Ongoing, relentless stress, such as living in a crime-ridden neighborhood, divorce of parents, surviving war or political unrest, battling a life-threatening illness, or experiencing traumatic events that occur repeatedly, such as bullying, domestic violence, microaggressions/ racism, living in poverty, or childhood neglect.
Commonly overlooked causes, such as surgery (especially in the first 3 years of life), serious or chronic illness, intrusive medical procedures, the sudden death of someone close, the breakup of a significant relationship, a humiliating or deeply disappointing experience, especially if someone was deliberately cruel, or trauma that occurred in previous generations.
It is important to realize that responses to trauma are normal responses to abnormal situations. These normal responses may become problematic, especially when we no longer need to protect ourselves from those abnormal situations any longer. They may show up in symptoms that disrupt our lives and cause suffering.
List of symptoms in children
| Eating disturbance | General fearfulness/new fears |
| Sleep disturbances | Helplessness, passive, low frustration |
| Somatic complaints | Restless, impulsive, hyperactive |
| Clingy/separation anxiety | Physical symptoms (headache, etc.) |
| Feeling helpless/passive | Difficulty identifying what is bothering them |
| Irritable/difficult to soothe | Inattention, difficulty problem solving |
| Constricted play, exploration, mood | Daydreaming or dissociation |
| Repetitive/post-traumatic play | Irritability |
| Developmental regression | Aggressive behavior |
| General fearfulness/new fears | Sexualized behavior |
| Easily startled | Loss of recent developmental achievements |
| Language delay | Repetitive/ post-traumatic play |
| Aggressive behavior | Talking about the traumatic event and reacting to reminders/trauma triggers |
| Sexualized behavior | Poor peer relationships and social problems (controlling/over permissive) |
| Sadness/depression | Talking about the traumatic event and reacting to reminders/trauma triggers |
Adult symptoms:
| Shock, denial, or disbelief | Confusion, difficulty concentrating |
| Anger, irritability, mood swings | Anxiety and fear |
| Guilt, shame, self-blame | Withdrawing from others |
| Feeling sad or hopeless | Feeling disconnected or numb |
| Insomnia or nightmares | Fatigue |
| Being startled easily | Difficulty concentrating |
| Racing heartbeat | Edginess and agitation |
| Aches and pains | Muscle tension |
| Difficulty controlling emotions | Feeling very hostile or distrustful towards the world |
| Constant feelings of emptiness or hopelessness | Feeling as if you are permanently damaged or worthless |
| Feeling as if you are completely different to other people | Feeling like nobody can understand what happened to you |
| Avoiding friendships and relationships, or finding them very difficult | Often experiencing dissociative symptoms such as depersonalization or derealization |
| Regular suicidal feelings |
There is hope…
In addition to talking, therapy can include working with the mind, body, nervous system, and our relationships to heal. Our therapists use the strengths and natural resilience of clients to build a foundation for wellness. To make lifelong change possible, therapy then incorporates mindfulness-based, attachment style, psychodynamic, and somatic (embodied) practices. Each individual’s treatment plan is unique to that person and customized between the therapist and client. Call today for a consultation!