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What is trauma?
What is trauma?
Trauma is the lasting emotional response brought about by the occurrence of a distressing, stressful, or frightening event that can affect an individuals ability to cope. Having experienced a traumatic event can harm a person's sense of self, safety and ability to regulate emotions.
It can also impact a person's ability to function both mentally and psychically. These feelings can often result in feelings of helplessness or depression that greatly impact an individual's daily life.
There is no set age for traumatic events to happen, and regardless of when these events happen, they can all have long lasting effects. Signs of trauma can appear quickly after the event has occurred or they can take years to develop.
Going through additional trauma can cause the effects of the previous trauma to become worse. It can cause problems that weren’t initially present to arise, making the events difficult to separate.
What experiences can cause trauma?
What experiences can cause trauma?
What event can be traumatic for a person changes from each individual. Our experiences are personal and something that is traumatic for someone might not be for someone else but this does not lessen the impact of the event.
Below is a list of ways traumatic events can occur:
One-off or ongoing events
Being directly harmed
Witnessing harm to someone else
Living in a traumatic atmosphere
Being affected by trauma in a family or community
Trauma can sometimes be linked to aspects of a person's identity, especially if there are parts you have been bullied/harassed about.
How Bodies React to Trauma
How Bodies React to Trauma
When under stress or threat, the body releases hormones that cause the body to react based on instinct. These reactions are automatic meaning we have no control over them.
Some of the ways the body can react are:
Fight - Physically protesting
Freeze - The feeling of being unable to move
Flight - Hiding or running away
Flop - Doing what you are told without protest
Symptoms
Symptoms
Sign someone may be struggling with trauma are:
Flashbacks - memories/ reliving the traumatic event as if it were currently happening
Panic Attacks - A biological response to perceived danger
Dissociation - A coping mechanism in the form of ‘spacing out’ for dealing with stressful events
Hyperarousal - feeling very anxious and being unable to relax
Sleep Problems - difficulty falling/staying asleep at night
Low-Self Esteem - Believing yourself to be worth very little
Self Harm - causing harm to yourself in order to cope with difficult emotions
Suicidal thoughts - thoughts of ending your life
Alcohol and substance misuse - Using alcohol and other drugs to cope with difficult emotions
If you feel like you are struggling with anything you have read or any other aspect of mental health, then there are services out there that can help. If you need to talk to someone you can sign up here for our peer coaching service.
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