I know trauma and its devastating effects on people and their families. I have more than 30 years’ experience working with patients who have suffered different types of trauma. That is why, as a psychologist, I specialised in the treatment of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), so as to be more effective in the treatments I offer my patients.
I hope this article helps you understand what trauma is, what its possible symptoms are, and what to do to overcome it.
Patients often come to me distressed, because doctors cannot find a reason for their symptoms. In fact, let me tell you about an experience.
September 11: a witness’s experience
I was living and working in New York when the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers happened.
A friend who worked near the site witnessed what happened. Shortly after, I offered to do a couple of sessions with him and he said: “Me? I’m fine, nothing happened to me!”
However, exactly two years after the event, right around the anniversary, he “unexpectedly” started being afraid to go outside, had insomnia, chest pain, and developed several tics. He saw different specialists, but didn’t seem to improve. He called me worried and told me what was happening. I told him: your symptoms are possibly a consequence of what you lived through with the Twin Towers.
He listened closely, but with some doubt… and finally he said to me…
ME…WITH TRAUMA? …NO, YOU’RE WRONG…!.
Of course you do, you do! He was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress because of what he had lived through. Although some time had passed since the event, the way his system had experienced it was causing many symptoms to surface, ones that for many people are unexpected and inexplicable.
At that point, I explained to him what trauma was and its consequences. For him it was a relief to understand that he wasn’t crazy, that he could overcome it, that he wasn’t alone, and that this happened to many people.
Trauma hurts us.
Witnessing a terrorist event of that magnitude, where he saw people jumping from the windows of the Twin Towers, was terrifying. He saw this first-hand.
The panic, other people’s suffering… Everything he was experiencing seemed to have no explanation, and it was traumatic, of course it was!
Nothing physically happened to him in that moment, because he was in a safe place. But this event went beyond what a nervous system could assimilate, and it left an impact on his brain that, over time, shows up as symptoms.
What is trauma? How does it work?
What actually happens is that when we live through events like this, which are disturbing and threatening events that make us feel paralysed, frightened and powerless, our capacity to cope with the problem is affected. The same is true, for example, of:
Witnessing natural disasters or accidents
The sudden death of a loved one
A violent attack or a rape
Trauma shapes our nervous system, producing a disconnect between our psychological state, our psychological history and the response we give. This affects our ability to regulate ourselves and, as a result, to adapt again and to feel safe once more.
Other types of trauma that produce PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
These can arise as a result of:
A serious or chronic illness
Going through surgery or medical procedures
Experiencing social pressure
Going through financial loss
Feeling like you don’t belong
Being constantly compared to a sibling
Feeling the lack of empathy of a loved one who tells you, or makes you feel, that “YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL what you feel”
Neglect is highly traumatic, as is any problem the mother may have had during pregnancy or birth.
Having parents who are physically and psychologically absent, or overprotective parents.
Suffering emotional abuse, being humiliated, excluded.
Living in an unstable home
Caring for someone who is ill,
Witnessing someone else’s suffering, etc…
Types of trauma
It shows up differently in each person, at different levels of complexity.
Trauma can be acute, chronic, complex or secondary.
Acute
This is trauma caused by a single event
Chronic
This arises as a result of prolonged, repeated exposure to high-stress events. For example: cases of child abuse, bullying or domestic violence. I invite you to read my article on Rape: the victim who reports her attacker. A trauma or a release?
Complex
This is the result of exposure to multiple traumatic events over the course of a lifetime.
Secondary or alternative
This is another way trauma is categorised. Symptoms arise from being in close contact with someone who has experienced a traumatic event.
Family members, mental health professionals and other people (who care for people who have experienced traumatic events) are at risk of suffering indirect trauma.
Different reactions to the same traumatic situation
You’re probably wondering why, if two people have been through the same event, it can be traumatic for one of them and not for the other.
What happens is that the reaction is individual and unique. In other words, an event can be traumatic for some people and not for others, depending on:
Whether there is a history of earlier trauma (she had one)
The person’s age.
The duration and severity of the event.
The type and quality of help, and emotional and social support, available after the trauma.
Let’s look at an example
I remember the case of a person who got locked inside a mortuary. This was very traumatic for her.
However, someone else was there with her, and that other person suffered no after-effects.
Why? Because the first woman had had a negative experience with a dead body. As a child, she was left to look after her dead grandfather’s body, and this traumatised her.
The symptoms of trauma
What most patients ask me, and what you probably want to know too, is: How do I know if I’m traumatised? What are the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Answering these questions isn’t as simple as we’d like. As we’ve said, symptoms can show up immediately, or months or even years after the incident. As a result, it can be difficult to connect them to an event that has already happened.
There are some manifestations that can help you identify whether you have a symptom. In reality, the signs can appear on more than one level. They can often be confused with, and attributed to, other disorders or problems.
Symptoms at the intellectual or cognitive level
Difficulty processing thoughts, exercising good judgement and being able to concentrate.
You start arriving late to places, and find it hard to organise your schedule or make decisions
Some other consequences also appear, arising from a stressful and traumatic situation at the cognitive level, such as confusion or obsessive-compulsive thoughts.
Emotional symptoms
Here you enter a loop of emotions that runs through shame, guilt, fear, anger and pain.
At the emotional level, trauma shows up with some of these symptoms:
Sudden mood swings, a greatly reduced capacity to cope with stress. Frequent crying. Feelings of hopelessness. Helplessness and depression.
You may notice you lose interest in: family, work and other things you used to enjoy.
Feelings of inadequacy and a lack of empathy appear.
Panic attacks are very common in patients with trauma.
On the other hand, you may have an “unusual” need for safety and control. You seek perfection.
Symptoms at the physical level
Consequences can appear at the physical level after a traumatic situation. Chronic tiredness, fatigue, headaches, back pain and hypersensitivity to sound and touch generally develop and, of course, you may notice you start having exaggerated startle responses.
Spiritual level
At this level, our beliefs about ourselves, other people and life itself are affected.
How do you overcome trauma?
Some people are afraid to go to therapy because they don’t want to relive a traumatic event over and over. In fact, to protect themselves, they unconsciously forget it or avoid thinking about it.
The good news is that you don’t have to. There are tools to overcome it and, as a specialist in this type of disorder, I can assure you they can help you.
Every healing process begins with recognising that we have a problem.
After that, we need to understand what is happening to us. Because when we know what is happening to us, we can make a plan. Once we have a plan, we stop being immobilised, traumatised.
As Peter Levine says:
“…Your symptoms are normal, given the abnormal situation you went through,” this is healing…
Always remember:
There is a part of you that has been wounded. There is also a part that is intact and strong.
By rescuing these parts, integrating them and strengthening them, symptoms are reduced or eliminated. Confidence, calm, control and wellbeing are recovered.
As in many cases, you probably won’t need too many hours of therapy, or to permanently use medication. With help, you will be able to overcome it.
Do you identify with any of these situations? Do you know someone who needs support?
There are many people who need help. Don’t keep this information to yourself, share it.
I have specialised in working with people who have suffered any type of trauma, and I have the tools and mechanisms to help you along this path
And you… when will you begin that long journey towards yourself? Rumi
Contact me:
You can do this by leaving a comment below, through my social media, by phone, or by email at the following address: the contact form.