Understanding Trauma
Many people are confused by the word “trauma”. When people think of trauma, they may bring to mind a soldier coming home from war, or a frightening ,violent experience. Perhaps they think of a natural disaster, sexual assault, or physical assault. The word trauma in the context of mental health is actually a much more broad term for any disturbing or upsetting experience that is emotionally or psychologically overwhelming or stressful, and that when unresolved, leaves the person feeling depressed, angry, confused or fearful for a prolonged amount of time. Trauma is a subjective experience that can include major unexpected events such as car accidents, serious injuries, or violent attacks, as well as prolonged stress. For example, growing up with abusive caregivers or being emotionally or physically neglected. Less obvious forms of trauma include experiences where your sense of worth or safety was shattered, like living in a home with domestic violence (witnessing parents having persistent verbal altercations can be traumatic), prolonged bullying by classmates or family members, and humiliating or disappointing experiences. When these experiences occur in childhood, they can have an even more profound effect throughout adulthood if left unresolved.
When a person is not able to fully process or make sense of a traumatic event due to a persistent state of fearfulness or hyper-arousal, the experience becomes “stuck” in the mind and body, and they are more likely to experience post-traumatic symptoms or develop PTSD. PTSD symptoms include: flashbacks of the event, nightmares, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, hyper-vigilance and anger outbursts, among many others. Unresolved trauma that does not meet criteria for PTSD can manifest in other ways as well including: lack of trust in others, poor self-esteem and self-worth, poor intimacy with others, interpersonal conflicts, emotional numbness, self-defeating thoughts, self-sabotaging behavior and overall sense of feeling like a failure, and anxiety symptoms. These less obvious symptoms make it hard to identify the core issue- they are actually the result of past, unresolved trauma. Traumatic experiences, especially if they occur in childhood, may become suppressed memories allowing the person to continue surviving and functioning in their daily life. Over time, reminders of the event can trigger these suppressed memories, leading to undesirable symptoms or behaviors that are difficult to manage or control.
Luckily, healing is absolutely possible for all forms of trauma. Unresolved trauma can be reprocessed and healed through many effective forms of therapy, including EMDR Therapy. EMDR Therapy utilizes eye movements, auditory tones, or tactile stimulation in an alternating, rhythmic fashion that assists the client in getting a “stuck” memory or trauma to become “unstuck” and bring the trauma to resolution. If you are struggling with unwanted psychological and emotional symptoms that feel out of your control, you may benefit from EMDR therapy.
