What is Trauma?
Trauma or traumatic experience usually involves a threat to our sense of physical or emotional safety. We may also feel trapped, powerless or unsupported in the face of this threat.
Trauma describes both one-off events and things that happen over months or years It can be something a person experiences directly, or they might witness something happening to someone else.
These are some examples of things that people could find traumatic:
- a violent event, such as an assault, car accident or natural disaster
- Adverse childhood experiences, including poor attachment to caregivers, or trauma within the home
- experiencing domestic violence or abuse
- being bullied at school or work
- losing a family member or friend to suicide, or a sudden death in the family
- going through a serious physical illness or time in hospital
This list is not comprehensive, but Trauma is anything that alters your perception of the world and your sense of safety within it.
Trauma is not a mental health condition. But experiencing trauma can have long-term effects on someone’s mental health. A wide range of mental health issues can be linked to trauma. This includes lack of self-worth, anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders, self-harm and substance abuse.
How does trauma affect the way we think and feel?
Stress can change our brain’s wiring. Long-term or severe stress – trauma – changes our brain’s wiring and even it’s structure. More and more research in recent years points to the brain’s amazing power to adapt to life stressors, a scientific term called neuroplasticity.
But before we can ask our brain to revisit it’s internal wiring system, we have to be willing to be aware of what is going on. When we understand and accept how our past experiences meet our present-day life, we can really start to make some strides in healing our Trauma.
Every person’s response to trauma will be different. You may show you’re struggling straightaway. Or difficult feelings, thoughts and behaviours may emerge over time. Your reaction and how you cope might also change over time. For example, there may be times when things feel intensely difficult, and then they might feel better for a while.
This means it can be difficult to see the link between a previous traumatic experience and your current behaviour. Sometimes you may not be aware of the link yourself.
Why do I feel this way?
How can trauma affect you?
In general, these are some of the things you may experience if you are struggling with trauma:
- having thoughts or flashback images about the event or experience
- finding it more difficult to manage your emotions, which can feel overwhelming
- having angry outbursts
- withdrawing from friends, family, work or activities you usually enjoy
- avoiding thinking about, talking about, or being in situations which are related to the experience
- seeming very sensitive or alert to what’s happening around them
- seeming zoned-out or disconnected from what’s going on around you
- finding it difficult to concentrate
- not being able to sleep or having nightmares
- turning to coping mechanisms such as self-harm, or using drugs or alcohol
- blaming yourself, feeling guilty or struggling with your self-esteem or self worth
- people pleasing
Can I heal from Trauma?
Yes absolutely you can!
It’s not always an easy process, but it is a gentle one. By the end of it you will think and feel so differently about yourself.
With Somatic Experiencing you will be able to release stored Trauma. When this happens you will be better able to regulate your emotions, reduce anxiety and stress, increase self-awareness and really enhance your overall sense of well-being.
You can finally live the life you’ve always wanted, confident in the knowledge that if anything traumatic happens in the future, you will have the skills, knowledge and understanding to cope with whatever life throws your way. You will be a different, more confident, resilient and happier person.
