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Understanding Trauma
Q: What is Trauma?
A: Trauma is stress “plus tax”. Interestingly, it is not the event that determines whether or not it will be a traumatic experience, but the person experiences and perceives the event that determines how traumatic the event will be. Traumatizing events (car accident, witnessing a horrific event, natural disaster, bad break-up of a relationship etc...) can be traumatic even when there is no physical harm or damage.
Q: What are the Components of Trauma?
A: All traumatic events have three basic components:
A: Trauma may be ...
A: These symptoms of trauma are “normal” symptoms that often follow an “abnormal” (traumatic) event.
Physical Symptoms of Trauma
A: Trauma is stress “plus tax”. Interestingly, it is not the event that determines whether or not it will be a traumatic experience, but the person experiences and perceives the event that determines how traumatic the event will be. Traumatizing events (car accident, witnessing a horrific event, natural disaster, bad break-up of a relationship etc...) can be traumatic even when there is no physical harm or damage.
Q: What are the Components of Trauma?
A: All traumatic events have three basic components:
- The event causing the trauma was unexpected and overwhelming
- The person was not prepared for the event/trauma
- The person was helpless in stopping the event from happening
A: Trauma may be ...
- Caused by Nature (i.e. hurricanes, volcano, tornado, flood etc…)
- Caused by Man (i.e. domestic/sexual violence, child abuse/incest, war, criminal activity/violence etc…)
- And some traumas caused by man may be caused be accident or without intention of harm (i.e. auto accident, falling/rolling off a roof etc…)
A: These symptoms of trauma are “normal” symptoms that often follow an “abnormal” (traumatic) event.
Physical Symptoms of Trauma
- Sleep disturbances (more or less than usual) nightmares
- Significant decrease or increase in appetite
- Lack of sex drive/impotence
- Lack of energy
- Chronic and often unexplained pain
- Depression, frequent/spontaneous crying spells, and feelings of hopelessness
- Feelings of anxiety and often times panic attacks
- Feelings of being “broken” or “damaged”
- Feelings of fearfulness
- Displaying obsessive and/or compulsive behaviors
- Emotional numbness/guardedness
- Feelings of helplessness/having no control over life, actions, actions
- Withdrawal from relationships and routines
- Often irritable, angry and/or resentful of others
- Alcohol and/or substance abuse
- Self-mutilating behaviors
- Eating disorders
- Compulsive behaviors
- Hypervigilance
- Uncontrolled thoughts/flashbacks
- Frequently engage in unhealthy behaviors or make “unhealthy” choices
- “ADHD” like behaviors
- Loss of past beliefs
- Blocks in memory (especially as it relates to the trauma)
- “ADHD” like inability to focus or to concentrate
- Inability or lack of desire to make decisions
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