Trauma are you there?

Trauma are you there?

Millions of people unknowingly suffer and exhibit symptoms of hidden trauma, going about their lives not realizing that their everyday stress and anxiety may be caused by something bigger. These symptoms can grow so intense that daily activities may become struggles, this causes those who suffer from trauma to no longer ignore their suppressed trauma. There are tools and strategies that we can use to utilize to help overcome trauma.

As humans, we are quite complex. Some of us understand when there is something wrong and address the problem face on, others might ignore them. Ignoring the signs of trauma can become difficult and the longer we wait the harder it becomes to combat those negative feelings. Psychology Today, a popular psychology website reminds us of the mental effects of ignoring trauma, ‘Trauma can be passed on’, trauma eviscerates your relationship with others’ (Constance,2016). You can read more on the effects of ignoring trauma, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ending-addiction-good/201602/3-reasons-you-can-t-ignore-trauma.

When our mental health is compromised by trauma our physical health also becomes involved. There was a study done by Harvard Health and how your physical health is also manipulated by trauma. They found that people suffer from, ‘behavioral changes from trauma’, ‘Physical effects related to trauma’(Harvard Health, 2019) Trauma can cause risky behaviors and your body releases more adrenaline. Harvard reports, ‘experts believe that there is actually a direct biological effect that occurs when your body undergoes extreme stress. When you experience something anxiety-provoking, your stress response activates. Your body produces more adrenaline, your heart races, and your body primes itself to react, says Roberts.’ (Harvard Health, 2019). This can lead to additional stress on your physical health and cause problems in the long run. You may be asking yourself, “what if there’s a possibility that I have trauma?” https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/past-trauma-may-haunt-your-future-health

The first question I would ask myself, “did I experience trauma?” There are a few incidents that are traumatic. Sexual assault, robbery, death of a loved one, war, and so on. Cascade Behavioral Health, reports that “While traumatic experiences frequently involve life-threatening events, any situation that leaves one feeling alone and completely overwhelmed can be traumatic – even without physical harm. It’s important to remember that it’s not the objective facts of the event alone that determine how traumatic an event is; it’s also the subjective emotional experience of the event. Often, the more terror and helplessness one feels, the more likely it is that an individual will be traumatized.” (Cascade Behavioral Health, 2019). https://www.cascadebh.com/behavioral/trauma/signs-symptoms-effects/

 We as humans are complex but that does not mean we have to live with the pain that hurts us the most. We have options rather that are therapy, yoga, or journaling but admitting that there might be a problem helps us in the long run. We have so many options that can help us identify trauma and taking advantage of those resources does not make you weak or unworthy to get back to a positive and healthy life that you deserve to live!

References:

Cascade Behavioral Health . (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cascadebh.com/behavioral/trauma/signs-symptoms-effects/.

Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School . (2019). Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/past-trauma-may-haunt-your-future-health.

Schraff, C. (2016). Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ending-addiction-good/201602/3-reasons-you-can-t-ignore-trauma.