Trauma
If you have been through a traumatic experience, you may be struggling with upsetting emotions, a constant sense of being in danger, or terrifying memories. When bad things happen to an individual, it may take some time for them to overcome the emotional pain and start to feel safe once again. Psychological and emotional trauma is what people experience right after a particularly traumatic event has occurred. These disturbing events can happen once or can be repeated events that completely overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope with the resulting emotions. For some, the feelings caused by a traumatic event appear right away, for others it can take weeks or even years before they begin to experience these emotions. The time it takes for an emotional reaction to a traumatic event depends on the event experienced and the individual themselves.
These stressful events destroy an individual’s ability to feel secure, resulting in feeling helpless and vulnerable. Most often, traumatic experiences involve a threat to a person’s life or safety, but any event that leaves someone feeling alone and overwhelmed can be considered traumatic. It isn’t the actual facts that determine if an event is traumatic; it is a person’s subjective emotional experience of the event. The more threatened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.
The most typical responses immediately after a traumatic event are shock and denial. Shock is the rapid and intense disturbance of normal emotional states that leaves an individual feeling confused. Denial occurs when an individual does not acknowledge that the event occurred. Once the initial symptoms of shock and denial diminish, additional reactions will vary among individuals. Not all traumatic events cause lasting emotional and psychological damage for everyone. Some people are able to rebound quickly from severely devastating events, while others experience lasting devastation from the same event.
Psychological trauma can lead to serious long-term consequences. It is important that individuals who are suffering from severe traumatic reactions do not blame themselves for their reactions. Instead, they must realize that this is a perfectly normal reaction to such a horrible event. It is not clear why some individuals react so strongly to certain events, but it is very common for trauma victims to blame themselves.
Types of Psychological Trauma
Trauma can be caused by a variety of events. Typical causes for the development of psychological trauma may include the following:
Co-Occuring Disorders
Many individuals who have experienced intense trauma may develop serious co-occurring disorders at some point before or following the traumatic event. These types of co-occurring disorders may include:
Factors Affecting Traumatic Experience
There is no set way in which individuals should react to the stress associated with a traumatic event. Everyone reacts to traumatic experiences differently. Factors affecting an individual’s recovery from a traumatic event include the following:
Risk Factors for Psychological Trauma
There are a number of risk factors increasing the likelihood an individual will suffer from traumatic stress following an event. These include:
If you feel that you are in crisis, or are having thoughts about hurting yourself or others, please call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
Symptoms of Psychological Trauma
Many individuals who undergo very traumatic events find themselves facing many different troubling symptoms. The severity of these symptoms depends upon the person, the type of traumatic event experienced, and the emotional support received after the event. Symptoms can be varied and differ from person to person, and are not always experienced in the same way by all individuals. There is no right or wrong way to respond to trauma, your responses are normal reactions to abnormal events.
Common symptoms of trauma include:
Mood symptoms:
Behavioral symptoms:
Physical symptoms:
Psychological symptoms:
Effects
Recovery from a traumatic event takes time and everyone heals at their own pace, however if the symptoms are still present after a few months have passed, it is time to seek treatment. If left untreated the symptoms will likely get worse over time, possibly leading to even more severe symptoms. Trauma needs to be treated sooner, rather than later, before the effects of the event become so severe that an individual is no longer able to function on a daily basis. These effects may include:
PTSD
PTSD is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event. However symptoms may not appear until several months or even years later. The disorder is characterized by three main types of symptoms:
Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation:
The presence of one or more of the following:
Self Screening for PTSD
Persistent avoidance of distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic events or of external reminders (i.e., people, places, conversations, activities, objects, situations)
Two or more of the following:
Two or more of the following marked changes in arousal and reactivity:
Also important to consider: clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning are not attributed to the direct physiological effects of medication, drugs, or alcohol or another medical condition, such as traumatic brain injury.
If you believe that you or a loved one may be suffering from symptoms of PTSD or Trauma take the next step and see a professional as soon as possible. You can get better! You deserve to lead a happy and fulfilling life!
Some of the treatment methods utilized may be:
Inner Child Work
EMDR
CBT-Reframing
DBT- Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance
Art Therapy
Mindfulness Practice to gain understanding and control of mind/body systems
These stressful events destroy an individual’s ability to feel secure, resulting in feeling helpless and vulnerable. Most often, traumatic experiences involve a threat to a person’s life or safety, but any event that leaves someone feeling alone and overwhelmed can be considered traumatic. It isn’t the actual facts that determine if an event is traumatic; it is a person’s subjective emotional experience of the event. The more threatened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.
The most typical responses immediately after a traumatic event are shock and denial. Shock is the rapid and intense disturbance of normal emotional states that leaves an individual feeling confused. Denial occurs when an individual does not acknowledge that the event occurred. Once the initial symptoms of shock and denial diminish, additional reactions will vary among individuals. Not all traumatic events cause lasting emotional and psychological damage for everyone. Some people are able to rebound quickly from severely devastating events, while others experience lasting devastation from the same event.
Psychological trauma can lead to serious long-term consequences. It is important that individuals who are suffering from severe traumatic reactions do not blame themselves for their reactions. Instead, they must realize that this is a perfectly normal reaction to such a horrible event. It is not clear why some individuals react so strongly to certain events, but it is very common for trauma victims to blame themselves.
Types of Psychological Trauma
Trauma can be caused by a variety of events. Typical causes for the development of psychological trauma may include the following:
- Exposure to violence
- Sexual assault/rape
- Sexual abuse
- Sports injuries
- Extreme poverty
- Kidnapping
- Sudden death of a loved one
- Adult children of alcoholics
- Vehicle accidents
- Harassment
- Domestic abuse
- Natural disasters – earthquakes, deadly tornadoes, volcanoes
- Police brutality
- War or combat injuries
Co-Occuring Disorders
Many individuals who have experienced intense trauma may develop serious co-occurring disorders at some point before or following the traumatic event. These types of co-occurring disorders may include:
- Anxiety disorders
- Alcoholism
- Substance abuse disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Factors Affecting Traumatic Experience
There is no set way in which individuals should react to the stress associated with a traumatic event. Everyone reacts to traumatic experiences differently. Factors affecting an individual’s recovery from a traumatic event include the following:
- Event was completely unexpected
- Unprepared for the event
- The severity of the traumatic event
- Multiple traumatic experiences
- The overall ability for an individual to cope with stressful emotional situations
- The event was unnecessarily cruel
- The trauma occurred in childhood
- Amount of loss sustained
- Stressful events which may have preceded the traumatic experience
Risk Factors for Psychological Trauma
There are a number of risk factors increasing the likelihood an individual will suffer from traumatic stress following an event. These include:
- Heavy or repeated stressors
- Recent losses
- Feeling unstable and unsafe in the environment
- Previous traumatic experience
- Serious illness
- Abuse – sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional
- Domestic violence
- Intrusive medical procedures
- Bullying
If you feel that you are in crisis, or are having thoughts about hurting yourself or others, please call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
Symptoms of Psychological Trauma
Many individuals who undergo very traumatic events find themselves facing many different troubling symptoms. The severity of these symptoms depends upon the person, the type of traumatic event experienced, and the emotional support received after the event. Symptoms can be varied and differ from person to person, and are not always experienced in the same way by all individuals. There is no right or wrong way to respond to trauma, your responses are normal reactions to abnormal events.
Common symptoms of trauma include:
Mood symptoms:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Shock
- Anger
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Despair
- Mood swings
- Guilt
- Shame
- Self-blame
- Sadness
- Panic attacks
- Anger
- Irritability
- Hopelessness
Behavioral symptoms:
- Frequent nightmares
- Insomnia
- Startled easily
- Fatigue
- Edginess
- Self-medication with drugs and alcohol
- Self-harming behaviors
- Difficulty concentrating
- Social isolation
- Avoiding certain events that may trigger memories
- Avoiding certain people
Physical symptoms:
- Insomnia
- Racing heartbeat
- Muscle tension
- Easily startled
- Aches and pains
- Exhaustion
- Nightmares
- Edginess
- Agitation
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Dry mouth
- Tachycardia
- Headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
Psychological symptoms:
- Confusion
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insecurities
- Repressed memories
- Dissociation
- Emotional numbing
- Constant fear
- Denial and disbelief
- Flashbacks – the individual may re-experience traumatic events over and over
- Emotional detachment
- Low self-esteem
Effects
Recovery from a traumatic event takes time and everyone heals at their own pace, however if the symptoms are still present after a few months have passed, it is time to seek treatment. If left untreated the symptoms will likely get worse over time, possibly leading to even more severe symptoms. Trauma needs to be treated sooner, rather than later, before the effects of the event become so severe that an individual is no longer able to function on a daily basis. These effects may include:
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Re-experiencing the event
- Flashbacks
- Disconnection
- Emotional numbing
- Difficulties moving past traumatic event
- Alcoholism
- Suicidal thoughts and ideations
- Intense fear
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Inability to form attachments to other people
- Avoiding situations that may remind you of trauma
- Strained interpersonal relationships
- Death due to suicide
PTSD
PTSD is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event. However symptoms may not appear until several months or even years later. The disorder is characterized by three main types of symptoms:
- Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, and nightmares.
- Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
- Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.
Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation:
- directly experiencing the traumatic events
- witnessing, in person, the traumatic events
- learning that the traumatic events occurred to a close family member or close friend; cases of actual or threatened death must have been violent or accidental
- experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic events (Examples are first responders collecting human remains; police officers repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse). Note: This does not apply to exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless exposure is work-related.
The presence of one or more of the following:
- spontaneous or cued recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic events (Note: In children repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the traumatic events are expressed.)
- recurrent distressing dreams in which the content or affect (i.e. feeling) of the dream is related to the events (Note: In children there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.)
- flashbacks or other dissociative reactions in which the individual feels or acts as if the traumatic events are recurring (Note: In children trauma-specific reenactment may occur in play.)
- intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic events
- physiological reactions to reminders of the traumatic events
Self Screening for PTSD
Persistent avoidance of distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic events or of external reminders (i.e., people, places, conversations, activities, objects, situations)
Two or more of the following:
- inability to remember an important aspect of the traumatic events (not due to head injury, alcohol, or drugs)
- persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself, others, or the world (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted,” "The world is completely dangerous").
- persistent, distorted blame of self or others about the cause or consequences of the traumatic events
- persistent fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame
- markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities
- feelings of detachment or estrangement from others
- persistent inability to experience positive emotions
Two or more of the following marked changes in arousal and reactivity:
- irritable or aggressive behavior
- reckless or self-destructive behavior
- hypervigilance
- exaggerated startle response
- problems with concentration
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless sleep
Also important to consider: clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning are not attributed to the direct physiological effects of medication, drugs, or alcohol or another medical condition, such as traumatic brain injury.
If you believe that you or a loved one may be suffering from symptoms of PTSD or Trauma take the next step and see a professional as soon as possible. You can get better! You deserve to lead a happy and fulfilling life!
Some of the treatment methods utilized may be:
Inner Child Work
EMDR
CBT-Reframing
DBT- Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance
Art Therapy
Mindfulness Practice to gain understanding and control of mind/body systems
EMAIL (for fastest response) for your initial appointment
and get started with your new life!
Patricia Pritchett, LPC, NCC, CCTP, CLC
Psychotherapy, Clinical Supervision and EMDR
Zoom and in-person sessions available
NW Tucson Location: 7229 North Thornydale Rd., Suite 109, Tucson AZ 85741
(602) 791-0840 Text or voice message. I will text you back.
[email protected]