Neglected past trauma can have a large effect on your future health. The psychological and physical responses it triggers can make you susceptible to severe health conditions including stroke, heart attack, weight problems, diabetes, and cancer, according to a Harvard Medical School research study.
People who have unprocessed trauma often report having commonly known symptoms, such as intrusive thoughts of the event(s), mood swings, loss of memory and more. However, some people may be struggling with unresolved trauma without even realizing it.
Not all trauma survivors need to do trauma processing
For some clients, work on improving self-regulation increases their quality of life enough that they feel little need to do extensive processing of the trauma event itself.
The goal of trauma processing is to develop the skills to deal with the ways trauma still manifests in your life so that the waves of panic, fear, or despair may begin to strike less often.
This can be protective in the short term, when the emotional pain of recalling the event is still profound. However, in the long term, suppressed memories can create serious emotional health concerns such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociative disorders.
People affected by trauma tend to feel unsafe in their bodies and in their relationships with others. Regaining a sense of safety may take days to weeks with acutely traumatized individuals or months to years with individuals who have experienced ongoing/chronic abuse.
Using avoidance as your main way of coping with traumatic memories can make PTSD symptoms worse and make it harder to move on with your life.
Don't Ignore Symptoms That Persist
Unexplained and unexpected trauma has always been part of the human experience, and depression and PTSD are common results of these events.
Ever since people's responses to overwhelming experiences have been systematically explored, researchers have noted that a trauma is stored in somatic memory and expressed as changes in the biological stress response.
Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal, and blunted affect. Most responses are normal in that they affect most survivors and are socially acceptable, psychologically effective, and self-limited.
It's common for people with PTSD to isolate themselves. You may feel overwhelmed or unsafe in groups, quick to anger, misunderstood, or just uninterested in being around people.
Other manifestations of childhood trauma in adulthood include difficulties with social interaction, multiple health problems, low self-esteem and a lack of direction. Adults with unresolved childhood trauma are more prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide and self-harm.
It won't rid you of PTSD and your fears, but let your tears flow and you'll maybe feel a little better afterwards. 'Crying for long periods of time releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain.
There is no specific time frame for recovery from unresolved trauma. However, the good news is that healing from trauma is not an endpoint; survivors are capable of far more than merely healing. They can look back on their traumatic experience and learn that they are stronger than they ever imagined.
When trauma and chronic stress become overwhelming, our nervous system tends to move into a shutdown state. Counsellors often refer to it as dissociation, a common response to traumatic events.
It's normal, and even healthy, to vent and get emotional support from loved ones. However, trauma dumping is a consistent pattern of oversharing when one 'dumps' their difficult, stressful, or traumatic feelings on others. This behavior can negatively impact relationships, the person sharing, and the person listening.
intrusive thoughts or images. nightmares. intense distress at real or symbolic reminders of the trauma. physical sensations such as pain, sweating, nausea or trembling.
Traumatic events are personal and some people develop PTSD from situations that, to the eyes of society and others, are “nothing”. Yet, the wounding is real. For this reason, trauma and PTSD is difficult to treat. We have extensive knowledge of what causes trauma, but it is, ultimately, a very personal journey to take.
regularly feel numb or blank. feel nervous, low, or stressed a lot of the time, even if you aren't sure why. have a tendency to forget things. experience unease or discomfort when other people tell you about their feelings.
Childhood Trauma and PTSD
In the most extreme cases of childhood trauma, distressing events can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the National Center for PTSD, up to 15% of girls and 6% of boys develop PTSD following a traumatic event.
Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness
Mental and physical health are interconnected. Social isolation's adverse health consequences range from sleeplessness to reduced immune function. Loneliness is associated with higher anxiety, depression, and suicide rates.