Everything. Talking about the trauma, even just trying to put what happened into words, can actually worsen a victim's trauma by re-activating it in the brain, and embedding it deeper.
rather than increase, and that others can be trusted to understand and help. In addition to avoidance as a defense, those with traumatic histories have typically developed negative cognitions, interpretations, and mental models.
Typically people who are at their worst have suffered trauma, particularly trauma that has not been addressed or acknowledged. Your mental health will most certainly decline if you don't have a place to put it. Here's the truth about anxiety, depression, PTSD: it won't kill you, but not talking about it might.
THE BASICS
Trauma degrades the victim; the group restores her humanity.” Whether it's validation, understanding, being seen, or empathy, talking with someone (or many someones) who gets it rids survivors of feelings of isolation. To “process” a trauma essentially means to make sense of it.
Many people benefit from talking about past trauma, and several cultures and professions encourage such sharing. Some people choose not to discuss trauma. Instead, they focus on other people's issues or more pleasant topics, keeping traumas hidden.
Everything. Talking about the trauma, even just trying to put what happened into words, can actually worsen a victim's trauma by re-activating it in the brain, and embedding it deeper.
Making the trauma survivor feel guilty about the situation is not a good way to support them. This statement can make them feel guilty about having the feelings and thoughts that they do. Don't force them to put a timeline on their grief or to push through the processing stages until they're ready.
Emotional reactions to trauma
fear, anxiety and panic. shock – difficulty believing in what has happened, feeling detached and confused. feeling numb and detached. not wanting to connect with others or becoming withdrawn from those around you.
Smiling when discussing trauma is a way to minimize the traumatic experience. It communicates the notion that what happened “wasn't so bad.” This is a common strategy that trauma survivors use in an attempt to maintain a connection to caretakers who were their perpetrators.
Trauma dumping refers to sharing a traumatic story without thinking about how it will affect the listener, or oversharing in an inappropriate context.
No, but with effective evidence-based treatment, symptoms can be managed well and can remain dormant for years, even decades. But because the trauma that evokes the symptoms will never go away, there is a possibility for those symptoms to be “triggered” again in the future.
Unresolved trauma puts people at increased risk for mental health diagnoses, which run the gamut of anxiety, depression and PTSD. There are physical manifestations as well, such as cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure, stroke or heart attacks.
Our minds can attempt to protect us from harsh realities. Following a traumatic event, our mind may wrap the event up in denial as a defense mechanism. The event itself and our feelings get buried deep within our minds. We may not even be consciously aware of the traumatic event and have difficulty in recalling it.
Communication pitfalls to avoid
Stop your loved one from talking about their feelings or fears. Offer unsolicited advice or tell your loved one what they “should” do. Blame all of your relationship or family problems on your loved one's PTSD. Invalidate, minimize, or deny your loved one's traumatic experience.
There were significant differences in the impact of childhood trauma on IQ across the 3 groups. Exposure in HCS was associated with a nearly 5-point reduction in IQ (−4.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −7.98 to −1.73, P = . 002), a lesser reduction in siblings (−2.58; 95% CI: −4.69 to −0.46, P = .
Being honest with your friends when you tell them about your PTSD can help your relationship with your friends. It can strengthen the friendship and start to help your friend understand your condition and experience. You may feel a lot of different emotions, like sadness, anger, or anxiety.
People who have had a traumatic experience may develop social anxiety symptoms if they are not able to get effective treatment and recover from their trauma. Social anxiety is a type of anxiety disorder that can lead to fear in certain social situations or situations where you are expected to perform.
Shame often emerges when you are at your most vulnerable state, and for those with PTSD, it could very well be the same triggers that cause you to relive your painful past. This is because insecurities are a prime component for people to default to shame.
Eye contact is broken, the conversation comes to an abrupt halt, and clients can look frightened, “spacey,” or emotionally shut down. Clients often report feeling disconnected from the environment as well as their body sensations and can no longer accurately gauge the passage of time.
If you live with complex trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma dumping or oversharing could be a natural trauma response and coping mechanism.
Uncontrollable reactive thoughts. Inability to make healthy occupational or lifestyle choices. Dissociative symptoms. Feelings of depression, shame, hopelessness, or despair.
Suffering from severe fear, anxiety, or depression. Unable to form close, satisfying relationships. Experiencing terrifying memories, nightmares, or flashbacks. Avoiding more and more anything that reminds you of the trauma.
Symptoms of complex PTSD
avoiding situations that remind a person of the trauma. dizziness or nausea when remembering the trauma. hyperarousal, which means being in a continual state of high alert. the belief that the world is a dangerous place.
Give the person space to speak about the elements they feel comfortable with, don't try to fill the silence and don't try to press them to divulge details or relive the experience. You can, however, ask them how it feels to have shared their story, and acknowledge how difficult this moment must be.