Three Ways You Might Experience Trauma
You have experienced something that has negatively impacted your well-being. Maybe it was a one-time experience or maybe it has been recurrent, but the consequences have been long-lasting. Maybe the experience feels too big for you to overcome or maybe you feel it’s too small to be deserving of help, but if you have been negatively impacted, you should know that you can always ask for help.
When most people think of trauma, they think of significant and uncommon experiences: things like rape, a car accident, or domestic violence. And yes, those experiences are extremely traumatic, but trauma can occur in other less obvious ways as well. You can experience trauma from breakups, experiencing the loss of a loved one, inequality or exposure to violence.
If you have experienced trauma you might be feeling or experiencing things like…
· Recurring flashbacks
· Feeling “on edge”
· Panic attacks
· Avoidance of things that remind you of the traumatic event
· Feeling sadness or hopelessness
· Feeling disconnected or numb
· Guilt and shame
· Increased substance use
· Not feeling you can be your true self
· Lack of trust or intimacy
· Feeling unsafe
· Feeling that your trauma defines you
· Unhealthy coping mechanisms that may impact you mentally, physically, and emotionally
· Feeling rage or anger
· Self-harm
· Fear of loss and abandonment
As human beings, we can all have a difficult time adjusting to major life transitions. We all experience pain, but suffering with trauma is different. Trauma can negatively impact your quality of life and well-being preventing you from living your life to the fullest.
Sometimes traumatic events and their effects are easily identifiable, but other times we might experience trauma and we lack the awareness to recognize and manage its impact.
If you are still uncertain about if what you’re experiencing is considered trauma, here are 3 Ways You Might Experience Trauma:
Relational Trauma:
Relational trauma, otherwise known as interpersonal trauma, happens in the context of our relationships with others. As human beings we are relational and we have a strong desire to feel loved, appreciated and cared for. Relational trauma happens when our trust or safety within relationships is impaired. Examples of relational trauma might be:
· Mental or emotional abuse
· Neglect as a child/teen or in romantic relationships
· Sudden/significant loss of loved ones
· Breakups
· Affairs or severed trust (financially, emotionally, etc)
Relational trauma can greatly impact our sense of safety, intimacy and trust. Due to our experience with relational trauma, we might feel a need to withdraw or avoid close relationships.
Environment/Societal Trauma:
This type of trauma can be described as how we relate to our communities, our culture, and our world. This type of trauma may impact our relationships with others, but it is often more large-scale and complex. Environmental/Societal Trauma might include:
· Not feeling seen or heard in your community
· Racism
· Social inequality
· Financial stress/insecurity
· Lack of quality resources for support/survival
· Microaggressions
· Injustice
· War
· Natural Disasters
This kind of trauma can cause feelings of panic, sadness, hopelessness, lack of safety and lack of trust. Environmental/Societal trauma can impact us mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Physical Trauma:
This type of trauma may be experienced physically within the body, but it can have consequences on us mentally and emotionally as well. This trauma can be due to real or perceived threat to the body. Examples are things like:
· Rape
· Cancer, disease, or illness
· Sexual abuse/assault
· Domestic violence
· Exposure to violence
· A car accident
· Body shaming/harmful dieting
· Losing physical functioning in your body
Those struggling with physical trauma might have issues relating to self or relating to others. Intimacy and safety may be feared. There may be guilt/shame or a desire to numb oneself to avoid pain or remembering physical traumatic experiences. You may feel that the traumatic event defines you.
There is no doubt about it that trauma of any kind can be incredibly harmful. Not processing and understanding your trauma can cause the pain and fear associated with your trauma to continue and impact your relationships, career, and well-being.
But there is hope…
When you get the help you need and begin to have a newfound awareness and understanding of your triggers, you can begin to form a new relationship with your trauma.
In trauma therapy, we’ll help you understand the mechanisms of trauma and your unique triggers through a blend of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), exposure therapy, and mindfulness training.
Our approach to treating trauma is evidence-based, which means we use therapies that have proven effective through repeated academic trials.
We’ll equip you with tools that you can start using as soon as the first session.
If you are ready to start your trauma therapy in San Francisco, schedule a free phone consultation with us today.