Trauma 101
Trauma, a deeply complex experience, profoundly impacts individuals' lives in various ways. Trauma arises from overwhelming and distressing experiences that surpass an individual's coping abilities. Traumatic events often involve a real or perceived threat to one's life, bodily integrity, or emotional well-being, activating the body's survival responses as a result of the experience of fear.
Gabor Mate
Trauma is not what happened to you. Trauma is what happened inside of you, as a result of what happened to you.
Trauma comes in many forms
Trauma arises from overwhelming and distressing experiences that surpass an individual's coping abilities. Understanding the different types of trauma provides a comprehensive perspective on the various ways trauma can manifest and impact individuals' lives.
Interpersonal Trauma refers to traumatic experiences inflicted by other individuals whether that be as a child, adolescent or adult. This includes physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, domestic violence, and bullying. Interpersonal trauma can have profound and long-lasting effects on a person's mental and emotional well-being, as well as their ability to form and maintain healthy relationships.
Developmental trauma is a term used to describe trauma experienced in childhood such as chronic abuse, neglect or other adversity.
Intergenerational trauma refers to trauma that is transmitted across generations. It occurs when the effects of trauma experienced by previous generations impact the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of subsequent generations. For example, the descendants of Holocaust survivors may experience the psychological and emotional repercussions of their ancestors' trauma.
Systems trauma stem from experiences of discrimination and systemic oppression on the basis of class, sex, race, ability, body size etc. It can occur at individual or collective levels and impacts marginalised communities. Systemic trauma can manifest in various ways, including chronic stress, anxiety, hypervigilance, and a sense of powerlessness or devaluation.
Social trauma refers to trauma that arises from societal events or conditions that affect large groups of people. Examples include natural disasters, terrorist attacks, mass shootings, or political unrest. These traumatic events can result in a shared sense of loss, fear, and disruption, impacting individuals' mental health, relationships, and overall well-being.
War trauma occurs as a result of exposure to the horrors and violence of war. It affects both civilians and military personnel who have directly experienced or witnessed traumatic events during conflict. War trauma can lead to conditions such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety, as well as physical injuries and disabilities.
Medical trauma occurs when individuals experience distressing or traumatic events within a medical setting. This can include invasive procedures, life-threatening illnesses, medical errors, or witnessing the suffering of others. Medical trauma can have significant psychological and emotional consequences, often leading to heightened anxiety, fear, and a mistrust of medical professionals.
Survival Responses to Trauma
In response to trauma, the human body instinctively triggers several survival responses beyond the commonly known fight, flight, freeze, flop and fawn through the observations of the body and nervous system.
Fight involves a release of hormones (primarily cortisol and adrenaline) in the body that trigger a reaction to stay and ward off or ‘fight’ the threat.
Flight involves a release of stress hormones that signal to flee from danger or threat,
Freeze is a response that leaves us temporarily paralysed by fear and unable to move or respond. It leads us to do nothing, which may be the best survival response when fighting or fleeing are not available.
Fawn involves complying with the threat, to minimise the risk or harm that may be present. This can show up as people-pleasing.
Flop is a trauma response where we become entirely physically and mentally unresponsive and may even faint. You may see animals ‘play dead’ or faint when approached by dangerous predator.
It is essential to recognise that these responses can manifest in various ways and may continue to affect individuals years after the traumatic event. The nervous system in her wisdom has learned to keep us safe, but at time can not distinguish between actual threat and triggers.
Trauma Impacts
Experiences of trauma can impact the development and function brain, nervous system, body, emotions and spirit.
Mental health symptoms including anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, panic attacks, difficulty with regulating emotions, anger outbursts, intrusive thoughts, low self-esteem, dissociation, suicidality, self-harm, effects on memory.
Bodily / somactic illness and dis-ease including increased risk of chronic illness, pain, sleep disturbance, digestive issues, migraines, decreased immunity, and sexual function.
Behavioural challenges including smoking, use of alcohol, use of substances, missing work, withdrawing and social isolation, reduction in physical activity.
Challenges in relationships including difficulty with boundaries, communication, forming connections and attachment, engaging in intimacy and sex.
Healing trauma
The process of healing from trauma is unique to each individual, and the impacts experienced. Healing from trauma may include:
Counselling and psychotherapy which can support individuals to:
understand the trauma they have experienced and the impacts they are experiencing in their life
discuss and practice the creation of safety in one’s life
learn tools and skills to manage triggers, distress, coping and mental health challenges
explore ways to reconnect with a sense of self, values and beliefs
understand and pratice tools for embodiment
Healing through the body:
receiving bodywork
movement practices
singing / humming
experiential healing, eg. barefoot in nature / earthing practices
learning to nourish and care for your body
Healing through spirit:
Meditation / mindfulness
prayer / devotion
Healing through connection:
participating in therapeutic group programs
forming new relationships and bonds
being a member of interest or hobby group or faith-based community
Medication:
Many people find that they need support from GPs and Psychiatrists with the prescription of medication to help with the management of their symptoms and day to day functioning.
The Dawn works with survivors of trauma, providing specialist services to adolescence and adults who have experienced childhood sexual abuse and/or domestic and family violence. Diagnoses of Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety/Depression, and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are common for these experiences of trauma. We are here to help!
Written by Nicole Staats
Principal Counsellor and Founder of The Dawn Therapeutic Services
Accredited Social Worker