Trauma Counseling

The most basic definition of trauma is any disturbing life event that leaves a lasting negative impact on you.

Trauma is not limited to catastrophic events like natural disasters or war. It can also be caused by experiences of loss, medical emergencies, bullying, infidelity, divorce, and more. Even vicarious traumas, like watching news coverage of disasters or hearing about someone else's experience, can take a toll.

Several factors influence which life events will impact us negatively and which won’t. These factors include but are not limited to -

• Being in the midst of a life transition (starting a new school, an upcoming or recent move, etc)

• Personality and temperament

• Developmental vulnerability

• Home environment and attachment to parents

• History of trauma

• Mental and emotional health

• Support or lack of support following trauma

• History of generational trauma (for example, ancestors who survived slavery or the Holocaust - research is coming out about large-scale trauma’s impact on our genes that then gets passed down to future generations)

Trauma impacts the whole self - your body, mind, emotions, and relationships. It can rob you of the joy of being alive, leaving you both hypervigilant to any sense of danger and despondent to yourself, the world, and your future.

• Shock, denial, or disbelief

• Anger, irritability, mood swings

• Fear, worry

• Guilt, shame, self-blame

• Feelings of powerlessness

• Self-doubt, self-contempt

• Feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy

• Sadness, hopelessness

• Learned helplessness

• Despair, ambivalence

• Disconnection, numbness

• Physical responses to Increased stress levels - ulcers, intestinal problems, lower backaches, stiff neck, tight jaw, chronic headaches, general aches and pains, general muscle tension

• Headaches

• Fatigue

• Sleep disturbances

• Eating disturbances

• Heightened startle response

• Difficulty concentrating

• Reactionary cycle of fight, flight, freeze

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Panic attacks

• PTSD

• Difficulty concentrating

• Loss of motivation

• Substance abuse

• Suicidal ideation

• Hypervigilance to betrayal

• Inability to trust relational intuition

• Loss of hope for intimacy

• Distrust of vulnerability

• Sexual dysfunction, addiction

• Isolating and withdrawing from others

Based on a survey of nearly 69,000 adults in 24 countries, the World Mental Health Survey Consortium found that 70 percent of adults have had at least one experience of trauma in their life. Five types of events—witnessing death or serious injury, experiencing the unexpected death of a loved one, being mugged, being in a life-threatening automobile accident, and experiencing a life-threatening illness or injury—account for more than half of the instances of trauma exposure. Trauma, however, is subjective. People can experience the same event, but whether it is traumatic depends on the coping resources and other factors they bring to the experience.

Trauma therapy can be beneficial immediately following a traumatic event. Trauma therapy is especially helpful for individuals who experience prolonged symptoms of distress after a month following a traumatic event or whose symptoms become severe enough to interfere with their daily lives. Therapy can assist in developing coping mechanisms, strengthening resilience, and addressing unresolved distressing motions that may hinder daily life.

There are several different types of trauma, with differing consequences for mental health.

Acute trauma is a short-term intense distress that can result from an unexpected event such as a car crash, assault, sudden death, or medical emergency.

Chronic trauma is a condition that results from the harmful and long-lasting effects of repeated events. It can be caused by ongoing bullying, neglect, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, and domestic violence. Since it is a persistent and inescapable experience, chronic trauma often leads to severe mental health problems for individuals.

Complex trauma can arise from experiencing repeated or multiple traumatic events of differing types from which there is no possibility of escape, such as repeated child abuse. The sense of being trapped is a feature of the experience. Like other types of trauma, it can undermine a sense of safety in the world and beget hypervigilance and constant (and exhausting!) monitoring of the environment for the possibility of threat. Complex trauma experienced in childhood has been associated with the development of borderline personality disorder as well as PTSD.

Secondary trauma, also known as vicarious trauma, occurs when an individual is exposed to the suffering of others. This can happen to professionals who are frequently called upon to respond to injury and chaos, such as physicians, first responders, and law enforcement personnel. Over time, these individuals are at risk of experiencing compassion fatigue, which involves avoiding emotional investment in others as a means of protecting themselves from distress.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are difficult and potentially traumatic situations that children under 17 face or witness, disrupting the nurturing bond between them and caregivers, and can negatively affect normal development. The more ACEs experienced, the greater the risk for future mental and physical health problems. Child health experts are increasingly checking for ACEs to mitigate or prevent depression, heart disease, and other common disorders.

The primary objective of trauma therapy is to help individuals overcome past traumatic experiences and successfully reintegrate into daily life. The benefits of trauma therapy can include:

• Improved daily functioning

• Focusing on the present instead of the past

• Turning unhelpful thoughts and perspectives into helpful ones

• Eliminating or reducing symptoms of trauma or PTSD

• Developing new coping skills

• The ability to think about the reality of the event and not get sucked in