Traumatic Experiences Community Check-In Monday 20 July 2020

Good morning everyone!!! In this check-in we will go over various responses to Trauma since it was suggested in a previous check-in. People experience many changes after suffering a traumatic experience. Many of whom suffer severe problems in the immediate aftermath. While some individuals feel better within three months of the traumatic event, others recover more slowly. Many of these individuals continue to experience debilitating symptoms. The initial step towards making a recovery is to become more aware of the changes the individual has undergone since the trauma. Some of the most common responses to trauma are listed below.

Anxiety and fear. Anxiety is a common and natural response to a dangerous situation. For many people it lasts long after the trauma ends. This happens when views of the world and a sense of safety have changed. One may become anxious when they remember the trauma. But sometimes anxiety may come from out of the blue. Triggers or cues that can cause anxiety may include places, times of day, certain smells or noises, or any situation that reminds an individual of the trauma. As one begins to pay more attention to the times when they feel anxious, that individual can discover the triggers for their anxiety. In this way, they may learn that some of the out-of-the-blue anxiety is really triggered by things that remind them of their trauma.

Re-experiencing the trauma. People often re-experience the traumatic event. Some people have flashbacks, or very vivid images, which can feel as if the trauma is occurring again. Night terrors are also common. These symptoms occur because a traumatic experience is so shocking and so different from everyday experiences that one cannot fit it into what they know about the world. So in order to understand what happened, their mind keeps bringing the memory back, as if to better digest it and fit it in with their experiences.

Increased vigilance is also a common response to trauma. This includes feeling on guard, jumpy, jittery, shaky, nervous, on edge, or being easily startled, and having trouble concentrating or sleeping. Continuous vigilance can lead to impatience and irritability, especially if the individual is not getting enough sleep. This reaction is due to the freeze, fight or flee response in our bodies, and is the way we protect ourselves against danger. Animals also have the freeze, fight or flee response when faced with danger. When we protect ourselves from real danger by freezing, fighting or fleeing, we need a lot more energy than usual, so our bodies pump out extra adrenaline to help us get the extra energy we need to survive.
People who have experienced a traumatic event may see the world as filled with danger, so their bodies are on constant alert, always ready to respond immediately to any attack. The problem is that increased vigilance is useful in truly dangerous situations, such as if we are in a war zone or we are being robbed. But increased vigilance becomes harmful, when it continues for a long time even in safe situations.

Avoidance is a common way of trying to manage PTSD symptoms. The most common is avoiding situations that remind an individual of the trauma, such as the place where it occurred. Often, situations that are less directly related to the trauma are also avoided, such as going out in the evening if the trauma occurred at night, or going to crowded areas such as the grocery store, shopping mall or movie theatre.
Another common avoidance tactic is to try to push away painful thoughts and feelings. This can lead to feelings of numbness or emptiness, where one may find it difficult to feel any emotions, even positive ones. Sometimes the painful thoughts or feelings may be so intense that their mind just blocks them out altogether, and they may not remember parts of the trauma.

Many people who have experienced a traumatic event feel angry. If they are not used to feeling angry, this may seem scary as well. It may be especially confusing to feel angry at those who are closest to them.

Trauma may lead to feelings of guilt and shame. Many people blame themselves for things they did or didnt do to survive. For example, some assault survivors believe that they should have fought off an assailant, and blame themselves for the attack. Others who may have survived an event in which others perished feel that they should have been the one to die, or that they should have been able to somehow prevent the other person from dying.

Grief and depression are also common reactions to trauma. This can include feeling down, sad, or hopeless. An individual who has suffered trauma may cry more often. They may lose interest in people and activities that they used to enjoy. They may stay home and isolate themselves from friends.

Self-image and views of the world often become more negative after a trauma. An individual may tell themselves, If I hadnt been so weak this wouldnt have happened to me. Many people see themselves in a more negative light in general after the trauma (I am a bad person and I deserved this).
It is also very common to see others more negatively, and to feel that they cannot trust anyone. If a person used to think about the world as a safe place, the trauma may suddenly make them think that the world is very dangerous. If they had previous bad experiences, the trauma may convince them that the world is indeed dangerous and others are not to be trusted. These negative thoughts often make people feel as though they have been changed completely by the trauma. Relationships with others can become tense, and intimacy becomes more difficult as their trust decreases.

Intimate relationships may also suffer after a traumatic experience. Many people find it difficult to feel intimate or to have sexual relationships again. This is especially true for those who have been sexually assaulted, since in addition to the lack of trust, sex itself can be a reminder of the assault.

Many people increase their use of alcohol or other substances after a trauma. Often, they do this in an attempt to self-medicate or to block out painful memories, thoughts, or feelings related to the trauma. People with PTSD may have trouble sleeping or may have nightmares, and they may use alcohol or drugs to try to improve sleep or not remember their dreams. While it may seem to help in the short term, chronic use of alcohol or drugs will slow down or even prevent ones recovery from PTSD and will cause problems of its own. Fortunately, there are treatments that can help one to recover from PTSD and experience long-term relief from symptoms without the use of alcohol or drugs.

These are just several of many reactions to trauma and it ultimately affects everyone differently, especially depending on the type of trauma experienced. Understanding the impact of trauma will help to identify what course of treatment would be best to overcome it. Before I end this check-in I will ask these three questions of you all.

1. How are you feeling today?

2. What is the most common reaction to trauma that you experience?

3. What do you do or would you like to do to counter this reaction?

As always I wish you all a greater today than yesterday, in hopes of a better and brighter tomorrow!!!

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