About Trauma

Trauma is the result of an event or situation that threatens your safety or security and can leave you feeling helpless and overwhelmed.  

Trauma can occur from:

• One off events such as an accident, injury, physical or sexual assault, a sudden bereavement, a natural disaster or an act of terrorism.
• Ongoing stressful events such as dealing with a long term illness, coping with domestic abuse, bullying, or childhood neglect or abuse. 
• We can also experience trauma that may not be recognised such as the death of someone close or the breakdown of a significant relationship. 
• Vicarious trauma can occur when we are exposed to traumatic information but may not have experienced the trauma directly.  For example, seeing images of traumatic events or hearing someone describe a traumatic incident in detail.  

We can feel trauma in different ways. 

Emotional symptoms may include:

• Feeling shocked, a sense of denial or disbelief.
• Feeling sad or hopeless.
• Feeling angry - this could be at someone in particular, at yourself or at the situation.
• Feeling irritable or having mood swings.
• Feeling detached, numb or withdrawing from loved ones.
• Feeling guilt, shame or blaming yourself.
• Feeling anxious or afraid. 
• Feeling more emotional or having emotional outbursts.

Physical symptoms may include:

• Changes in sleep patterns or insomnia
• Difficulty concentrating or being engaged with things
• Being unsettled, agitated or edgy
• Becoming easily startled
• Being on high alert, racing heart or aches and pains
• Muscle tension or headaches
• Stomach cramps or pains
• Changes in appetite

PTSD results from being part of or witnessing a traumatic event.  However, not everyone who has experienced trauma will develop PTSD.  PTSD can develop immediately after a trauma or may take a few weeks but is usually present within the first six months following a trauma.

Symptoms of PTSD include:

• Having flashbacks or nightmares about the event which is a way of processing and making sense of what has happened.  
• Feeling numb or not being able to feel emotions
• Difficulty in communicating and maintaining relationships
• Feeling negative about themselves 
• Guilt that they feel they didn't do enough/could have done more
• Guilt that they survived or were not as badly injured as others
• Being constantly vigilant or hyper alert and anxious to any perceived threat or danger
• Avoiding talking about the trauma or anything that could be a reminder of the trauma

Therapy can offer you a space to heal and process the trauma you have experienced. Some therapies will focus on ways of managing and reducing your symptoms so that you are able to function in your daily life.  Other therapies may look at the emotional impact the trauma has had on you and how your life has changed from this event.  Life after a trauma can be difficult and may not be the same as it once was, but therapy can help you find a way of living in spite of what you have been through.