Have I Experienced Trauma?
Identification and Trauma-Informed Care
Blog Post written by Emma Esselink, Straight Up Health
All of us have experienced trauma in some capacity, and responses to traumatic events can vary between us. Your experience of trauma may look different from someone else’s, and that’s okay.
What is trauma?
Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, disrupts one’s routine, causes feelings of helplessness, and diminishes one’s sense of self and ability to feel a full range of emotions and experiences.
A traumatic event can be:
A recent, single traumatic event (e.g., car crash, violent assault)
A single traumatic event that occurred in the past (e.g., a sexual assault, the death of a spouse or child, an accident, living through a natural disaster or a war)
A long-term, chronic pattern (e.g., ongoing childhood neglect, sexual or physical abuse).
People respond to traumatic events in different ways. Often there are no visible signs, but sometimes one may experience serious emotional reactions. Shock and denial shortly after the event are common reactions that you may experience.
However, traumatic events experienced early in life, such as abuse, neglect and disrupted attachment, can sometimes cause long-term effects. Equally challenging can be later life experiences that are out of one’s control, such as a serious accident, being the victim of violence, living through a natural disaster or war, or sudden unexpected loss.
A condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can sometimes occur after you experience a life-threatening event or witness a death. PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder that affects stress hormones and changes the body’s response to stress and it can last for months or years following trauma.
It is recommended to find strong social support and/or participate in ongoing therapy with a licensed professional who specializes in this area.
How can you manage traumatic stress?
There are several ways to help restore your emotional stability after a traumatic event:
Notice if you feel a pull to avoid things in your life and try to stay engaged in routines like work and social life
Spend time with others to avoid becoming withdrawn, even if you do not feel up to it.
Pursue hobbies or other interests.
Communicate the experience with family or close friends or in a diary or online journal.
Give yourself time and recognize that the situation may have been out of your control.
Ask for support from people who care about you or attend a local or online support group for people who have had a similar experience.
Find a support group led by a trained professional who can facilitate discussions.
Try to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, get adequate rest, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
Talk with a healthcare professional who can help you create a treatment plan and connect you with supportive resources.
Maintain a daily routine with structured activities.
Seeking Professional Support: Trauma-Informed Care
If you have made the decision to seek professional support, seeking trauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
Trauma-informed care seeks to:
Realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand paths for recovery;
Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma
Integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices
Actively avoid re-traumatization.
Seeking professional support may ultimately help you understand the symptoms of trauma, and find coping strategies that are relevant to your experience.