Defining Trauma
Trauma is your body’s response to an incident that was disturbing, distressing or life threatening. If you have encountered a traumatic event it is not abnormal to not have addressed the damage you received from this experience. Sometimes it is hard to recognize the symptoms from trauma because they can be subtle or severe. And not all trauma has to be a life threatening event or something extreme. Being made fun of at school, losing your job, a fender bender can all be traumatic for some of us.
After an event you may feel as though you can’t live your life the same way you used to before the incident. You keep trying to get back to your previous normal but you just can’t. Leaving trauma untouched can create long term effects and other mental health issues. It is important that you are able to recognize when you may need outside help battling unaddressed trauma in your life.
If you are experiencing any of the following it might be time to seek therapy.
Mental Effects of Trauma
If faced with some type of trauma you might be noticing a change in your thoughts or how you process different situations. For example, you could notice yourself becoming more forgetful or find yourself repeating things you have already said. At work you might have a harder time paying attention to the task assigned to you or communicating/collaborating with co-workers. Some other cognitive consequences you could be experiencing are flashbacks of the event or nightmares. These effects can be a direct result of your trauma and can be really frustrating, scary, and overwhelming.
Physical Effects of Trauma
Physical effects may be hard to identify because you don’t automatically match your nagging headache as a direct result of a traumatic event. But your body can tell you a lot by just looking at physical changes. Some physical effects of trauma are:
- Fatigue
- Having trouble sleeping
- Headaches
- Chest pain
- Muscle tension
- Change of appetite
- Getting sick more often
- Strong startle response
Behavioral Effects of Trauma
Trauma can cause you to start behaving differently than you used to before the event. After experiencing a distressing incident paranoia might be at an all-time high. This could lead you to avoiding different places, people, or situations. You could find yourself becoming distant from family and friends or having a decreased hope for the future. Emotional difficulties can also be a direct result of behavioral changes. Examples of emotions you could be experiencing are anxiety, anger, shame, guilt, fear, depression, shock, etc.
Religious effects of Trauma
A traumatic experience can shatter and shake your religious beliefs. You might be experiencing a lot of doubt or questions towards God. When you feel as though your whole world is flipped upside down it is normal for you to question how something like this could happen. Your perception of His goodness or His plan might have changed due to the trauma you are facing. Thankfully, you don’t have to tackle the confusion and uncertainty alone.
Next Steps
If you feel as though you might have trauma in your negatively impacting you, your relationships, job…Life then we can help. The next natural step is to reach out by going to NewVisionCounseling.org or call (405) 921-7776 to start your journey towards healing today.