Have you ever experienced something that left you shaken? An experience that made you feel really distressed? You may have experienced some trauma. Trauma is the outcome of events that are severely distressing. Think a car accident, abuse, assault, or combat. People who experience trauma may have anxiety, they may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low self-esteem, or they may have challenges with their relationships.
Folks who experience a traumatic event react in so many ways. Some of the telltale signs are: replaying the event repeatedly in your head, nightmares, flashbacks, fear, anxiety, guilt, feeling numb, avoidance, difficulty trusting other people, and so many more. You may feel “gosh I have so many problems” but if we dig deeper, we find that those many reactions are tied to one root cause: trauma.
The unique thing about trauma is that what can be traumatizing for one person may not be for another. We are all different so don’t think that just because your friend ‘got over it’ that you have somehow failed if you experienced something different. Generally, the previously mentioned reactions will lessen over time. If you find they aren’t, please consider working with a professional. You don’t have to go through this alone. There are highly effective ways to treat trauma. A powerful tool is EMDR, which you can learn more about here.
Are you struggling with trauma? Contact me and we can work on this together.