The Aftereffects of Trauma
What do the effects of trauma really mean?
Well, it can mean a lot of different things. First off, it means disruption and dysfunction. It means confusion and frustration. It means questioning and overthinking. When you experience trauma, the brain reacts in a way that shifts the way you think. One day you were happy, joyful, or just okay..and next, you’re sad, worried, numb, and lost. Maybe you start getting shaky in crowds of people, maybe your heart rate starts increasing, you get clammy, nauseous, sweaty, start breathing heavily, and everything just stops. Those physiological feelings, that may be post traumatic stress.
The first part of understanding why you are experiencing the emotions you are feeling, you need to understand and be aware of what your body is telling you.
Our bodies work in a way that is greater than we can understand. It tells us what we need to do before we even realize we are doing it. This is where coping mechanisms become important. Breathing techniques to calm down the nervous system and return back to homeostasis. Journaling to release all the overwhelming thoughts and emotions. Distraction and intentional alone time to take your mind off of everything, and start training your brain how to enjoy and trust your independence again.
Maybe you are experiencing relationship road bumps. Maybe you are experiencing flashbacks of the trauma. Maybe you are experiencing paranoia. Maybe you are not sure what you are experiencing but you know for a fact that it is not ‘you’ but you do not know how to express that. You feel numb, dumb, stressed, out of body, unsure. Maybe that is how you realize, you may be experiencing the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. There is disruption in your everyday schedule, in your intimate relationships, in your interpersonal relationship. There is dysfunction in daily tasks, in your emotional regulation, and you are just left there feeling unsure and unwanted.
How can therapy help?
Therapy can help start to take apart the pieces of how your brain works, what your mind and body are telling you, and how to retrain your brain to have healthy coping skills and behaviors. Therapy can help identify what emotions are being experienced. Therapy can help process not only those emotions, but the why behind them. Therapy can help you heal. Heal from the unwanted, the unsure, and the unforgettable. There is always one big thing to remember during therapy, it takes work. It is not always fun. It is not always easy. It is not always something that makes you feel better in the moment, but just like everything else, it is a process, and it is possible. You have to trust yourself, trust others, and know that you are stronger than any trauma, symptoms, or diagnoses that you have taken title to. Develop awareness of your body, your mind, your emotions, and your strength.