Trauma
Reader discretion advised: If the reader has experienced trauma, please wait until after seeking psychological support to read this content.
"Psychological trauma is an affliction of the powerless. At the moment of trauma, the victim is rendered helpless by overwhelming force...Traumatic events overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection and meaning." (Judith Herman, 1992, p.44)
Trauma can be understood as any event or experience which causes an individual to feel helpless, highly distressed or unable to cope. This may include an incidence of assault, sexual violation, accidents or a natural disaster; but it may also include intense experiences caused by grief, a relationship breakdown or hospitalisation.
As early as the 1800’s, Pierre Janet theorised that due to the embodied intensity of a traumatic experience, the normal capacity of the mind to comprehend an event is lost. Instead, the traumatic experience is cut off from accessible memory and the qualities of the experience (thoughts, feelings, images, physical sensations) loose their connection. (Brown, Hammond & Scheflin, 1998, p.92).
Instead of clear memories or an ability to recount the event, survivors of trauma experience symptoms:
Sleep disturbance
Flashbacks
Nightmares
Loss of memory/concentration
Avoiding traumatic reminders
Social isolation/withdrawal
A loss of meaning or hope
Shame
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Fogginess
Addictive behaviors
Emotional numbing
Ongoing sense of fear
Treatment
Trauma is now more treatable than ever, with incredible theoretical and clinical advancements occurring in the last two decades which integrate knowledge from neurobiological, psychology, somatic therapies and psychoanalysis.
Contact Alexandra to discuss treatment options or to be given a referral for specialised treatment.
Scientifically, it is understood that the region of the brain (thalamus) which usually compares and integrates experiences based on our memories of the world, the self and others, is deactivated during traumatic experiences or triggers. Instead the ‘lower-brain’ is in charge (the amygdala) which is responsible for the fight/flight/freeze response. This can lead to behaviors that may have been essential for survival at the moment of trauma, but after the event has passed can be experienced as impulsive or overwhelming reactions to traumatic reminders. As Bessel Van der Kolk explains, “long after a traumatic experience is over, it may be reactivated at the slightest hint of danger and mobilize disturbed brain circuits and secrete massive amounts of stress hormones” (Van der Kolk, 2014, p.34).
This can lead trauma survivors to feel out of control of their behavior, ashamed or confused; and sometimes blaming themselves for their reactions when they are not educated about or have received appropriate treatment for trauma.
If you are feeling any emotional discomfort after reading this page, please seek professional psychological support and you may additionally benefit from visiting the “emotional regulation” page.
Additional Resources
‘The Body Keeps the Score’, by Bessel Van der Kolk.
‘The Widsom of Trauma’ (Movie). Gabor Mate.
References
Brown, D.P., Croydon Hammond, D, & Scheflin, A.W. (1998) Memory, Trauma Treatment and the Law. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and Recovery. New York, NY: BasicBooks.
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. London: Penguin Books.