How Trauma Interferes with Emotional Health…

Although people have been experiencing trauma for thousands of years, understanding trauma symptoms has only recently entered the consciousness of the public domain.

Arousal is the physical reaction that energizes all animals’ survival responses. It is also known as the fight or flight or freeze mechanism. Designed for a physical world (“physical” refers to the world of animals and prehistoric human beings), arousal either activates or shuts down certain physiological reactions that prepare the body to fight danger, to run away from danger, or to numb the pain response if the danger proves fatal.

Because we too are animals, human beings share the fight or flight or freeze reaction. These responses are instinctual; they pre-date even the most primitive parts of the brain.

The roots of trauma lie in an instinctive physical fear response that has become suspended in our brain and nervous system.

Thus begins a downward spiral of increasingly devastating symptoms such as sleep problems, forgetfulness, headaches, irritability, intrusive thoughts, phobias, anxiety attacks, and so many more. These are all symptoms of hyper-vigilance (fight or flight).

When your body cannot sustain constant hyper-vigilance, the freeze response is activated. Symptoms include a loss of motivation, indecision, confusion, physical pain, numbing, fatigue, body tension, isolation and depression.

Furthermore, trauma symptoms are very commonplace and often misunderstood or un-recognized. Sometimes, indicators of trauma can remain hidden for years and then, suddenly surface.

There are two different levels of trauma, both responsible for complex symptoms.

1) Big-“T” Trauma origins are buried in horrific experiences such as:

1. childhood abuse, neglect and a lack of basic safety;
2. critical events (crime, accidents, fire, etc.);
3. sexual abuse and sexual assault;
4. natural disasters;
5. birth trauma and surgery;
6. death of a loved one; and
7. physical or psychological violence or torture.

There are other events that can create problematic trauma symptoms but at first glance, may not appear at the same intensity. These incidents could include:

1. workplace harassment, stress, conflict, and termination;
2. being maligned by gossip;
3. bullying;
4. the ending of a relationship or friendship;
5. the death of a pet; and
6. moving or other significant change.

After the loss of my daughter, everything I believed about life was shattered. I walked in a haze, didn’t want to eat and cried all the time. The despair and loss was too great for me to deal with. Michele showed me that I didn’t have to live in the pain to grieve my loss. I now can laugh and have happiness back in my life again. Vanessa T.

2) Small-“t” Trauma:

While most people recognize the negative effects of extreme forms of trauma, such as abuse, violence and crime, they may be unaware that seemingly benign child- or adulthood situations can lead to widespread and hidden after-effects that are just as debilitating.

The origins of small-“t” trauma lie in those unresolved moments, often in childhood, when you felt overwhelmed, powerless and confused. Examples could be being seriously scolded by a teacher or teased by a schoolmate. It can even be a single statement made by an authority figure that then permeates everything else, such as “You’re getting fat.”

In adulthood, these moments are frequently perceived as unimportant. However, they can create a significant amount of stress, physical symptoms and even cause shifts in personality!

Life became more than I could handle when I arrived in Michele’s office. It seemed like nothing was working: a long-term relationship ended; a dear friend died; single-parenting overwhelmed me along with the difficulties of an ex-husband and a demanding job. Sleeplessness haunted me nightly. The worst part was the feeling of hopelessness and isolation. Michele kindly listened and interacted in such a way as to quickly move me beyond the hopelessness into healing both current and past pains. Today, I am very pleased to say that I have learned important skills to get me through the tough times and to live with anticipation and hope. Cindy E.

I have a gentle, effective way to help you heal from trauma, anxiety and depression.

To find out more call please call 604.515.9727. Then, together we can decide whether counselling is the best option for you at this point in time.

Phone: 604.515.9727

Office located in New Westminster, BC, Canada. Serving Greater Vancouver, including Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Richmond, and Surrey.