It is the outcome of very stressful experiences that cause you to lose your feeling of security, making you feel powerless in a frightening environment. Anxiety, disturbing feelings, and disturbing memories are possible side effects of psychological trauma.

Numbness, disconnectivity, and an inability to place your faith in other people are possible outcomes.

In most cases, trauma is brought on by situations that leave you feeling helpless and alone, regardless of whether or not your life is really in danger. A traumatic incident isn't defined by its external conditions but rather by the emotional impact. Being traumatized is more probable when you are fearful and powerless.

 

Causes

Several factors may induce emotional and psychological trauma:

·       One-time incidents, such as an accident, injury or violent assault, particularly unexpected or occurred during infancy.

·       Anxiety is brought on by living in a dangerous area, dealing with the condition that may lead to death, or being subjected to terrible experiences that keep happening, such as bullying, domestic violence or child abuse.

·       Causes such as surgery (particularly in the first three years of life), the loss of someone close, the end of a meaningful relationship, or an embarrassing or severely unpleasant event are often forgotten, especially if someone was cruelly harsh to them.

 

Symptoms

It is common for people to have a wide variety of physical and mental responses when confronted with a traumatic event. The way you think, feel, and behave has no bearing on how others act. Don't pass judgment on others' behaviour. Your reactions to abnormal occurrences are normal.

 

Psychiatric and emotional symptoms:

·       Confusion, difficulty concentrating

·       Shock, denial, or disbelief

·       Anger, irritability, mood swings

·       Guilt, shame, self-blame

·       Anxiety and fear

·       Withdrawing from others

·       Feeling disconnected or numb

·       Feeling sad or hopeless

 

Physical symptoms:

·       Fatigue

·       Insomnia or nightmares

·       Being startled easily

·       Racing heartbeat

·       Edginess and agitation

·       Difficulty concentrating

·       Muscle tension

·       Aches and pains

 

Treatment

To heal from psychological and emotional trauma, you'll need to resolve the unpleasant feelings and memories you've long avoided, discharge pent-up "fight-or-flight" energy, learn to regulate strong emotions, and rebuild your ability to trust other people. A trauma specialist may use a variety of different Therapy approaches in your treatment.

Somatic experiencing focuses on bodily sensations rather than thoughts and memories about the traumatic event. By concentrating on what's happening in your body, you can release pent-up trauma-related energy through shaking, crying, and other forms of physical release.

 

Cognitive-behavioural Therapy 

Cognitive-behavioural therapy helps you process and evaluate your thoughts and feelings about a trauma.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) incorporates elements of cognitive-behavioural therapy with eye movements or other forms of rhythmic, left-right stimulation that can "unfreeze" traumatic memories.

 

Support the patient!

When a loved one has suffered trauma, your support can play a crucial role in their recovery.

Be patient and understanding. Healing from trauma takes time. Be patient with the pace of recovery and remember that everyone's response to trauma is different. Don't judge your loved one's reaction against your response or anyone else's.

Offer practical support to help your loved one get back into a normal routine. That may mean helping with collecting groceries or doing housework, for example, or simply being available to talk or listen.

 

References

1)     'Emotional and Psychological Trauma - HelpGuide.org' https://www.helpguide.org. Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/coping-with-emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm (Accessed: Jan 5 2022).

2)     Kleber, R.J. (2019) 'Trauma and Public Mental Health: A Focused Review', Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, p. 451. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00451.

3)     Trauma and Shock (no date) https://www.apa.org. Available at: https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma (Accessed: Jan 1 2022).

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