What is Trauma?

In psychology we are taught about the little Ts and big Ts. If we delve deeper into more clinical definitions, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) sought to define trauma as an exposure to death, serious injury, or sexual violence whether first-hand or second-hand. Actual or threatened death must have occurred in a violent or accidental manner; and experiencing cannot include exposure through electronic media, television, movies or pictures, unless it is work-related. Across the years, this definition has evolved to recognise that trauma is as much about the individual's internal nervous system response as it is about the external event.

It is important to talk about experiences and honour them in the way each individual requires. Beyond the diagnosis and definitions, we know that everyone experiences life in different ways. Learning to see trauma as a scale like all other mental health afflictions is critical.

Less obvious and generalised events and the way in which we minimize events by comparison - i.e. "someone else has it worse" trivializes potential effects and can lead to longer-term issues further down the line. When we have had a shocking event, our minds are able to walk through quickly how significant the event is if it were easily recognisable and out of the ordinary. We are able to see that it is not "nothing" when violence occurs, war, fatal car accidents, and yet, we are eager to put pain and suffering behind us. Think about quotes such as. "It could've been worse." "I'm thankful I'm alive and that's all that matters". These are indeed statements and positive and healthy thoughts to have. Provided we are not ignoring or unaware of the impacts of the event on our threat assessment of the world later on in life. Here are some mild examples:

(1) A woman driving taking 1-2 seconds more to move at a green light

(2) A boy who only travels before 10pm and being very vigilant around others whose eyes he can't see

(3) A married woman who subconsciously goes into a freeze and holds her breath every time someone hands her a fragile item or a child to carry

(4) The girl who can only stand still whenever she sees a dog.

(5) The man who has trouble showing any emotion or affection

These are innocuous changes and reasonable adjustments to perception, feelings and behaviours one might have after experiencing sudden or chornically impactful event(s). The brain is sent into mode and then readjusts to a new equilibrium post-event with the new information it has about how to navigate the world and our interacts with other people. It continues to gather information which it is now highly alerted to more than ever before and if not processed healthily, selective chooses information that would only serve to protect the person physically, but at the same time impose more restrictive and increasingly distorted views of the subject. For example, the woman in (1) would continue to search for evidence that driving is unsafe by virtue of believing that other motorists' behaviours are unsafe, and may gradually lose the ability to drive. The extent to which traumatic events affect us post-event are all worth exploring and discussing without the shame and guilt of "someone else had it worse than I did".

Do I have Trauma?

The clearer question could be: have I or others around me noticed that I am responding from a place of fear that seems to (a) affect the quality of my life in an increasingly bigger way? (b) be different from those around me such that it affects the way I relate to others?

If the answer is a Yes, even a small and hesitant one, it is possible to consider whether therapy can be a gateway to understand your triggers, and the different ways you might be holding more tension in your body than needed. Seeing how your brain and body react to experiences and carry them forward could be worth exploring.

How can Trauma be treated?

There are a multitude of therapies out there that address trauma or impactful events. Some are top-down - meaning they begin from a place of consciousness as a pathway to affect what goes on in the body and nervous system. Some work bottom-up, helping us reconnect with our bodies that carry even pre- or non-verbal trauma, bringing these experiences into awareness and enabling processing. Most if not all use and boost our natural abilities to process the past - we often refer to it as lending a hand to our brain's adaptive information processing ability which become stuck or slowed when faced with high impact events.

Recognising these subtle signs is the first, and often hardest, step. If you read through the examples above and felt a quiet 'yes' in your chest, that is your intuition telling you it's time to seek support. You don't need to be able to tell your full story to do this. Reaching out isn't an admission that something so terrible has happened to you. It isn't saying you are broken...

Should you feel ready to learn more about yourself and how you respond, or to simply update your brain's threat assessment, therapy can help your nervous system realise and act more in tune with your current circumstances and less as if it's re-living the past repeatedly. As always, I look forward to sharing more with you.

Sincerely,

Helen

Read more about EMDR for trauma therapy To find out more about services, here's our main page 

or book a complimentary 15 minute intake phone call with Helen "Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you."

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk