Support for Trauma
What happens when we are traumatised?
When we experience a trauma our bodies, emotions and minds react to protect us. Trauma is perceived as a threat to safety and our systems are programmed to go into survival behaviours.
Fight, flight or freeze are commonly known responses, but there are also fawn (pleasing or appeasing) and flop (submission). Our systems choose the response most likely to protect us from harm, or choose more than one strategy.
This is not a conscious choice. But the systems designed to save our lives when there is danger won't necessarily know when the danger is over, and will continue to act to protect us as best they can.
Remembering trauma often brings back the very powerful feelings felt at the time of the trauma and very vivid pictures, so we try out best to suppress the memories, although they may pop into our minds at any time. We try not to remember or talk about it, or go back to where it happened.
We can continue to be hypervigilant and jumpy. Our sleep is disrupted and we may experience nightmares. We might find ourselves withdrawing from friends and staying away from crowds. We may be irritable or angry with people, especially when we feel we have little support. Our concentration and memory can also be impaired.
If the symptoms are severe we may be given a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Complex PTSD
Where trauma was experienced in childhood, and perhaps occured over a period of time as emotional, physical or sexual abuse, the symptoms may be a little different. The memories may not be so distinct. They may even be memories of feeling very frightened or terrified, rather than distinct incidents. Dissociation is common as a protective strategy, and memories may not surface until later in adulthood. Other childhood traumas might include bullying at school or bereavement of an attachment figure.
CPTSD might also be identified where trauma occured for an extended period in adulthood (for instance combat related trauma, or domestic emotional, physical or sexual abuse).
Treatment and Support for Trauma
The treatments I find most helpful for trauma are Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS).
EMDR helps to support the body and the emotions to release the feelings related to the trauma, and to process shame or guilt, or the negative self-blaming thoughts generated by the trauma.
IFS provides a way of helping the protective system to know the trauma is over, and to integrate the experiences.
These approaches can be used separately or together.