People who have experienced trauma can be affected physically, mentally, emotionally, nutritionally, socially, and spiritually. The effects of trauma can show up as relationship difficulties, problems sleeping, difficulty concentrating, overuse or abuse of alcohol or drugs, gambling, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, gastrointestinal issues, poor nutrient absorption, disease, illness, auto-immune deficiency, heart problems, high blood pressure and many more.
“Trauma may begin as acute stress from a perceived life-threat or as the end product of cumulative stress. Both types of stress can seriously impair a person’s ability to function with resilience and ease. Trauma may result from a wide variety of stressors such as accidents, invasive medical procedures, sexual or physical assault, emotional abuse, neglect, war, natural disasters, loss, birth trauma, or the corrosive stressors of ongoing fear and conflict.”
Somatic Experiencing.org
The good news is that the effects of trauma can be healed to help individuals return to wholeness and to return to happy, productive members of the community, with improved resilience, coping skills, and overall well-being.
“Because the development of PTSD is conditional on trauma exposure, PTSD may be the most preventable of mental disorders. We have the unique opportunity to reduce the population burden of PTSD both by preventing trauma exposure and by delivering timely interventions in the wake of trauma to those most at risk.”
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies – ISTSS.org
What makes an event traumatic?
The effects of traumatic events place a heavy burden on individuals, families, and communities. Although many people who experience a traumatic event will go on with their lives without lasting negative effects, others will have difficulties and experience traumatic stress reactions.
How someone responds to a traumatic experience is personal. If there is a strong support system in place, little or no prior traumatic experiences, and if the individual has many resilient qualities, it may not affect his or her mental health.
However, if someone does not have a strong support system, or is ill-equipped to manage the effects of trauma on their own instead turns to drugs, alcoholism, workaholism, or other ways of distracting themselves from painful or uncomfortable feelings the ultimate outcome may be compromised physical and mental health.
Signs and symptoms of trauma
From HelpGuide.org signs and symptoms of trauma can include the following.
Emotional & psychological symptoms:
- Shock, denial, or disbelief
- Confusion, difficulty concentrating
- Anger, irritability, mood swings
- Anxiety and fear
- Guilt, shame, self-blame
- Withdrawing from others
- Feeling sad or hopeless
- Feeling disconnected or numb
Physical symptoms:
- Insomnia or nightmares
- Fatigue
- Being startled easily
- Difficulty concentrating
- Racing heartbeat
- Edginess and agitation
- Aches and pains
- Muscle tension
Healing from Trauma is possible.
Bridging the gap between the effects of trauma and wellness is possible. There are a variety of modalities outside of Western medicine that can help in the healing of trauma. They may be experienced individually or in combination with other modalities and in conjunction with traditional healing treatments. Holistic modalities, such as those you will learn about at the Healing Trauma Conference address the whole person – mind, body and spirit to help the individual access their innate resources for healing and returning to a state of wellbeing. To learn more check out the conference schedule.
I wish I could talk to someone that could help me with sexually and verbally abuse by pastor.
Hi Mary,
Have you talked with a therapist who specializes in sexual trauma? There are many therapists out there, but not all of them have experience working with trauma. If you have access to the internet you can start with PsychologyToday.com. Put in sexual trauma as a search term and see who comes up in your area. Then, contact them for a consultation. See if you feel you can connect with them. If not, move on to the next one. It may take some time to find the right person, but it’s important to do so. If you have already gone down that road with no or disappointing results, we can talk more about other avenues for you to try. Know that healing is a process that will take some time to achieve. Your health and wellbeing are worth it. Also, make sure that you are taking care of yourself as this process unfolds.