Talking Trauma

Yes, your experience matters. And no, you aren’t overreacting.

Have you seen that advertisement on TV by a superannuation company where two people are side by side and the voiceover says, “same age, same income, same starting balance”? The person with an Industry Super fund ends up with a higher super balance than the other. Essentially, the ad shows that two people might be very similar, however, just one factor can make a world of difference.  

Trauma can also create a unique internal environment for an individual that isn’t noticeable just by looking at that person. On paper two people can seem almost identical – same job, same gender, same age and same ethnicity. However, if one of them experienced a traumatic event and the other didn’t, it would make a considerable difference in how each person thought, felt and behaved in everyday life. This is because trauma has a very real impact on your brain and body.

A traumatic event is an event that causes a person emotional, psychological, physical or spiritual harm such as losing a loved one, experiencing violence, witnessing an accident or experiencing a natural disaster – just to name a couple. Trauma can be experienced by a victim, bystander, family member, friend, emergency services worker… anyone. Approximately 70% of people globally experience trauma at least once in their lives. So, if you feel like something you’ve experienced is difficult to handle, you might be experiencing trauma. Oh, and just to be super clear, even if you feel that other people have experienced something worse than you, your experience is still valid. Speaking up about your own struggle and experience does not take away the significance of anyone else’s experience.

Your brain is clever – really clever. If you have experienced a traumatic event, your brain will go into protective mode to try to prevent the event happening again. One way your brain protects you is by becoming super alert for warning signs and triggers of the event. If you’ve been through a traumatic event, you might become anxious or distressed when presented with reminders of the event. This distress is your brain trying to steer you away from potential danger. However, sometimes your brain can be too protective which can lead to excessive anxiety in otherwise normal, non-threatening situations. For example, if you had a coffee before a traumatic event, the smell or taste of coffee could cause you anxiety, stress and panic even if there is no threat present. This doesn’t mean you won’t ever be able to drink coffee again, however, you may want to reach out for some help to work through your trauma. Remember, your brain is amazingly adaptable; change is always possible.

Unfortunately, some responses to trauma – such as flashbacks – can be tricky. Flashbacks take place in the limbic system. Your limbic system is in your brain and it is involved in processing emotions, learning from past experiences and coordinating emotional behaviours. The thing is, the limbic system has no concept of time, therefore the brain gets stuck in the memory – what is known as a trauma loop - and it can feel like you are right back in the traumatic event. Remember, just because your brain is stuck in the memory, it does not mean you are broken or faulty – there are ways to process trauma in an adaptive and healthy way. Reaching out to a counsellor or psychologist can provide you with professional strategies and support.

Following a traumatic event, your brain thinks differently; it is more cautious and perceives everyday stimuli through a sceptical and defensive lens. Consequently, the way you behave can change too. Some changes might be difficult to pinpoint, and others might be blindingly obvious. Behavioural changes could include a quick temper you didn’t have before, perhaps you are more passive and avoid confrontation at all costs, maybe you decline social events with loved ones or throw yourself into work to avoid intrusive thoughts. As you continue to learn and work through your trauma, it can be helpful to consider the strengths that help you; perhaps it’s identity resilience, who you can turn to for support or how you have grown as a person. If the painful, overwhelming experiences feel like they are impacting you, or the ones you love, it may be useful to talk this through with a counsellor.

Trauma is thought to be able to somatise – this means to have an emotional pain show up in your body as physical pain. Another school of thought has claimed that unprocessed trauma can cause a prolonged fight, flight or freeze response which disrupts natural hormone release and is detrimental to the immune system and nervous system functionality. Researchers have suggested that processing emotions can help to release trauma from the body which can be done through mindfulness and counselling.

Experiencing a traumatic event and feeling the impacts of it does not mean that you are damaged or broken. A physical scar might be a part of you and it might have stemmed from something painful, but it does not define you or decrease your worth. Likewise, experiencing trauma doesn’t define who you are as a person. If you are struggling it’s okay to speak up – it’s ALWAYS okay to ask for and accept help.