Conquering Psychological Trauma

Truth That Hurts......

Conquering Psychological Trauma

Part 1 of a 7-part series

Explaining what trauma is, and how you can overcome it.

What does Psychological Trauma actually mean?

The most effective way to define psychological trauma (also called emotional trauma) is by describing the horrible ways it affects your life:

shock, suffering, worry, pain, stress, upset,

strain, torture, distress, misery, disturbance, injury,

damage, ordeal, anguish, hurt, wound, agony

Ultimately, trauma is the tragic result of extraordinarily stressful events that completely shatter your sense of security – leaving you feeling alone in your suffering… helpless and vulnerable in a dangerous world.

What causes Trauma?

Psychological trauma is a subjective phenomenon. No experience or event is inherently traumatic – ultimately it’s how you, as an individual, experience something that determines whether it is traumatic to your psyche.

Your emotional response determines the level of distress that you feel – the more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.

Experiences that often result in emotional trauma include sexual abuse, bullying, psychological abuse, mass violence (experiencing it directly or being exposed to it indirectly, like through media), catastrophic events (like earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves), even long-term exposure to extreme poverty – the list is almost endless.

The key is that what may not trigger trauma in one person may be quite devastating to someone else.

Symptoms of Trauma – The Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI)

If you’ve gone through a traumatic experience or suffered repeated trauma you may be struggling with upsetting emotions, frightening memories, or a sense of constant danger that you just can’t kick. The trauma also may have left you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people.

The Trauma Symptom Inventory is a useful tool in accurately identifying trauma symptoms, as well as in measuring the degree to which these symptoms are harming you. The inventory has 10 clinical scales that assess a broad array of trauma-related symptom domains:

• Anxious Arousal

• Depression

• Anger/Irritability

• Intrusive Experiences

• Defensive Avoidance

• Dissociation

• Sexual Concerns

• Dysfunctional Sexual Behavior

• Impaired Self-reference

• Tension Reduction Behavior

In order to properly treat your trauma disorder, a counsellor must first understand the cause of the trauma, the specific ways the trauma is affecting you, and how you are coping (be it adaptively or maladaptively) with your traumatized psyche.

Only then can the focus shift to helping you recover….

Recovering from Trauma

When bad things happen to you, it can take time to get over the pain and feel safe again. With the right treatment and support you can truly recover from emotional trauma, and live the unburdened, happy life you were meant to live. Whether the trauma-inducing event (or series of events) happened recently or years ago, you can surely heal.

Citation Link - Become Complete - Trauma Counseling Center