Emotional and psychological trauma is actually something that happens to us throughout our lives. It occurs in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. We bring all of these accumulated traumas into the experience of our lifetimes – the dance of life.
There are actually two forms of these traumatic events: the first is known as “Trauma” (with an upper case T), and the second is known as “trauma” (with a lower case t).
Uppercase Psychological Trauma
A Trauma is a type of single major event that can have a very large psychological impact, such as going to war, losing a loved one, or surviving a natural disaster such as a massive earthquake.
On the other hand, a trauma (lower case) is usually made up of a smaller event that will not necessarily have a large impact on its own, but that can build up over time until it has just as much effect as a Trauma. For example, if a person was in the third grade and was not chosen for the school play, then in the eighth grade, he or she found that a crush didn’t return the same feelings, and then in late adolescence, that same person didn’t get into the college he or she had wanted the most, the impact can grow over the years. Undergoing those experiences over time, it can build a root belief system that he or she is not good enough.
In my practice, I have found that this is a core issue for just about everyone. When it comes to traumas (lower case), we are often unaware of the impact that the events have had on the formation of our deep seated belief system.
Whether you are dealing with Trauma or trauma, you could be struggling to cope with frightening memories, upsetting emotions, or the feeling of being constantly in danger. Alternately, you may also feel disconnected, numb, and unable to trust others.
What is PTSD?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that can occur in an individual who has experienced Trauma from a major event such as war, vehicle accidents, the death of a loved one, or exposure to violence. It is estimated that nearly 8 million adults in the United States (aged 18 and older) have PTSD. Among individuals who have been exposed to mass violence, 67 percent have developed PTSD. In people who experienced a natural disaster, that rate is even higher.
There are many potential symptoms that can be experienced by people with PTSD. I listed them in my article, entitled “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)”.
Self Help or Professional Help for Psychological Trauma & PTSD
The National Center for PTSD at the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs recommends both professional and self-help in order to be able to cope with and overcome the symptoms of this condition.
When it comes to treatment from professionals, they recommend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) among the therapies that are most effective. This may be combined with medication, if necessary.
To complement professional treatment, some of the self-help options for trauma and PTSD can include:
- Peer support groups
- Therapy dogs
- Mindfulness practices
- The free PTSD Coach app from the National Center for PTSD
I Can Help
I hope to be able to help you to overcome the pain and feel safe again, even after bad things have happened to you. The right professional treatments, support, and self-help strategies can help you to speed up your recovery, regardless of whether the traumatic experience happened yesterday or many years ago.
Together, we will build a better understanding of your psychological and emotional trauma so that we can effectively address them. This will give you the ability to look at them as something that you did once experience, but with which you no longer have an ongoing relationship in your life. Please contact me today for your free consultation and get started on the road to healing.