Trauma is a response to either a one-time event – such as an earthquake – or to many adverse experiences over time – such as Domestic Violence.
After a distressful event, each person involved, will have a different reaction. For some of us, those reactions may be unpredictable emotions, flashbacks of the event, physical symptoms like anxiety, digestive problems, sweating, nausea, dizziness, and an affect on your eating and sleeping patterns etc.
What your reaction will be, is dependent on personal factors, but it is important to remember that:
- traumatic reactions can happen to all of us. It is difficult to manage your reactions to unexpected events, that are out of your control.
- after a traumatic event, many people can have long-lasting problems, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- the symptoms you are experiencing after a traumatic event are the expected responses of your body and mind, trying to adjust. You are not going crazy, but you may need support if the responses are persistent or interfering with your daily life
- many psychologically well-adjusted and physically healthy people develop PTSD. Remember you are not the only one feeling this way, many people will respond the same to a distressful event
- by understanding trauma symptoms better, a person can become less fearful of them and better able to manage them, asking for support if they need.
To learn more about Trauma please explore the other topics in this section.