Injury. A brief definition of the word American Psychological Association describes the trauma as an “emotional response to a terrible event.” The ambiguity of this definition provides insight into the widespread lack of understanding that many of us experience trauma — how it impacts us emotionally, morale, and physically – not to mention the profound effects it has on many people in our lives. Ask further questions and ask: how is trauma stored in the body? Today, I emphasize the importance of breaking down this very important part of our health. I’ll share how trauma stays in our bodies long-term — and how we can begin to heal it.
Featured image of Claire Huntsberger.
My personal trauma
I’ll start with an individual aside. I went through a traumatic event in 2014 and found myself reeling with newfound anxiety. I interpret everything going on around me as a danger. At the time, I had no idea how devastating trauma can be in a person’s life. Immediately after this event, I used alcohol as a coping strategy. I’m busy and hang out with friends so I don’t get distracted. In short, I’m avoiding facing the ways that trauma is affecting my mental health.
But when I met my husband, I started to notice how Not Dealing with my trauma made our relationship more difficult. Being with him, and seeing how the unresolved trauma affected us, I realized I needed to do something to relieve my anxiety and fear. With the help of a wonderful trauma therapist, I began to understand what was happening to my brain. I learned why I lived as a very anxious and responsive person for many years after the accident.
The way to cure
I have suffered from what I firmly believe is a living trauma in my body for many years. And just to be clear, I am still on a long journey to healing. I have learned a lot along the way and have also learned the importance of approaching life and the people I meet with an informed lens of trauma.
Trauma images — And Feel—Different for everyone
Many of us know that traumatic experiences in life can leave scars both mentally and emotionally. According to data from United States Department of Veterans Affairsgenerally 90% American adults have experienced a traumatic event at least once.
However, it is less understood that our bodies can contain untreated and unaddressed injuries. This leads to physically painful symptoms and even long-term illness. Furthermore, everyone who experiences trauma may react differently. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic situation (think: car accident, sexual violence, natural disaster, etc.), experiences PTSD or leaves a “scar” for life.
Two people can be in the same car accident and go away with two very different experiences of their trauma (check This video for more information on ideas). But with concentration therapyOur bodies and brains can begin to process the injury and thereby build resilience.
The Science of Trauma
Our bodies and brains are experts at protecting ourselves when we sense imminent danger. Here fight or react Could be something you’ve heard about before. Basically, our brains secrete stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline in response to real or perceived danger. Our brains do this for a number of reasons, including:
- Elevate our senses
- Increase our heart rate
- Slow digestion
All of this is done to increase our ability to move quickly. Part of this response depends on how our nervous system interacts with what is known as the HPA axis or the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. When someone is going through a prolonged period of stress, the HPA axis tries to maintain cortisol and other stress hormones. This fills your body with energy, you think certain stress could be life-threatening or dangerous.
Your brain continues to pump stress hormones to give you the energy to run away. Unfortunately for our bodies and brains these days, most of the stressful things in life (a bad email from your boss, a car that cuts you off, or a text from your ex. you) don’t need this huge amount of stress hormone. That’s certainly biologically overkill — but that’s just how we mark it.
How our brains try to keep us safe
When an individual’s brain is affected by a past traumatic experience, their HPA axis becomes oversensitive and overactive. This is the body’s attempt to protect us. Although our brains are very intelligent, a traumatized brain does not understand how to distinguish between a real threat and a perceived one. As a result, they flood the body with stress hormones, elevating your senses to “protect you” from the smallest of similar stimuli.
I will give an example. In 2014, just a few weeks after the horrible car accident I witnessed, I was living in LA sitting outside a coffee shop. Suddenly, a bicycle pulled over and hit a nail. A bicycle tire exploded and a shrill noise rang through the air. Everyone sitting around me just glanced at the bike. But within seconds, I was on the ground beneath the coffee table, my heart racing, wondering why I was reacting the way I did.
Later, I learned in therapy that because of the trauma I had experienced, my brain and nervous system became overly sensitive to seemingly innocuous stimuli. This idea is called HPA dysfunction—And it doesn’t always apply to noise, either. Psychological phenomena apply to all types of trauma.
Mental and physical impact of trauma
Trauma accumulation in our bodies begins to appear when the repetitive, higher-than-normal release of stress hormones begins to affect our mental and physical health. Ultimately, this causes damage to our bodies.
Some of the understood outcomes of unmanaged long-term HPA dysfunction are:
- Irritability
- Depression
- Worry
- Frequent illnesses (reduced immune system)
- Difficulty dealing with stress
- Unexplainable fatigue
- Feeling overwhelmed easily
- Excessive stress response
- Diabetes
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Fat
- Irregular periods (due to hormonal imbalances)
- Muscle weakness
- Insomnia
- Cardiovascular disease (heart disease)
So how do we know where to start and learn to heal past hurts? Keep reading for tips to help you move forward.
4 wound healing tips
Seeking therapeutic support
If it is available to you, start therapy as soon as possible. I recommend and use personally Today’s Psychology to find therapists in my area who receive my insurance. By working through a traumatic event with therapy, you’re helping your body and brain understand and process what’s being retrieved through your memory (whether it’s through flashbacks, feelings, etc.). body sensation, event relief, etc.)
Know this: It’s never too late to start therapy. It has been found that two types of therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy, can help treat PTSD symptoms within 12 weeks. Many people also find that they have had great success with EMDR . therapy also.
Practice stress reduction and mindfulness techniques
Mindfulness practices such as yoga, meditation, or breathing have all shown promise for reducing anxiety and rekindling negative thoughts around trauma. I like apps like Calm, Detailed information timer, Spaceor Breethe for guided meditation or breathing. Research shows that 8-12 weeks of mindfulness practice has the potential to change our brains for the better.
Practice healthy lifestyle
Avoiding too much alcohol or caffeine will help your brain start to readjust, giving you space and time to start processing what happened. Once you’ve mastered getting rid of unhealthy habits, start thinking about eating well, exercising as much as possible, and getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night. It sounds like a lot when you’re feeling down or having trouble functioning, so don’t commit to doing all of this at once. Healthy habits take time to build — try adding just one of these healthy habits at a time!
Defend yourself
It is easy to think that something is wrong with you or that you are “too dramatic” or “too sensitive”. In fact, your brain is very sensitive and it is important to be understanding, kind, and patient with your experience. It can be helpful to educate your partner or close friends and family about the physiological effects of trauma. This can help them begin to understand what you’re going through. I find it gives people more understanding and patience for my intense anxiety around cars or a sense of loss of control. It also helps people to help me when I need support.
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