A discussion of the process of emotional healing would not be complete without reference to emotional recovery after a traumatic event. Most people experience emotional and psychological trauma after a terrible or horrifying experience. They struggle with upsetting emotions, frightening memories of the event and a constant feeling of being in danger. They need emotional healing to be able to move forward and enjoy life. What is trauma? A definition of trauma differs from person to person as people react differently to a similar event. While an event may be experienced as traumatic by one person, it may not be experienced as such by another one. From a physical or medical perspective, trauma refers to harm or damage to a biological organism …show more content…
o Withdrawal from others and difficulties in trusting other people o strained relationships o Physical illnesses such as a headache, stomachache and nausea. It is important to note that these feelings are normal and expected under certain circumstances and that they will subside with time. Such an understanding may help one to cope with these unsettling feelings and thoughts and may provide courage to move forward. However, it may take some time for them to go away. Although some people recover within a reasonable period of time from an emotional devastation following a traumatic experience, others struggle for a long time and find it difficult to move on with their lives. As such, they tend to be at risk of developing a Post- Traumatic- Stress-Disorder. Professional help may then be needed to help them find constructive ways of managing their feelings and prevent a post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An acute stress reaction may lead to a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The questions that one may ask are the following: How can one see if a post-traumatic stress disorder has developed? What are the symptoms of a post-traumatic stress disorder? This disorder can be identified by the …show more content…
o One feels powerless to prevent it. o The pain inflicted was intentional. o It is connected to one’s earlier experiences in childhood. Some theories suggest that childhood trauma can increase one’s risk for psychological disorders such as the post-traumatic stress disorder and depression when trauma is experienced later in life. o One was not prepared for the traumatic experience. o The experience happened repeatedly Trauma can be caused by a variety of events. Some of these events may involve physical harm that may threaten one’s survival and a sense of security such as police brutality while others may be purely psychological such as employment discrimination. In all these instances, emotional wounding is experienced and healing needs to take place for one to enjoy life. The common causes of trauma include the following: o A car accident o Car hijacking o Domestic violence o Sexual abuse or rape o Massive violence such as
The “Trauma” is a. It doesn't eke itself out over time. It doesn’t split itself manageably into bite-sized chunks and distribute it equally throughout your life. Trauma is all or nothing. A tsunami wave of destruction. A tornado of unimaginable awfulness that whooshes into your life - just for one key moment - and wreaks such havoc that, in just an instant, your whole world will never be the same again”(Holly Bourne, The Manifesto on How to be Interesting).
Many people know the severity of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but don’t know what the disorder actually is. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms that occur following direct or indirect exposure to a traumatic or terrifying event in which physical harm was threatened, witnessed, or actually experienced.”( New 1). One can get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder if he or she witnesses or experiences a traumatic event, most Americans develop Post Traumatic symptoms at some point in their lives, most of which come from domestic violence.
The results of trauma can be physical, emotional, cognitive, social, economic, and spiritual. The impact of trauma is layered in the neurological and endocrine system, affecting all parts of the body and mind. Life force energy can become blocked. There might be physical injury as well as chronic pain syndromes or immune problems that occur from long term stress. Emotions or unmet needs can become stuck, leaving the person trapped in patterns of thought, emotion, or behavior. Trauma also makes individuals more vulnerable to further stressors.
...manifest developmental, behavioral, and emotional problems. This implies the interpersonal nature of trauma and may explain the influence of veteran Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on the child’s development and eventual, long-term and long-lasting consequences for the child’s personality. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2525831).
“Trauma is used when describing emotionally painful and distressing experiences or situations that can overwhelm a person’s ability to cope” (John A. Rich, Theodore Corbin, & Sandra Bloom, 2008). Trauma could include deaths, violence, verbal and nonverbal words and actions, discrimination, racism etc. Trauma could result in serious long-term effects on a person’s health, mental stability, and physical body. Judith Herman, from Trauma and Recovery, said “Traumatic events are extraordinary, not because they occur rarely, but rather because they overwhelm the ordinary human adaptations to life” (John A. Rich, Theodore Corbin, & Sandra Bloom, 2008). Trauma does not involve the same experiences for everyone; each individual is unique in that they, and only they, can decide what is traumatic for them.
There are many factors that can cause childhood trauma. Some examples of childhood trauma include sexual, physical, and emotional abuse; physical and emotional neglect; incarcerated parent, and death of a loved one, domestic and
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines trauma as a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2015). From a medical perspective trauma is describe as severe damage to a person’s body. Trauma can be cause by multiple factors in a person life. Trauma could stem from a distressing experience of a physical or psychological nature. In recent years’ major natural disasters and acts of terrorism have become more prominent and devastating creating long lasting traumatic effects in individuals lives. Trauma can have a lasting negative impact on a person’s life. The lasting effects of trauma can have a negative effect in development as well as
There are many different causes of PTSD such as sexual abuse, sudden death of a loved one, and war. Trauma affects people in different ways, some can develop it from watching a fellow soldier being killed, and some can develop it from losing their jobs or a divorce. Being diagnosed with PTSD is a difficult process because there are many other psychological disorders whose symptoms can overlap and are very similar. An important fact to remember is that PTSD doesn’t just affect the person suffering; it can also have secondhand effects on their spouses, children, parents, friends, co-workers, and other loved ones. Although there is no direct cure, there are many treatment and alternative treatment options to assist them in moving forward after a trauma.
With my past social work experience I understand that trauma can affect many people in different ways. Traumatic life experiences can vary with everyone and their way of coping and reacting. I worked a children services for about two years. I have been able to witness the effects of trauma on a lot of the children I worked with. For example, I had to remove 5 children from their mother. Their mother was using meth at the time leaving the oldest child, who was thirteen years old, taking care of the youngest. The mother was in an abusive relationship with their father. The father was very emotionally abusing by threatening the kids and mother. Removing the children from their mother was a traumatic life experience.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a real mental illness that needs to be taken more seriously. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is a mental illness that can develop with people who have experienced a traumatic event in their lives. There are some people that believe PTSD is not a real illness, and that it is an excuse for someone’s behavior. That idea is incorrect. PTSD can severely affect the way a person lives in a real way. It is not a disability that is new to society however it has been recently acknowledged. The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology states, “Post-traumatic stress disorder has been classified as an anxiety disorder in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders since 1980.” (505).
Trauma is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience; however, it can impact those who experience the initial experience and those who learn about it. Secondary trauma is a state of emotional distress caused by hearing the firsthand stories of trauma survivors. Trauma is a social disease because it is spread through close relationships, impacting family and friends and can be prevented. Trauma is spread through close relationships with trauma survivors. Those most at risk for developing secondary trauma are those who witness the emotional retelling of the trauma, including family, friends, and medical providers.
Single event trauma is defined by at the National Center For Biotechnology Information as a trauma that happens to one person a single time. Their examples of
It is common to have experienced a trauma at some point in our lives. These traumas can affect our mental health and a series of problems can arise if left untreated. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is most likely to occur after the traumatic event. Some of the common symptoms with PTSD can be nightmares, trouble sleeping, panic attacks, flashbacks, depression, poor concertation, emotional numbness, or alcohol and drug dependencies. Depression can also set in and this brings on different feelings of hopelessness and
When a child has been physically abused, there are noticeable bruises, or other effects on the person. On the other hand, most people do not recognize or even know the effects of emotional abuse. Emotional abuse can deeply wound a child, and as the child grows, the scars will remain; the scars that people do not see that can cause a lifetime of suffering. These invisible scars can affect a person’s development as they struggle to accept themselves from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. Emotional abuse negatively impacts an individual’s self-esteem, which can in turn, cause depression and substance abuse later in adulthood.
Trauma relates to a type of damage to the mind that comes from a severely distressing event. A traumatic event relates to an experience or repeating events that overwhelmingly precipitated in weeks, months, or decades as one tries to cope with the current situations that can cause negative consequences. People’s general reaction to these events includes intense fear, helplessness or horror. When children experience trauma, they show disorganized or agitative behavior. In addition, the trigger of traumas includes some of the following, harassment, embarrassment, abandonment, abusive relationships, rejection, co-dependence, and many others. Long-term exposure to these events, homelessness, and mild abuse general psychological