Psychological Effects Of Trauma

Trauma has been proven to be a source of deadly illnesses, and approximately seventy percent of the population encounter a traumatic situation. Expressing trauma experiences can feel strenuous. This allows the issue to go unnoticed, and worsen. Affecting many areas of the brain; trauma can alter the development of it. I have felt the burden of trauma, and decided it will not control my life. It is time to take a stand and face trauma head on. Trauma has two forms: physical and mental. Physical incidents occur per accident, or abuse, emotional can occur in an array of ways. Ultimately, both have a psychological impact. How exactly does it transform your brain? Many areas are affected when faced with emotional trauma. The nucleus accumbens

In a case of abuse, the same psychological affect will occur as in emotional trauma. Thirteen years ago, my family and I were moving into a new house. An assortment of items for the house were in the garage, where my sister and I stood. It all happened so fast, my dog and a neighbor’s dog got into a violent fight. I jumped onto an office desk and she hid behind a couch. She got the chance to run inside to get my parents, before going she said “stay there until I come back”. I was all alone, I wanted to get away from the situation and I disobeyed her. Immediately when I got down, I was bitten by the Golden Lab. I ran inside, needless to say my parents were mortified. We rushed to the hospital, where my dad took me to the bathroom. In that moment, it all became real. Half of my lip was dangling, blood was everywhere. I was only worried I would be ugly. Over the years, I have had to explain my scar. Doing so made it easier to accept that it is a part of who I am and I should not be ashamed. However, the impact of that day can be very openly seen if I am around aggressive, or too many dogs. These situations used to immediately make me go into fight or flight mode. I volunteered at Piper’s Playhouse for about a year, while there I had to be in closed rooms with multiple, mainly non-aggressive dogs. By

There are multiple ways to cope with trauma. Ironically, writing about it is highly beneficial. One reason is, you are letting it all out and no one has to see it. Writing experiences down also allows memories to connect, and by doing this it is less likely the memories will be thought of. Another way is by being active and eating healthy. The last way I will list, as there are many more, is self-regulating your nervous system. With trauma comes anxiety, it is important to remember there are ways to lighten your mood such as: controlled breathing, sensory input, staying grounded, and accepting your emotions without letting them take