Trauma therapy can help you ease your pain

You are not alone.

Living everyday life through a trauma lens can be exhausting. Trauma is stored in the brain and body in ways that you may not be aware of because the event is no longer happening to you. This can make it increasingly difficult to connect with the people and things around you that matter the most. 

Trauma feels like finding yourself stuck in a cycle of daily fear and anxiety, lack of fulfillment, and constant stress that leaves you feeling numb after trying to push it down and keep it moving. Trauma also affects your thinking through negative thoughts about yourself and the world around you that are in a constant loop in your mind. You don’t feel safe or secure and you question everyone and everything, destroying your ability to trust.

Trauma can also be more subtle than what you may be thinking. The things that happen to us like being ignored by a caregiver, interpersonal conflicts between you and someone else like a coworker or family member, cheating or a difficult breakup, and harsh words spoken to us that build up over time can lead to trauma too.  

According to Mental Health America, people who took a screening on their site, who reported moderate to severe symptoms, 53% identified past trauma for at least one of the main factors for their mental health issues. You do not have to sort through this alone. You can create a major shift in your life today by taking the first step to begin trauma therapy.

The types of trauma:

• Emotional Trauma: Psychological or emotional trauma happens when you experience an extraordinarily stressful or frightening event that threatens your sense of safety and leaves lasting effects on your brain and body long after the event has passed. Realizing that you may be living with emotional trauma may be difficult because it affects the parts of you that no one can see-your soul, mind, and spirit. Emotional trauma may happen to you after a one-time event, like an unexpected accident or an attack, or it may be ongoing. Chronic stress such as relationship or work-related issues, or battling a life-threatening illness may also potentially cause psychological trauma. Other less recognizable causes of emotional trauma can be identified as the break-up of a significant relationship, being on the receiving end of deliberately cruel treatment, and having a deeply humiliating or disappointing experience. 

• Childhood trauma: Childhood trauma is a scary, violent, or life-threatening event that can be potentially traumatic for the child involved.  Childhood trauma happens during the first 17 years of life (0-17 years old).  Events that can be classified as traumas include violence, abuse and neglect, household challenges experienced by a caretaker, and other adversities. Childhood trauma can impact you in many different ways including disturbed sleep and recurring nightmares, anger, anxiety and or panic attacks, and depression.  Many people also experience feeling exhausted, difficulty concentrating, disordered eating, impulsiveness, and difficulty maintaining relationships.  According to data collected for the ongoing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study, 61% of adults have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). You may be asking yourself if you have experienced childhood trauma; you are not alone. Living with these symptoms can negatively affect your daily life, however, your childhood experiences do not have to control the rest of your adult life. You can be in control of your own life and heal from the experiences of your past.