Trauma is a result of violence, whether it is physical, verbal or emotional.
Benoni group facilitator and ToughLove SA board member Chantal Grotto said: “Violence in any manner or form is unacceptable behaviour and simply should not be tolerated. Trauma is the end product of what remains when one is exposed to a violent experience.”
What is trauma?
A traumatic event is an incident that causes physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological harm. The person experiencing the distressing event may feel threatened, anxious or frightened as a result. In some cases, they may not know how to respond or may be in denial about the effect such an event has had.
To understand trauma, asses where our trauma fits in:
• Acute trauma: this results from a single stressful or dangerous event.
• Chronic trauma: this results from repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful events. Examples include cases of child abuse, bullying or domestic violence.
• Complex trauma: this results from exposure to multiple traumatic events.
What is the most common type of trauma?
Physical injuries are among the most prevalent individual traumas.
How does trauma affect the body?
Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal and blunted affect.
What is considered emotional trauma?
Psychological, or emotional trauma, is damage or injury to the psyche after living through an extremely frightening or distressing event and may result in challenges in functioning or coping normally after the event.
How do you know if you’re traumatised?
Symptoms of psychological trauma include:
• Shock, denial or disbelief.
• Confusion, difficulty concentrating.
• Anger, irritability, mood swings.
• Anxiety and fear.
• Guilt, shame, self-blame.
• Withdrawing from others.
• Feeling sad or hopeless.
• Feeling disconnected or numb.
What does trauma do to the brain?
Severe emotional trauma causes lasting changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex region of the brain that is responsible for regulating emotional responses triggered by the amygdala. Specifically, this region regulates negative emotions such as fear that occur when confronted with specific stimuli.
Does the body hold trauma?
The energy of the trauma is stored in our bodies’ tissues (primarily muscles and fascia) until it can be released.
This stored trauma typically leads to pain and progressively erodes a body’s health. Emotions are the vehicles the body relies on to find balance after a trauma.
What is PTSD?
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat or rape, or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence or serious injury.
Can trauma be cured?
Like most mental illnesses, PTSD is not strictly curable.
This condition is caused by trauma and causes serious symptoms that make normal functioning challenging or impossible.
Treatment with special types of therapy and sometimes medication can make a big difference, but it is not a cure.
Other examples of trauma include bullying, physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse.
What can you do to alleviate trauma?
• Give yourself time. It takes time – weeks or months – to accept what has happened and to learn to live with it.
• Find out what happened.
• Be involved with other survivors who have endured the same experience.
• Ask for support.
• Take some time for yourself.
• Talk it over.
• Get into a routine that is healthy for you.
• Do some ‘normal’ things with other people.
There is nothing mare aching than having to face and address your trauma alone, to join a support group contact Grotto on 082 372 3039 or Matilde dos Santos on 082 052 2269 or at toughlovebenoni@gmail.com
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