In this blog post, I aim to describe what trauma is. I will explore some of the key aspects of trauma. Additionally, I will outline a range of symptoms often experienced after a traumatic event. I will briefly describe what PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is. It's important to emphasise that you may need support and help after a traumatic experience, even if you don't meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Finally, I will briefly discuss the types of help available. You can also read my blog post on EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), a therapeutic approach specifically developed for processing trauma.
There are many definitions of trauma. In my practice, a psychologist in Aarhus, I work with a broad definition. I approach trauma as psychiatrist Morten Kjølbye does, understanding it as:
a trauma refers to an experience that has evoked extremely powerful negative emotions. For an event to be traumatic, these intense feelings must have been overwhelming, leaving the individual unable to contain or process them, and without adequate support to do so.
Therefore, whether something constitutes a trauma often depends more on an individual's reaction to the event than on the event itself.
Naturally, some experiences are inherently traumatic for most people, such as extreme violence, sexual violence, or situations where one's life has been in danger. Other experiences can become traumatic if adequate support for coping was not received, for example, if you experienced bullying, parental neglect, or significant loss. When an experience has been traumatic, it typically leads to subsequent symptoms. For some, these symptoms appear immediately after the traumatic event, while for others, they may emerge much later.
It's not solely the trauma itself or the negative experience that determines whether symptoms arise. Several other factors influence how a traumatic event affects an individual.
What happened after the trauma is also crucial. Did you receive help and acknowledgement, or were you left alone, ignored, or perhaps even reprimanded or criticised?
The timing of the trauma also matters significantly. Did it occur during childhood, potentially shaping your development? Or did it happen in adulthood, after you had already established a functional life?
Furthermore, it is highly significant whether you experienced a single traumatic event or multiple traumas throughout your life.
Finally, we also consider the nature of the trauma itself. Was it personal or impersonal? For instance, a natural disaster is impersonal, whereas an assault or violence is an act actively committed against an individual. If another person caused the traumatic experience, the relationship with that person is also vital. Was it a complete stranger, or someone you knew who inflicted the trauma? Could it even have been a parent, upon whom you, as a child, were deeply dependent and who was meant to care for you?
If you seek trauma treatment with me, a licensed psychologist in Aarhus, and we agree to work on a trauma, I will, among other things, explore these aspects with you.
Sleep problems are very common after a traumatic experience. Many people find it difficult to fall asleep due to a restless body or racing thoughts. Frequent awakenings are also common, often caused by nightmares or a body that can't fully relax.
Physical Tension: This is a very common symptom, as the body often remains in a state of alarm. Consequently, it can be difficult to relax. You may notice your muscles feel more tense. Many people report pain, for example, in the jaw, back, and shoulders, or experience tension headaches due to this constant tension.
Anxiety Symptoms: It is common to experience anxiety symptoms when reminded of the traumatic event. These may include heart palpitations, trembling, an upset stomach, shaky legs, rapid breathing, and a feeling of insecurity and fear.
Hypervigilance: This can manifest, for example, as being easily startled by loud noises. Many people become highly attuned to their surroundings and other people. It can be challenging to concentrate because your 'antennae' are constantly active. It's also common to dislike sitting with your back to a door. These are all signs of being highly alert to potential danger.
Avoidance: Because reminders of a traumatic event often trigger anxiety symptoms, individuals typically begin to avoid these triggers. This avoidance can vary greatly from person to person, depending on what they have experienced. It can become a significant problem in daily life, restricting one's freedom. Typical forms of avoidance include being unable to go to specific places (a certain street or town). It might also involve avoiding hospitals or particular TV programmes. Additionally, it's common to avoid large crowds, which can create difficulties with activities like shopping or using public transport.
Re-experiencing: A trauma is stored differently in our memory compared to other experiences. This means that the event can later resurface and feel extremely vivid. It can be experienced as though one is reliving the incident with the same sensory impressions and emotions as when it occurred. This is known as flashbacks. Re-experiencing can also take the form of nightmares. Furthermore, it is common for the traumatic experience to frequently intrude into one's thoughts, causing discomfort, even if it's not a full-blown flashback.
Low Self-Esteem: Many people develop negative thoughts about themselves after a trauma. Unfortunately, it's common to believe you are to blame for what happened and that you cannot trust yourself. This can lead to feelings of guilt and shame, and result in a changed self-perception where you feel less worthy as a person.
Distrust of Others: After a trauma, it is very common to lose trust that other people have your best interests at heart or are capable of helping you. This can lead to withdrawing from relationships with others, no longer confiding in loved ones, or even complete self-isolation.
Need for Control: After experiencing trauma, individuals often feel a loss of control. Therefore, many will try to regain this feeling of control, either over themselves or their environment. Occasionally, this can manifest in unhelpful ways, such as obsessive thoughts/behaviours (OCD), eating disorders, or perfectionism.
Depressed Mood or Depression: Traumatic experiences are almost always linked to a loss, for example, of physical safety, dignity, or freedom. This, along with other typical trauma symptoms, can significantly diminish one's quality of life and may lead to sadness or even depression.
Anger Outbursts: When the body is in a state of alarm, it is very common to become more irritable and easily provoked. It can become difficult to regulate emotions, and reactions may be more intense than what one is accustomed to.
Dissociation: Dissociation involves experiences where one's memory fails, or one shuts down and feels disconnected from one's own body. Dissociation occurs in varying degrees. It can be linked to the trauma itself, for instance, forgetting parts of the experience. It can also happen afterwards, in situations that evoke strong emotions. It can be viewed as the body's or mind's way of attempting to shield oneself from something unpleasant.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a psychiatric diagnosis. To receive this diagnosis, an individual must meet a specific set of criteria. One criterion is exposure to a trauma of “exceptionally severe or catastrophic nature.” This means that one's physical safety must have been threatened. Examples include being in danger during a war situation, experiencing an assault, a natural disaster, or a car accident.
Therefore, only certain types of trauma can lead to a diagnosis of PTSD. However, this does not mean that you cannot experience many of the same symptoms, even if you do not meet the diagnostic requirements for PTSD. You can experience, for example, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and hypervigilance, even if the trauma you experienced was not life-threatening. In essence, you can require help and treatment for trauma even if you do not have PTSD.
Acute support after a severe incident is crucial. The focus is on quickly re-establishing a sense of safety and control. It's important to be with people you trust who acknowledge what has happened. Feeling part of a community quickly is also vital. These measures in the acute phase are preventative. Thus, not everyone who has experienced something severe will become traumatised and continue to have symptoms long after the event. If problems persist after a few weeks or months, professional treatment may be considered.
In this blog post, I have written about trauma and PTSD, describing some of the many symptoms one may experience in this context. It is important to emphasise that most people can be helped through treatment. PTSD is not a permanent condition, and support is available to process trauma. Many individuals can achieve full recovery with treatment, and many more will experience a significant positive change through therapy. Several treatment modalities exist for trauma and PTSD, including those focusing on the body, medication, or psychotherapy. In my clinic, I work with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), a therapy modality proven to be highly effective for trauma. You can read more about this trauma therapy in my dedicated blog post on EMDR.
I would like to highlight that EMDR is also suitable for processing negative experiences that may not be strictly traumatic in nature but still linger and negatively impact you today. Through EMDR, you receive help to process past experiences, allowing them to release their hold on the present. If you recognise some of the symptoms I have described and are interested in a therapy programme, you are welcome to book an appointment with me, a psychologist in Aarhus. You are also welcome to contact me if you have any questions.
