By Carlin Hayes – Registered Psychologist
When we think of trauma, most people think of car accidents, the impacts of war, the death of a loved one, a violent attack, or natural disasters.
More common and, as research has found, with a larger impact, are frightful, distressing and ongoing events such as childhood physical, sexual and emotional abuse, physical and emotional neglect, divorce of parents, parental mental illness, or bullying. These events frequently occur over an extended period of time thus the impact is more severe with a sense of not being able to escape.
How trauma affects physical and emotional health
While traumatic events affect every person uniquely, a common response to trauma (or any threat) triggers a fight, flight or freeze response. This automatic response from our body is intended to keep us safe. Symptoms include increased heart rate, dry mouth, feeling dizzy, tense limbs, stomach pain and fast breathing.
While usually, the body returns to its normal rate of functioning after a while, sometimes people find themselves being hypervigilant, experiencing flashbacks, having nightmares, noticing changes in sleep patterns, changes in appetite, feeling constantly on edge or feeling numb or even disconnected from their body (dissociation). These are all normal responses to a traumatic event. However, when these symptoms persist over time, it is beneficial to seek professional help.
What happens if the stress is ongoing?
Exposure to traumatic experiences over a prolonged time means that the body is in constant fight-or-flight mode and is sending out stress hormones (cortisol) frequently. While stress hormones are helpful and can be life-saving short-term, chronic release of stress hormones particularly due to adversity in childhood can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and auto-immune-related illnesses like arthritis and fibromyalgia. Furthermore, people who have been exposed to multiple traumatic experiences are more likely to use drugs, more likely to be violent towards another person, suffer from depression or attempt suicide.
What are the emotional effects of trauma?
Trauma can have a significant effect on a person’s mental health. While not everyone who had a traumatic experience develops a mental illness, there is an increased vulnerability to developing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), increased substance abuse or eating disorders, just to name a few. Other common emotional responses due to traumatic experiences include shock, numbness, anger towards others involved, fear, low mood, frustration, guilt, loneliness and feelings of being unsafe or vulnerable.
Here are a few key signs of trauma:
- Emotional distress/ emotional lability and feeling intense emotions
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Dissociation- a disconnection from the body
- Avoidance behaviours-e.g. avoiding places, people that are reminders of trauma
- Negative thought patterns
- Hypervigilance/ restlessness
- Sleep difficulties
Are there different responses depending how old a person is?
Although the overall responses are similar, we do see some differences in different age groups:
| Preschool age | Primary school age | Older adolescents and adults |
| Fear of being separated from the caregiver | Withdrawal | Depression |
| Self-soothing behaviour, e.g., thumb sucking, rocking | Anger outbursts | Guilt/shame |
| Regression (bedwetting, fear of the dark, baby-talk) | Nightmares | Avoidance behaviour |
| Crying | School refusal | Using unhelpful coping strategies (e.g., alcohol and substance abuse) |
| Developing new fears | Poor academic performance | Flashbacks and nightmares |
| Increased risk-taking (adolescents) |
Resilience and Protective Factors
One of the biggest protective factors is a supportive, trusting and caring person who provides a safe space for the child, this can be a caregiver, but also a teacher, coach or relative
Evidence-based Therapies for Trauma Recovery
Trauma recovery is more than reducing symptoms of trauma. Trauma recovery focuses on improving the quality of life. The recovery process looks different for each person, depending on the type of trauma, the support network, their current functioning and their goals. Evidence-based therapies for trauma include Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TF-CBT). Let’s look at these in more detail.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
I know, it’s quite a fancy name. EMDR therapy helps to process memories and store them in a more meaningful way, so these memories are less distressing. During EMDR therapy individuals don’t have to go into the full details of the traumatic event(s) and talk about it in detail. Recalling a specific memory and tapping into thoughts as well as symptoms within the body while applying bilateral stimulation, that is connecting both parts of the body by eye movements or tapping. Because you don’t need to use words to express everything, EMDR has been found to be helpful for children and adolescents as they often struggle to find the words.
Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT)
TF-CBT has also been found to be beneficial for children, adolescents and adults. Through linking thoughts, emotions and behaviour, individuals learn to identify and change distorted thought patterns and beliefs. Furthermore, different coping skills are included that are helpful during trauma recovery.
How can we help?
As mentioned earlier, not every traumatic event leads to a mental health problem, and it is crucial to understand the common responses to trauma. It is important to seek professional help when daily functioning is impacted. A trauma-informed therapist will start with building a safe and trusting relationship before “trauma work” can be done. The intervention and the tools used are depending on the person, the type of trauma and their personal preferences.
Speak to our team by contacting us at enquiries@spencerhealth.com.au if you have any questions before starting
