Trauma is an emotional reaction to a negative experience. After a damaging situation, it is normal to have strong or overwhelming emotions. Mental illness symptoms may appear if these emotions persist for a long time, worsen over time, or interfere with a person's daily life. To be considered traumatic, an event does not have to be life-threatening, one-of-a-kind, or unexpected. Trauma is all around us, and it can affect anyone. Events such as the coronavirus pandemic, public images of police brutality, and the current economic downturn all contribute to increased stress and traumatic experiences.
Whatever causes trauma, the most common symptom is a pervasive fear that alters one's behaviour. People who have been traumatised fear getting close to others, being abandoned, or being humiliated. They often feel disgraced about their bodies, in social events, and the world in general. For the many who have lived with trauma for most of our lives, this fear may seem natural, coming from others rather than from within ourselves. For example, those who are afraid of intimacy may blame relationship problems on the wrong person. Those who have low self-esteem may believe others judge them when they are judging themselves. In other words, trauma distorts our perception of reality while also preventing us from recognising how much we look at life through a distorted lens.
Trauma Symptoms
Shock and denial are common responses to traumatic events. These emotional responses may fade over time, but a survivor may also have long-term reactions. These can include the following:
The trauma could have a cognitive impact on the ability to process thoughts and make sound decisions.
Emotionally looping with emotions of shame, guilt, fear, anger, and pain.
Physically, it could impact the muscles, joints, digestion and metabolism, temperature, sleep, and the immune system.
Trauma has a spiritual impact on our worldview, the lenses through which we perceive reality as dangerous.
Trauma has an impact on relationships with spouses, family, friends, co-workers, and strangers.
Mindfulness and Trauma
Trauma therapy does not come in a one-size-fits-all package. It must be customised to address various symptoms. Overcoming severe trauma can take years of hard work. The best way to move forwards is to seek advice from a mental health professional who can help find the specific treatment. There is evidence, however, that practising mindfulness can be a valuable tool in the recovery process, as it helps us recognise our own thoughts as they appear and establish that these thoughts are not always true. By accepting our experience, we can begin to understand what causes our feelings of fear and anxiety and, as a result, change our perspective over time. The beginning of the end starts with a small step of realising that we may be traumatised, and that the world may not be the dark, fearful, overwhelming, and dread-filled place we thought it was.
PTS occurs because of a distressing or traumatic event. This test may help determine whether you are experiencing some of the most common Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. They are not intended to replace a professional diagnosis.
When answering the above questions, please consider how they have applied to you in the last month or so. Symptoms usually appear within the first few months. Still, for some, they do not appear for several months or even years after the event.
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