How Trauma Impacts Your Day To Day Life - From A Trauma Therapist

Trauma changes you and leaves predictable patterns of behavior. The way the mind and subconscious processes an event determines if the event gets coded as traumatic or not, and if the event gets coded as traumatic there are predictable somatic responses and thought patterns related to the event. Mind has a goal of survival, always. When data about an event gets processed as trauma, mind will continue to prioritize survival and for many people this leads to being stuck in perpetual survival mode, aka fight or flight. In this episode I talk about some of the most common behaviors I see in clients who have unhealed trauma. I discuss how mind/unconscious reads data about events and why sometimes that data gets stuck and how that leads to being in chronic survival mode.

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What is trauma?

Trauma, in one of my working definitions, is a deeply distressing experience that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope in the moment and kicks the body into survival mode. It can range from severe events like genocide to car accidents, and its impact can be long-lasting and far-reaching. Let's discuss the different ways unhealed/untreated trauma manifests and the journey towards healing.

One of the key points highlighted in the episode is the difference between active Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (cPTSD). While PTSD is often associated with a single traumatic event, cPTSD refers to trauma that has occurred over a prolonged period or involves multiple traumatic events. Understanding this distinction is crucial in recognizing the various manifestations of trauma and tailoring appropriate interventions. Otherwise we risk solving the wrong problem, or only solving part of a problem.

How does trauma impact you?

The impact of trauma can be profound, affecting physical, emotional, and psychological health. Which, if you're reading this, then you already know. Trauma can lead to disassociation, where individuals feel disconnected from their bodies and emotions. When this happens, mind believes it has been beheaded and thinks that's the reason you can't feel your body. Pretty stressful right? That then can put individuals in a constant state of fight or flight, perceiving everything as a potential threat. Since mind's primary goal is survival, when your survival response is activated, it's wired to see threats everywhere in order to increase chances of survival. You can imagine how this impacts mindset, stress and your ability to focus. (As in, it totally tanks all of it).

Sleep disturbances, such as trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, are also common manifestations of trauma. The constant hyperarousal and vigilance associated with trauma make it difficult for individuals to find rest and relaxation. This makes sense when we think about it this way: if you were running from a bear, you're not focusing on how tired you are. You're only focused on running and all energy goes towards one mission - to outrun the bear. In terms of being triggered by unresolved trauma, mind thinks there is always a bear.

Trauma can dysregulate the nervous system, and you've likely seen content around nervous system regulation - this is why. A dysregulated nervous system makes it hard to make long-term helpful decisions, because mind is prioritizing short term survival. Since mind is prioritizing immediate safety over long-term happiness, it makes decisions that make no sense unless they're looked at through a lens of survival mode. This dysregulation can also contribute to chronic stress, leading to health problems and even autoimmune disorders. There's a very high correlation between autoimmune disorders and cPTSD.

Trauma and Anxiety

Anxiety often arises as a direct result of trauma. Again, makes sense when survival mode makes almost everything out to be a threat. Mind is trying to keep you safe by handing you things to worry about/be afraid of so you can avoid them, but because there's no real threat, anxiety comes. This heightened sense of danger can lead to avoidance behaviors and a constant state of hypervigilance. Additionally, trauma can create something I call trauma brain that prioritizes predictability and survival over long-term well-being. This can result in self-sabotage and a fear of success or happiness, as the familiar pain of trauma feels safer than the unknown.

You may be thinking, "Damn, way to be a downer Amanda."

I know, and here's the good news.

Healing from trauma is possible.

Not only is it possible, it's inevitable that you heal by doing the work. The work works.