We tend to use the word trauma pretty frequently, and it’s very often used to describe an incident or a situation that caused us some fear, or which had some sort of lasting effect on us in a negative way. We can say something traumatized us, and others will have a good understanding that we’re trying to communicate that this something was negative and is sticking with us, and most likely that we have memories of it later that are upsetting in some way.

Have you ever experienced trauma at some point in your life? If you have been in a situation where you:
1. Feared for your life or your safety, or someone else’s;
2. Felt “intense fear, helplessness, or horror” {during and/or} following an event;
3. Experienced threatening behavior outside accepted social norms (violence, rape, torture, etc.);
4. Heard about or saw a traumatic event that happened to someone else;
then you have experienced an event that can cause trauma.

Common and typical effects someone might experience after going through a trauma-causing experience include things like shock, denial, anger, rage, sadness, confusion, or terror. Also typical are shame, humiliation, sorrow, suicidal thoughts, restlessness, and fatigue. Physical effects can also occur – things like vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors, sleep disturbance, heart palpitations, and profuse sweating episodes. Additionally, typical effects include hyper-vigilance, paranoia, phobic reactions, problems with concentrating or anxiety, flashbacks and mental images of traumatic events and startle responses, frustration, fear, guilt, lame, grief, nightmares, and reactive depression.

If you have experienced trauma, and that has not yet been processed or healed, as with a therapist, counselor, or psychologist trained in trauma specifically, then the traumatic experience may still be affecting you. You may find yourself being full of blame or anger, you may have nightmares or depression, and you may experience some of the typical physical responses to trauma as well.

If you are going through life with these trauma responses, they may have the effect of really disrupting your ability to function each day in the way that you should. If you’re having trouble functioning at your best because of effects like sleep deprivation, depression, continued fear, or others, you will absolutely not be able to reach the point of true happiness and well-being because the trauma is sticking with you.

The best thing to do, to heal from trauma, is to do what is often called “processing the trauma.” If you have trauma in your life, find a trusted therapist who has been trained or licensed in a trauma-treatment method like EMDR, which is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. This process helps your brain process the trauma – it does not remove the memory of the experience, but rather removes the difficult emotions that are associated with it, so that you no longer experience things like nightmares and ongoing fear or anxiety. There are other trauma treatment methods, as well, so seek a licensed clinician who specializes in trauma and who knows how to process and heal trauma experiences and effects.

Remember, by removing as much as possible of the negative you go through in your life, you will leave more room for positive, and you will have fewer parts of your life that pull you away from happiness. Trauma can be a significant life experience that can really have a life-long continuous negative impact. Take good care of yourself, do what you can to work toward healing, and allow yourself to feel less negative in your life from your prior experiences.