The aftermath of enduring a distressing event or an experience will often manifest as trauma, leaving a lasting emotional imprint on an individual. It can be a result of exposure to an incident or a series of events that are emotionally disturbing, or life threatening with lasting adverse effects on the individual’s ability to function. This can severely impact an individual's overall wellbeing. Experiencing a traumatic event can impact a person's sense of safety, sense of self, sense of worth, and a persons ability to trust, regulate emotions and navigate relationships. Although trauma can occur at any age, it has particularly debilitating long-term effects on children’s developing brains and has long lasting effects if not addressed at a young age. Childhood trauma has an impact on an individual's emotional and mental behavior well into adulthood years. The effects of childhood trauma in adults influence people in very differently.

 

Adverse childhood experiences known as ACEs are potentially traumatic events occurring in childhood from birth to approximately17 years of age. They can have a  tremendous impact on a persons future and lifelong choices, health, and opportunities. Research has shown that when a child has a stable environment with loving parents or guardians, they are more likely to develop the resilience and strength needed to cope with stress or extreme events. Being in a healthy environment and surrounded by love and acceptance from caregivers, helps with feelings of acceptance, safety, and stability which contributes to a solid sense of self-worth and belonging within the framework of society.

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The following is by no means an exhaustive, but it highlights experiences that may be traumatic: 

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• Physical, mental, sexual, verbal, religious and emotional abuse

• Childhood neglect

• Living with a family member with mental health or substance use disorders

• Sudden, unexplained separation from a loved one

• Poverty, financial hardship or job loss

• Racism, discrimination and oppression

• Violence in the community, war or terrorism

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The Three E's of Trauma are known as:

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Event(s)

Experience(s)

  Effect(s)

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When a person is exposed to a traumatic or stressful event and how they experience it, greatly influences the long lasting adverse effects of carrying the weight of trauma. Individuals who have experienced violence, abuse, neglect, disaster, or any form of trauma, been through something has a powerful effect on their worldview, health, and behavior. And the best way to support them is shift away from “What’s wrong with them? ” to “What happened to them?”

 

Throughout its history and over the last few decades, traumatic stress has been defined in a variety of ways, each with subtle nuances and slight differences. Unfortunately no-one is immune to the effects of trauma. Whether a person was in an abusive relationship, a bitter divorce, witnessed a horrific event, experienced school or workplace bullying, spent time as a prisoner, or experienced war in any capacity, the effects of experiencing trauma can last for a few moments or for a lifetime. It can lead to the development of anxiety, addictions, depression, phobias, or social problems. 

 

Emotional or psychological trauma which are another form of trauma, are defined as “damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event” and may result in challenges in functioning or coping normally after the event. Each person who experiences a traumatic event will react differently, but many can and do recover fast with the proper support system, and do not experience long-term impact. Some people, however, after experiencing a traumatic event will go on to develop challenges directly following the event or within a few months of the event, but this is all depends on the type of trauma. It’s important to remember that it’s not the objective facts of the event alone that determine how traumatic an event is; it’s also the subjective emotional experience of the event. Often, the more terror and helplessness one feels, the more likely it is that the person will be traumatized.

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The effects of emotional and psychological trauma can be devastating, but they do not have to permanently disrupt a persons life. There are many behavioral health support systems providing short-term and long-term healing from symptoms of various types of trauma, through services that include an inpatient program, a partial hospitalization program, and if needed an intensive outpatient program. There are many professional options to get assistance and proper support with therapists, clinal professionals, and trained trauma clinicians and practitioners that specifically specialize in trauma healing and recovery.

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When a person begins therapy, it is easy to assume that healing is a linear process. This is a common misconception, therefore its important to understand that healing does not progress in a straight line and it can often feel like a person has taken one step forward and two steps back in their healing journey. Healing for many people is going to be a life long journey. It gets easier with time but its a journey that requires patience, self-compassion, and self-love. It's common after a person goes through therapy or uses other methods to heal from trauma experiences, they may have reached a point where they felt like their trauma was finally behind them. Many have felt happier in their day-to-day life, their symptoms may have subsided, and their former activations or triggers don't affect them like before. And maybe it felt like their “work” was finally done, but perhaps exposure to another stressor has caused a re-emergence of their symptoms. Maybe it was a job loss, grief, or another major life change. The return of trauma can be debilitating, not only does a person have to make it through each day while dealing with anxiety or depressive symptoms, like intrusive thoughts or flashbacks, but they might also be disappointed in themselves. It’s easy to feel like they have “failed” in some way. However, reemerging trauma memories and feelings are certainly not indicative of failure, it is actually a common experience. It’s simply how trauma works.

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When you begin therapy, it is easy to assume that healing is a linear process. However, this is a common misconception. Healing does not progress in a straight line and can often feel like you’ve taken one step forward and two steps back. But this does not mean that your healing process is a failed effort. In fact, the return of memories and feelings connected to the trauma happens to most people at some point. While it can be frustrating, it does not mean that you have lost progress. Demonstrate self-compassion when you begin experiencing symptoms after believing your trauma was conquered and healed. You might be very hard on yourself, you may tell yourself that you should be stronger or that you should have worked harder in your treatment or in your therapy therapy. Perhaps you’ve even told yourself that you’re too weak to heal. But such harsh self-criticism will not ease your symptoms or help you along your path towards healing. Try to focus on compassionate self-talk and try to accept the situation for what it is, and minimizing self-judgment is a more productive and an effective approach.

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Just as healing isn’t linear, there is not a “test” for trauma recovery. It is and can be a long process, and no one is evaluating you or grading you. You will inevitably have some setbacks along the way and that is normal given the circumstances and the reality of trauma, and understand that this is simply just a part of being human. Overcoming trauma is not easy, but it is very much possible to have a decent quality of life even with a trauma history. Give yourself a lot of permission to struggle and engage with whatever techniques, tools, modalities or supports that have worked for you in the past.

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You can ask your doctor or other trauma survivors for a referral, call a local mental health clinic, psychiatric hospital, or counseling center. Beyond credentials and experience, it's important to find a trauma therapist who resonates with you and makes you feel comfortable and safe.