Trauma
What is Trauma?
Psychological trauma is caused by directly or indirectly experiencing an overwhelmingly stressful event. This causes a mental and physical reaction, outside of our control, which overwhelms our system.
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If you're neurodivergent, experiences can feel more overwhelming and the aftereffects of trauma can be even more impactful.
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"Being traumatized means continuing to organize your life as if the trauma were still going on- unchanged and immutable- as every new encounter or event is contaminated by the past."
Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
Symptoms of Trauma
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Guilt
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Nightmares
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Feeling numb
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Memory issues
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Shame
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Reliving events
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Feeling disconnected
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Distressing thoughts​
Types of Traumatic Events
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Car accident
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Emotional abuse
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Combat
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Sudden death
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Natural disaster
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Bullying
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Witnessing violence
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Serious illness
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Sexual assault
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Financial insecurity
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Depression
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Anxiety
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Feeling jumpy
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Negative Outlook
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Addiction
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Avoidance
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Irritable / Angry
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Relationship problems
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Generational trauma
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Serious injury
Therapy for Trauma
There are many types of treatment that help heal trauma. It's my understanding that trauma lives in the body and within our internal world. We develop wounds that hide within us and get triggered when something comes too close to it. Here you'll find a list of therapy approaches that are highly recommended for treating trauma. This is not an exhaustive list and healing can be found in many forms of treatment and through many outlets.
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Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Brainspotting
Somatic Therapy
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)