Trauma symptoms typically last from a few days to a few months, gradually fading as you process the unsettling event. Your responses are NORMAL reactions to ABNORMAL events. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to think, feel, or respond, so don’t judge your own reactions or those of other people. We all react to trauma in different ways, experiencing a wide range of physical and emotional reactions. However, even if your trauma happened many years ago, there are steps you can take to overcome the pain, learn to trust and connect to others again, and regain your sense of emotional balance. When childhood trauma is not resolved, a sense of fear and helplessness carries over into adulthood, setting the stage for further trauma. Childhood trauma can result from anything that disrupts a child’s sense of safety, including:Įxperiencing trauma in childhood can result in a severe and long-lasting effect. While traumatic events can happen to anyone, you’re more likely to be traumatized by an event if you’re already under a heavy stress load, have recently suffered a series of losses, or have been traumatized before-especially if the earlier trauma occurred in childhood. Learn more Childhood trauma and the risk of future trauma We earn a commission if you sign up for BetterHelp’s services after clicking through from this site. Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.

Whatever the cause of your trauma, and whether it happened years ago or yesterday, you can make healing changes and move on with your life.īetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more. Viewing these images over and over can overwhelm your nervous system and create traumatic stress. In fact, while it’s highly unlikely any of us will ever be the direct victims of a terrorist attack, plane crash, or mass shooting, for example, we’re all regularly bombarded by horrific images on social media and news sources of those people who have been. Commonly overlooked causes, such as surgery (especially in the first 3 years of life), the sudden death of someone close, the breakup of a significant relationship, or a humiliating or deeply disappointing experience, especially if someone was deliberately cruel.Ĭoping with the trauma of a natural or manmade disaster can present unique challenges-even if you weren’t directly involved in the event.Ongoing, relentless stress, such as living in a crime-ridden neighborhood, battling a life-threatening illness or experiencing traumatic events that occur repeatedly, such as bullying, domestic violence, or childhood neglect.One-time events, such as an accident, injury, or a violent attack, especially if it was unexpected or happened in childhood.The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.Įmotional and psychological trauma can be caused by: It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. What is emotional and psychological trauma?Įmotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world.

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