Hello! June is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder awareness month, and with the 4th of July right around the corner (a holiday that increases trauma responses for people with PTSD), I wanted to provide some information regarding what trauma is and symptoms of trauma responses.

Trauma occurs when a situation overwhelms a person's ability to cope. 

Trauma can look many different ways and affects people differently. 

Common trauma symptoms are:

Hypervigilance (sensitive to your surroundings)

Startle response (feeling jumpy to loud noises, smells, touches, or sights)

Sensory changes (sights, smells, touches, noises create different responses than before the trauma)

Dissociating (feeling like you are "somewhere else" other than in your present body)

Feeling numb (can also look like lack of any emotions)
Feeling overly emotional (more anxiety, anger, sadness, emotional outbursts)

Feelings of fear or shame

Nightmares 
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

Intrusive thoughts (trying to focus on something but trauma thoughts interrupt)

Changes in appetite

Difficulty with concentration

Strain in relationships

Physical symptoms (dizziness, upset stomach, headaches)
Questioning your spiritual beliefs

Increased substance use or risky behaviors hoping to numb the feelings

Avoiding people, places, or things that remind you of the trauma

Isolating or not wanting to be with others
Not feeling interested in activities you enjoy

Lack of energy and feeling fatigued

Feeling more irritable

Difficulty controlling reactions

"Trauma isn't just psychological, it's physiological" - Seth Porges

Treating trauma is more than talking about emotions related to the trauma. It is about unpacking the trauma, having difficult conversations with ourselves and others, setting new boundaries, and finding new routines. We also have to treat the body and shift the central nervous system back to baseline. Therapies that are great for this include EMDR and brainspotting. Yoga has also been shown to help shift physiological changes after trauma. Other helpful ideas to help calm the central nervous system: deep breathing, being in environments where you feel safe, and being around people who help you feel safe.

The Polyvagal theory helps explain how trauma affects the body and why people react the way they do after trauma occurs. 

I hope you have found some part of this helpful. If you are interested in learning more, I recommend reading the book "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk or "Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve" by Stanley Rosenberg.

Thanks for reading and being in connection with me,

Steph