Symptoms of Emotional and Psychological Trauma
Whether you or your loved one has experienced a traumatic event or a repeated trauma, it is important to understand that there are a wide range of different ways that different people will react. There is no ‘set’ way to react and everyone deals with trauma in their own way. Your responses are normal reactions to abnormal events.
Emotional and Psychological effects:
Shock or denial
Anger, mood swings.
Anxiety and fear
Feeling extremely sad or hopeless
Confusion
Withdrawing from others
Feeling disconnected or numb
Physical symptoms of Trauma:
Nightmares or Insomnia
Racing Heartbeat
Being startled easily or’jumpy’
Aches and Pains
Exhaustion or fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
These symptoms can last from a few days or months, but for some, realistically, it is much longer but can gradually diminish as you process the trauma. Although there may be painful emotions, memories and ‘triggers’ which remind us of the past, it is possible for these to ease with time and intervention.
The ‘Grieving Process’ after trauma
Most people associate the word ‘grieving’ with death, however whether a traumatic event has involved death or not, survivors must often cope with the loss, at least temporarily, of their sense of safety and security. The natural reaction to this loss is like a ‘grieving process’. As in the case of a loss of a loved one, this process will likely be painful but can be helped if you turn to others for support and try to take care of yourself.
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