Trauma Treatment
What is Emotional Trauma?
Emotional trauma or post-traumatic stress is best described as an ’emotional wound’ or ‘internal pain’ that can often be the result of a perceived threat to safety.
The word “perceived” is key here as it highlights that some people have a slightly easier time processing and moving on from a particular event (e.g., a burglary or the breakdown of a significant relationship).
In contrast, for others, these same events can have serious long-term mental, emotional, and spiritual repercussions.
At some point after a challenging event or experience, if the trauma survivor (e.g., the victim of burglary) feels in any similar way violated, this could act as a trigger, opening the floodgates to a wave of pain or distress from the past.
However, the deciding factor in how a person copes (or not) is often demonstrated in the coping mechanisms they adopt to manage their distress that may pose a future problem.
For instance, the individual may turn to substances such as alcohol or drugs to deal with unpleasant symptoms, memories, and emotions related to their traumatic past.
Another example is that of a soldier or someone in the military.
In a war zone, the individual may have learned to react to loud banging or helicopters flying overhead by immediately getting themselves and their unit to safety.
This innate impulse to flee danger is a protective and beneficial survival mechanism!
In civilian life, however, the sound of a firework or a police helicopter nearby does not always signify a danger or threat to safety.
However, the midbrain cannot distinguish between perceived or actual harm or danger.
Thus, in the soldier’s example, their fight-or-flight response may become activated by even the most innocuous sounds or other stimuli, regardless of whether there is an imminent threat to life.
This seemingly over-the-top response, or’ emotional flooding,’ is usually exhibited by an extreme reaction, such as running to safety, shouting, or feeling keyed up, nervous, or on edge.
These reactions, as over the top as they may seem, are often an indicator of unresolved trauma where an individual’s response to an event or other external stimuli is disproportionate to what is happening in their environment.
Gabor Mate, a renowned addiction therapist and trauma expert can help us understand the impact of trauma on the brain with the following explanation:
“Trauma is not what happens to you; it is what happens inside of you as a result of what happens to you.”
Here, we will explore trauma and its various effects in more detail.
In the meantime, if you suspect that you (or a loved one) may be experiencing symptoms of trauma or post-traumatic stress, it may be time to speak to a mental health professional who can advise you further.
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TRAUMA TREATMENT AT CAMINO RECOVERY
Our friendly, supportive team at Camino Recovery has a wealth of experience and knowledge in diagnosing and treating various types of trauma, using a wide range of evidence-based treatments and approaches, including:
- Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Equine therapy
- Family therapy
- Group support
- Individual therapy
- Drug and alcohol detox
- Relapse prevention
Although trauma can often make you want to isolate or shut yourself off from the world, healing takes place when people feel seen, heard, and accepted by others in safe and encouraging environments.
Get in touch with our team today and begin your journey to lasting recovery, wellness, and transformation.
Why are Traumatic Memories so Powerful?
One prominent theory is that humans have evolved to store or file away traumatic memories deep in the midbrain (along with associated feelings and emotions) as a survival mechanism.
For example, imagine a member of a particular tribe was attacked by a wild animal while hunting for food.
The theory states that the survivors who witnessed the attack will have ‘stored’ the memory of this traumatic incident in their nervous systems and bodies.
So, the next time one of the tribe members spots a wild animal, they will react quickly in response to that perceived threat.
- FIGHT AND FLIGHT
Perhaps the tribe member attacks the animal before it can pounce on them (fight), or they may flee the area and run as fast as their legs can carry them (flight).
We may even broaden this example to include the other trauma responses, as is demonstrated below:
- FREEZE
If the tribe members’ attempts to fight or flee are unsuccessful, they may become frozen, unable to move or run from the wild animal.
Their legs may feel too heavy or they find themselves in a dreamlike state (dissociation), preventing them from getting to safety.
- FAWN
Let’s expand on the above scenario to include the fawn response.
Here, the tribe member may decide the animal is too strong or fast for them to defend themselves or run away from.
Thus, they befriend the animal, hoping their efforts will be reciprocated or they will somehow tame the wild creature.
This is known as the fawn response, a common trauma reaction that many individuals use to disarmour, befriend, or tame an attacker or abuser.
- FLOP
Let’s imagine that our tribal friend has tried everything to survive their interaction with the wild animal but found nothing has worked.
For instance, the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses have proved ineffective.
In that case, the individual may turn to flop. This trauma response involves a state of total surrender or collapse in the face of a profoundly dangerous or traumatic situation.
Here, the person may become mentally or physically unresponsive to protect themselves from harm.
Individuals may also engage in the flop response in many other frightening contexts and situations, such as during a physical assault or long-term abuse.
What types of events can cause trauma?
Events that people most commonly associate as traumatic include but are not limited to the following:
- Violence, including war and domestic violence
- Crime
- Terrorism
- Rape
- Natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, storms, etc
- The sudden loss of a loved one
- Being diagnosed with a terminal disease or illness
- Witnessing a loved one struggling with a mental illness such as substance addiction or significant depression
- Childhood trauma, including an attachment disruption to a parent or caregiver, neglect, abandonment, or abuse
It’s important to note that trauma can be the result of several different things, many of which a person may dismiss as minor.
For example, having an emotionally unavailable parent who gave you all the materialistic things you needed but not enough love, nurturing, and attention can cause various complications in later life, including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder.
You mustn’t compare your traumatic experiences with other people; your feelings are valid, and what feels upsetting and overwhelming to you deserves to be heard and acknowledged, not dismissed or ignored.
As well as some of the earlier definitions, trauma is often thought of as an event (or sequence of events) that continues to limit or restrict your life.
These symptoms or responses do not go away by themselves, and individuals often require some form of intervention to help them work through their painful or traumatic past.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Trauma?
Various signs and symptoms are associated with emotional trauma. However, they are often categorised into emotional, mental, and behavioural symptoms, such as the ones below:
EMOTIONAL
- Depression, including tearful outbursts, sadness, hopelessness, and despondence
- Anxiety including panic attacks, shallow breathing, paranoia, and constantly feeling nervous or on edge
- Guilt(most often 'survivor guilt')
- Shame
- Mood swings/volatility
- Anger or rage - This may involve being short-tempered, passive-aggressive, or judgemental of yourself and others.
- Being emotionally numb - (dissociation)
THOUGHTS
- Confusion
- Nightmares
- Flashbacks, reexperiencing, intrusive thoughts
- Loss of focus and ability to concentrate
BEHAVIOURS
- Apathy, such as a lack of empathy or compassion towards yourself and others
- Inability to enjoy life like you once did
- Withdrawal and isolation
- Fatigue
- Sexual dysfunction
- Irrational behaviour
- Changes in appetite or sleep patterns
- Hypervigilance - you may always be on alert or attempt to anticipate potential threats in your environment
- Obsessive-compulsive, or impulsive, addictive behaviours, including substance use, gambling, sex or food addictions
What causes trauma?
Trauma can be caused by various events that have a profound and lasting impact on your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Let’s begin by looking at some examples of childhood trauma.
Infants depend upon primary caregivers (i.e., their parents, adult family and friends, and older siblings) for survival.
Children need eye contact, touch, unconditional love and affection, intimacy and attention, healthy boundaries, and predictability to form a healthy sense of self, and connection to others.
Trauma usually occurs as a response to some form of abuse or other incident where the child’s legitimate needs for nurturing, love, safety, and affection are not met.
Examples of this can include:
- Abandonment or neglect
This type of abuse does not only involve being physically alone.
There are various types of emotional abandonment where a primary caregiver may be unable to emotionally connect to a child on several levels due to conditions such as addiction, anxiety, depression, cultural beliefs, autism, or personality disorders.
In addition, when there is some relational rupture between child and caregiver, such as the termination of a relationship, suicide, and grief and loss, these experiences in early life can be significant sources of trauma, particularly complex PTSD.
- Enmeshment
Enmeshment occurs when a primary caregiver attempts to get their own emotional needs met through their child.
For example, the parent may withdraw love and affection to get the child’s attention or engage in other upsetting or confusing behaviours to meet their needs, such as making the child feel guilty or scared.
Enmeshment can manifest as smothering, controlling, or blurring parent-child boundaries, thus fostering an unhealthy dependence.
- Additional causes of trauma
As well as childhood trauma, there are numerous other categories of abuse, including verbal, psychological, physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual.
These events can cause severe and lasting complications for the individual, such as PTSD, complex trauma, and other emotional challenges, including drug or alcohol dependency.
The different types of trauma
Various types of trauma exist. For you to get the help and support you need and deserve, you must understand the different types of trauma and how they may present themselves.
Let’s explore them further.
Acute trauma
Acute trauma occurs due to a single, distressing event, including but not limited to the following:
- Exposure to or witnessing a natural disaster such as a hurricane or severe flooding
- Being the victim of a physical assault
- Being involved in a car accident or other incident
Those with acute trauma may experience trauma symptoms immediately, including shock or disbelief about what happened. They may also experience confusion, fear, and anxiety.
Acute trauma can cause profound, complex symptoms and, in some cases, may lead to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Chronic trauma
Also called complex trauma or C-PTSD, chronic trauma occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to distressing, stressful, or traumatic events.
Unlike single-incident trauma, individuals with chronic or complex trauma are often exposed to ongoing traumatic events, including abuse, neglect, or living in violent or unstable environments.
Chronic trauma, particularly when left untreated, can lead to significant emotional, psychological, and physiological upset and distress due to its cumulative effects.
Complex trauma survivors often require a combination of treatments that help stabilise and ground them.
These may include psychoeducation and other grounding techniques as part of an integrated program, alongside somatic therapy, EMDR, behavioural therapies, and other appropriate interventions.
Developmental trauma
Developmental trauma often develops due to adverse experiences that occur during critical developmental stages of life, such as adolescence and childhood, including exposure to domestic violence, abandonment, or parental incarceration.
These experiences may disrupt and impair an individual’s cognitive development, emotional regulation skills, and ability to form healthy attachments with others.
Developmental trauma can lead to various adverse outcomes that continue to affect an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being, requiring them to seek treatment from a mental health professional.
As well as the above, other types of trauma can have a profound impact on an individual’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being, including:
- Interpersonal trauma
- Secondary trauma (also called vicarious trauma)
- Community trauma
- Historical trauma
The long-lasting impact of unresolved trauma
Unresolved trauma leaves a profound imprint on the mind, body, and spirit, leading to various negative outcomes for those impacted, including PTSD, complex trauma, and addiction, to name just a few.
Therefore, to live a joyous, healthy, balanced life, individuals must engage in the process of healing and working toward bringing the nervous system back into regulation instead of resorting to old, unhelpful habits and ways of thinking.
Therapies such as somatic experiencing, EMDR, behavioural therapies, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, internal family systems, psychodynamic treatment, and music and art therapy are effective treatments used to treat trauma and its many impacts.
How Do We Treat Trauma?
At Camino Recovery, our friendly, supportive clinical team utilises a variety of evidence-based treatment approaches to trauma healing.
The research found that experiential therapies (i.e., those that involve some activity rather than just talking) are particularly effective in treating trauma.
These treatments include:
Camino Recovery offers this sort of ‘non-invasive’ type of therapy because unaddressed trauma is the key contributor to stress, which, in turn, is the leading cause of relapse/recidivism of unhealthy choices in people’s lives.
Simply put, when you resolve your trauma, you resolve the underlying problem. Thus, you will no longer feel the need to resort to self-destructive patterns of behaviour to help you cope.
Our goal is to help you not only survive your trauma but ultimately go on to thrive.
Contact our friendly team today to learn more about our trauma treatment programs and kick-start your journey toward lasting wellness and recovery.
After all, you owe yourself that gift.
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