Trauma has become a popularly used word. So much so that many have questioned if it has been overused. David Brooks recently opined the same sentiment in The New York Times entitled, “Hey, America, Grow Up!” To alleviate confusion, this article provides an explanation of the three main types of trauma and the very real health impacts, along with some suggestions for treatment.
Trauma at a Glance
Acute Trauma - You’ve been in an accident, explosion, natural or manmade disaster, assault, and/or witnessed a death(s). The jolt is so severe that it knocks out memory and leaves you in a state of shock.
Chronic Stress Induced Trauma - You’ve encountered multiple severe stressors and traumatic exposures, yet no memory was lost. The stressors add-up and your former coping skills are not working. This is a danger zone for adopting maladaptive coping methods like addiction and anger outbursts—and rupturing immune defenses which lead to disease.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - PTSD can result from acute trauma exposure and chronic stress induced trauma. It can also be a latent condition that stems from childhood maltreatment. Some conditions and experiences can be triggering and pull a person back in time to the original trauma. Or a person can re-enact aspects of the trauma.
Trauma and Disease
Stress & Trauma Rewire the Brain - Living in hypervigilance, anxiety, fear, and depression are common with trauma and chronic stress exposures. Decision-making is altered and the person is living in a constant state of threat and reacting from a fight-flight-or freeze response.
Alteration Occur at the DNA level - The complex reactions to chronic stress and trauma exposure can turn on DNA while up-regulating and down-regulating DNA and neural activity in negative ways. Some of these include behavioral (like being more prone to addiction, isolation, and altered cognitions) and others can activate disease.
A Defeated Immune System - Chronic stress and trauma can shove the immune system into overdrive and disrepair. The result is chronic inflammation and an open door to viruses, infections, and diseases.
Treating Trauma
See a Therapist Trained in Trauma Treatment - While it would be nice to see a therapist, a therapist trained in trauma treatment understands the impact a listener can have when a person is recounting their trauma. The key is for each person to purposely relax their muscles like wet noodles when listening and when recounting a story. This can help to avoid re-traumatization and the inadvertent reinforcement of fear pathways through mirror neurons.
Exercises to Do at Home – Journal about the grief in your own handwriting. You can also write a story about the experience to process the feelings. Creating art can also be powerful. Meditation and yoga can also help. All of these activities are particularly powerful as they help access and balance nervous system responses that run counter to the fight, flight, or freeze response of the sympathetic nervous system.
Recipe for Heart Meditations – As you sit and take slow deep breaths in and out, try to access the energy of your heart and feel it open. Fill it with warmth and compassion and let that energy feeling expand and encircle your whole body. Focus on compassion and gratitude for every cell in your body with each breath. After a while, you can expand the feelings of compassion and gratitude for your loved ones, community, and the world around you.
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