We tend to think of trauma as something that occurs because of a serious physical event that happened to us at some point in our lives. Most of the time we equate it to instances of physical abuse or sexual abuse. However, that’s not always the case. When an individual experiences emotional abuse or neglect, [...]

  Everything about our lives is made up of social networks. Think about the relationships you have (or wish you had) with your friends and family members. Those people offer you the social support you need and they provide you with a social structure for your life. These connections with people are very important to [...]

  For someone who isn’t trying to cope with a traumatic event in his or her past, it’s normal to spend a fair amount of time being “on guard” and ready to defend. In fact, this is the case for all mammals, and in most cases, human beings aren’t much different. However, there comes a [...]

  People respond to trauma in a variety of different ways because no two people are the same. Our brains are all very unique, and while some people respond with a type of panic response, others are only able to offer a blank stare and minimal conversation. Perhaps you’ve been through a traumatic event in [...]

  When you have been through a traumatic event in your life, it’s common for you to experience a type of overreaction whenever you have a trigger. Perhaps you can relate to that, but you struggle to realize why there seems to be a connection between the way you feel and the events that have [...]

  When you suffer from trauma, it’s often helpful for you when you can understand why you respond to certain stimuli in certain ways. For many trauma victims, their brains interpret dangerous situations, or what they perceive to be dangerous situations in entirely different ways than others do. The questions are:   What exactly happens [...]

  Many traumatic experiences occur in childhood. It’s very common for a child to experience something when he’s young only to have it leave a lasting, traumatic effect on him for the rest of his life. These experiences can be major, such as a severe physically abusive relationship with a parent, or they can be [...]

  If you’re a victim of trauma, you may have noticed that one of the things you experience from time to time is the inability to speak. This probably happens whenever you come across something that triggers a flashback. Your body responds by eliciting a type of panic response and you immediately experience physical symptoms [...]

  In continuing to understand trauma and how it affects someone who has undergone a traumatic event in his or her life, it’s important to consider the brain’s physiological response and how that can affect a person’s emotional state.   Time is not a Factor   Trauma, when it is left untreated, has no regard [...]

In previous posts, we worked on forming an understanding about what trauma is and how it can affect your day-to-day life. Whether the event that caused the trauma was a major one or a minor one, the trauma itself is not limited to that event alone. It’s actually the impression or the imprint that has [...]