Is This You? Possible Trauma Responses

Often the root cause of the above symptoms is a combination of trauma related biological/neurological effects and irrational beliefs developed in response to traumatic situations. A trauma is a sudden, unexpected, distressful experience that exceeds the person's perceived ability to deal with and disrupts the person's view of themselves and others in a safe environment. The person is often left with feelings of helplessness, loss of control, shame and fear. (Trauma, at least temporarily, stunts a person's psychological growth.)

When a person cannot fight or flee a distressful situation, their system of self-protection becomes over whelmed and chaotic. Each component of the ordinary response to danger (fight, flight, freeze) having lost its ability to function, tends to stay in an altered and exaggerated state long after the danger is gone. Traumatic events can cause profound and lasting changes in emotion, thought, physiological arousal and memory. These normally integrated functions are likely to be severed from one another resulting in a variety of symptoms that are disconnected from their source and take on a life of their own.

There are two different levels of trauma: Big "T" traumas and small "t" traumas.

Big "T" traumas could include:

childhood abuse and neglect
sexual abuse/assault
natural disasters
critical events such as accidents, crime, fire
birth trauma, childhood illness/surgery

Other events that may cause traumatic symptoms but may not appear as intense could include:

being bullied/gossiped about at school
death of a loved one/or a pet
frequently moving /changing schools
poverty
parental alcoholism/other addictions
parental physical or mental illness
domestic violence/divorce of parents

Small "t" traumas often occur in childhood when one felt overwhelmed, confused, powerless or shamed. Teased by classmates, scolded by an authority figure, embarrassed by a hurtful comment, left out of a social group, any of these events can be small "t" traumas. Seemingly perceived as unimportant when we're adults, they can still be causing significant stress and other symptoms in our lives.

Trauma experiences stay stored in our bodies. If we don't release these memories, we can experience a variety of symptoms. We seem to have a cultural norm that says we SHOULD 'TOUGH IT OUT', acting as though nothing happened and we SHOULD BE ABLE TO MANAGE, no matter how severe. But GUESS WHAT? The trauma response, which is now frozen in our bodies, will continue to generate ever-worsening emotional, physical and behavioral problems, unless we release it. The good news, is YOU CAN RELEASE YOUR TRAUMA!!!!

Most talk therapy approaches cannot adequately address the components that are necessary to successfully resolve past traumatic memories; however, a combination of talk therapy and energy therapies, often can. It is this combination that I have found most effective. Using a holistic approach, I help you tap into your innately, powerful healing energy. All of us are wired to keep moving towards health and you are no exception, no matter how wounded you feel. Your first step is to acknowledge your need and desire to heal from your traumatic past.

CALL NOW for your appointment: 859-292-8888.

"The repressed memory is like a noisy intruder being thrown out of the concert hall. You can throw him out, but he will hang on the door and continue to disturb the concert."

- Theodore Reir