We are often contacted by survivors of abusive programs who are haunted by nightmares, have anxiety attacks for no apparent reason, can't keep a job or stay in school, and have serious problems maintaining healthy relationships.

Of those who seek professional help, many are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD.

If you are suffering from the following symptoms, please consider contacting a qualified mental-health professional.

Don't let life pass you by.

Emotional Trauma

Traumatic events can take a serious emotional toll on people, even if the event did not cause physical harm.

All emotional trauma contains three common elements:

It was unexpected

The victim was unprepared

There was nothing the victim could do to prevent it from happening

It is not the event that determines whether something traumatizes a person. It is the individual's experience of the event. And no one can predict how a particular person will react to an event.

Why can an event cause an emotionally traumatic response in one person and not in another?

There is no definite answer to this question, but it is likely that one or more of these factors are involved:

The severity of the event

The victims's personal history (which may not even be recalled)

The larger meaning the event represents for the victim (which may not be immediately evident)

Coping skills, values and beliefs held by the victim (some of which may have never been identified)

The reactions and support from family, friends, and/or professionals

Anyone can become traumatized. Developing symptoms is never a sign of weakness. Symptoms should be taken seriously and steps should be taken to heal, just as one would take action to heal from a physical ailment. And just as with a physical condition, the amount of time or assistance needed to recover from emotional trauma will vary from one person to another.

Symptoms of Emotional Trauma

There are common effects or conditions that may occur following a traumatic event. Sometimes these responses can be delayed, for months or even years after the event. Often people do not initially associate their symptoms with the precipitating trauma. The following are symptoms that may result from a more commonplace, unresolved trauma, especially if there were earlier, overwhelming life experiences:

Physical

• Eating disturbances (more or less than usual)
• Sleep disturbances (more or less than usual)
• Sexual dysfunction
• Low energy
• Chronic, unexplained pain

Emotional

• Depression, spontaneous crying, despair and hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Fearfulness
• Obsessive and compulsive behaviors
• Feeling out of control
• Irritability, anger and resentment
• Emotional numbness
• Withdrawal from normal routine and relationships

Cognitive

• Memory lapses, especially about the trauma
• Difficulty making decisions
• Decreased ability to concentrate
• Feeling distracted

The following additional symptoms of emotional trauma are commonly associated with a severe precipitating event, such as a natural disaster, exposure to war, rape, assault, violent crime, major car or airplane crashes, or child abuse. Extreme symptoms can also occur as a delayed reaction to the traumatic event.

Re-experiencing the trauma

• Intrusive thoughts
• Flashbacks or nightmares
• Sudden floods of emotions or images related to the traumatic event

Emotional numbing and avoidance

• Amnesia
• Avoidance of situations that resemble the initial event
• Detachment
• Depression
• Guilt feelings
• Grief reactions
• An altered sense of time

Increased arousal

• Hyper-vigilance, jumpiness, an extreme sense of being "on guard"
• Overreactions, including sudden unprovoked anger
• General anxiety
• Insomnia
• Obsessions with death

Effects of Emotional Trauma

Common personal and behavioral effects of emotional trauma:

• Substance abuse

• Compulsive behavior patterns

• Self-destructive and impulsive behavior

• Uncontrollable reactive thoughts

• Inability to make healthy professional or lifestyle choices

• Dissociative symptoms ("splitting off" parts of the self)

• Feelings of ineffectiveness, shame, despair, hopelessness

• Feeling permanently damaged

• A loss of previously sustained beliefs

Common effects of emotional trauma on interpersonal relationships:

• Inability to maintain close relationships or choose appropriate friends and mates

• Sexual problems

• Hostility

• Arguments with family members, employers or co-workers

• Social withdrawal

• Feeling constantly threatened

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms last more than one month.

Depression, alcohol or other substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders may accompany PTSD. Treatment is most successful when these other conditions are diagnosed and treated as well.

Persons with PTSD may suffer from headaches, gastrointestinal upset, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain, or discomfort in other parts of the body.

Treatment Of Trauma

Traditional approaches to treating emotional trauma include:

• Talk therapies (working out the feelings associated with the trauma)

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy
• Relaxation/stress reduction techniques, such as biofeedback and breathwork

• Hypnosis

Medications to treat depression and anxiety and help promote sleep may be prescribed.

Sources: helpguide.org and the National Mental Health Association

Additional Information

National Mental Health Association

Healing Resources

Sidran Institute

American Psychological Association

National Institute of Mental Health

helpguide.org

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