Panache

 Trauma is the least talked about topic. And yet it restructures and redefines so much in life. It not only affects your relationship with others but to a certain extent with yourself.

Understanding these areas can prove life saving for you. Therefore, below are certain aspects to explain how trauma can impact you.

Also Read: What is PTSD? Do you have the signs of it?

Mental impact.

Many people don’t pay much attention to the mental impact of trauma. As the signs are mostly subtle. But the person gone through trauma can suffer mentally without even showing any signs. People who have gone through a lot may not able to fully comprehend why they are feeling the way they are.

Below are some signs that either immediate trauma or events experienced during early childhood still affects you.

Anxiety, Depression, or Panic attacks.

One of the biggest signs is you feel uncomfortable around anything related to it. This may be dismissed concerning your personality type. But if you feel anxious when your brain thinks about anything around that event, it may be a big sign.

Depression from trauma is most overlooked in today’s world. Most people think that they have not been doing something significant or productive. And that is the reason why they have suffered depression for so long. Only they are unaware that it was their trauma that was holding them back from experiencing better things in life.

For example, an adult who has experienced sexual abuse as a kid may not be comfortable around romantic relationships or intimacy. They may feel anxious about making physical relationships with their partners. At the same time, if they do not get an understanding partner, they must remain single for a long time. There are chances that they find themselves unsuitable for love and thus fall into depression.

Also Read: 10 main causes of depression.

Hypervigilance.

Similarly, over-alertness around something is also considered as one of the biggest signs of the mental impact of trauma. This is commonly seen among soldiers who come back after war or combat. They not only remain alert but may always stay in fight or flight mode.

Similarly, if you have had trauma around certain incidents. Or you are a sensitive person. You may overthink things so much that you anticipate that something bad will happen anytime. The sad news is just a phone call away. You may find your anxiety rising as soon as the phone rings or someone contacts you.

Blackouts or Nightmares.

When something traumatic happens, and the brain comprehends the incident as one of those that can be harmful to its existence, it tends to compartmentalize it or forget it. This may cause a blackout around the memory. Therefore, if you try to remember anything about the incident, there are chances that you don’t remember what happened. This is more common than people think. And is caused by the major mental impact due to trauma.

Nightmares are another sign that your brain has not processed a piece of certain information in a healthy way. Your subconscious brain is still trying to remind you that a certain incident happened. Nightmares are mostly the literal replays of the trauma. Depending on the dreams you are having it may also be a cry for help and a safe space.

Physical Impact.

 When something traumatic happens, most people look for the physical damage. But again, like mental impact, physical damages are not so visible. You may look for scratches, wounds, or hemorrhages. However, certain physical impacts go much deeper. Some of them are as follows.

Shrinking of the brain.

As the brain blacks out and tries to forget most of the traumatic memory. This mostly happens because the learning center of the brain or the hippocampus gets shrunk due to the impact.

This shrinkage of the brain may affect daily activities. As it may increase the cortisol levels (the stress hormones) towards the brain. It may shrink the hippocampus in both size and function. And may weaken the pre-frontal cortex that helps with decision-making.

Have you ever met someone who gets extremely stressed when they have to take a decision? It feels like they forget all the data and information and feel numb around making the smallest of choices in their day-to-day lives. Very often, that happens due to trauma.

This kind of trauma especially when it is not cured or remains unresolved can increase the chances of dementia.

Constant fatigue.

Do you feel that you don’t want to get out of bed? Or sometimes, you don’t want to get out of the house? Not because you are anti-social or want to avoid people at all costs. That is because you have gone through something so traumatic, that you start seeing these spaces as safe spaces. And don’t want to step out into the world.

Fatigue due to such traumatic experiences is like a coping mechanism. Your brain is so busy processing the traumatic event you just went through or saving you that you are never left with excess energy. You cannot even think of stepping out or going somewhere.

This constant fatigue is your flight, fight, or freeze response. Before, you even realize what has been causing it, you already start living on low energy and drag yourself through the day or your entire schedule.

Effect on the immune system.

Have you ever heard that trauma may severely affect your immune system? Any trauma may not be restricted to your mind. Its memory stays there but it affects your body and the nervous system.

The release of excess stress hormones may affect immunity severely. The flight/ fight mode can alert your adrenal system. So, you may feel burnout, hormonal imbalance, and fatigue. But the longer you will remain in this state the more it will affect your immunity.

You may experience signs like bad sleep patterns or no sleep at all. You may experience that you are disconnected from your body or feel an emotional drain. You feel sad or angry but don’t know why.

Inflammation, tight chest, feeling knots in certain parts of the body, shaking, headaches, stomach aches, or fever are some signs that are clear indications of physical impact due to trauma.

Emotional impact.

The emotional impact of a trauma is the least understood and observed and yet has the maximum influence on your health and your overall being. You may not be able to express it but you feel it all the time. It may show its presence in your behaviour and your life. You can find some examples of the emotional impact of trauma below:

Fear around something.

Why do you feel fear of certain things? You may be scared of a color or device just because you have experienced trauma around it in one way or the other. This fear is a clear indication of your unresolved feelings about it. This fear may affect your relationships, your career, and your life.

Hypervigilance as mentioned above is just a sort of fear. Some people may disregard it as irrational. But once they process their feelings in a healthy way, they will be able to comprehend it.

Fear as an emotional impact of trauma becomes so normal in your life that you accept it as part of life. But accepting it does not stop unhealthy patterns like overthinking, fear of abandonment, or sabotaging yourself from experiencing good things in life.

Emotional Numbness or Detachment.

The fear or stress you experience after emotional trauma can sometimes be so overwhelming that you start detaching yourself from feeling so stressed and hyper-alert all the time. After a prolonged period, you experience emotional numbness. You may not only stop defining your feelings but also stop feeling those emotions outright. And as a complex being with a range of emotions to experience, it cannot be categorized as healthy living.

When your brain comprehends something highly stressful or complex, it tends to keep you away from it. Hence, a pattern of detachment happens. This detachment may not happen from certain places, people, or times but also from your own emotions.

Guilt or shame.

In the case of sexual abuse survivors, they are often manipulated by the abusers into shame. They are being told that it is their fault to be like that. And they are dirty now since they have been involved in such activities. Many times, this manipulation happens to young minds that are not fully developed yet.

Thus, they live with that guilt and shame throughout their lives. Not only do they live their life not opening up about their trauma. They feel that they will be under heavy judgment and the world will see them as dirty and inhumane if they ever open up about their abuse.

Thus, guilt or shame becomes an emotional burden for these people. And they may never fully come out of it.

Spiritual impact.

Have you ever experienced something so moving that you started questioning your life? Not only your life choices but the very reason for your existence. Not many people think of spiritual impact of trauma. But many people lose their way after experiencing some traumatic experience in their lives.

Loss of meaning or purpose of life.

Many soldiers who have participated in wars experience this kind of trauma. Not only do they witness humanity and life getting destroyed first-hand. But when they see how perishable human life is, they often start searching for the meaning of life and its purpose all over again.

This dramatic shift is not only limited to soldiers and wars. However many CEOs, scientists, and spiritual gurus have gone through such experiences when they start questioning the true purpose of life and the reason for their existence.

One has to understand that it is okay to ask these questions after going through something moving or life-altering. And they should not shut down this side of them. Instead, they must explore and understand more. Thus, setting on a path of enlightenment.

Also Read: How to live an interesting life?

Positive impact.

 In his article published on Psychology Today, Dr. James F. Zender talks about an Air Force fighter Pilot named Brian. He went through a near death experience when he ejected himself out of a fighter plane but could not open his parachute on the way down.

In the moment when he thought he would open his eyes in the heaven, he found himself stuck in fire and ash. This time, he believed he will die by burning but he was saved and admitted to a military hospital. After 13 sugeries and over a year of bed rest. He admitted himself again to the military services and was appointed as one of the best officers on a special mission.

Dr Zender writes that sometimes trauma is not about the negative impact on body, mind, and soul. At times, it is about how it shapes you. You may be positively driven by it and thus mold your life into making something beautiful.

Conclusion

Most people are incapable of making lemonade out of lemons life throws at them. Some are sensitive and may take a lifetime in the pain of certain events in their lives. Make sure that you are not one of them.

Do not hesitate to talk to a friend or consult a therapist if you have experienced trauma in your life. It may be essential for you.