When someone experiences an event or situation that causes extreme negative emotions, like fear or stress, they may develop trauma.

What is Trauma?

Traumatic events are pretty common. In fact, 62% of adults experienced a traumatic event during their childhood.

However, certain groups are more likely to experience trauma. Women and racial minority groups experience, on average, more than four traumatic events during their childhood.

While most traumatic events impact someone’s physical, mental, emotional, social, and/or spiritual health, some trauma causes more issues than others.

Early childhood trauma produces more negative long-term outcomes than late childhood trauma. Likewise, unpredictable events, like natural disasters, in adulthood cause similarly negative outcomes.

Twenty per cent of people who experience a traumatic event will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTSD involves trauma symptoms that persist or escalate after a traumatic event and interfere with a person’s daily life.

If someone experiences a one-time traumatic event, they may develop PTSD. If someone experiences a long-term pattern of traumatic events, they may develop complex PTSD, which is more severe than regular PTSD.

Trauma has short and long-term effects on a person’s personality, sense of security, emotional health, and interpersonal skills.

Effects of Trauma

Short-Term Effects of Trauma

Trauma has many short-term symptoms.

Shock and denial
Difficulty processing the traumatic event
Feelings of sadness, fear, shame, and guilt
Numbness
Irritability
Nightmares about the event
Racing heart, sweating, and other physical symptoms of anxiety
Low self-esteem (especially if the trauma impacted your physical body)
Worse performance at school and/or work
Difficulty concentrating

Kids who experience trauma may develop separation anxiety as a short-term response.

Long-Term Effects of Trauma

Trauma is typically associated with more long-term symptoms.

Less ability to control emotions
Being overly aware of potential threats/danger
Being easily startled
Experiencing flashbacks of the traumatic event
Difficulty interacting with others and maintaining relationships
Increased risk of depression and anxiety
More likely to experience chronic pain, chest pain, headaches, and chronic lung disease
Difficulty sleeping
Suicidal ideation and intention
More likely to turn to alcohol and other substances as coping mechanisms

The symptom severity that someone experiences depends on different factors.

If they have a strong support system, they will experience fewer long-term symptoms.

If the individual experiences multiple traumatic events, they may experience more extreme symptoms.

And when exposure to trauma occurs earlier in life, the risk of developing chronic physical health conditions increases.

A person hugs another person who is healing from trauma

Phases of Healing from Trauma

Trauma recovery has three stages.

1. Safety and Stabilization

This stage encourages the person to learn how to feel safe in their body, surroundings, and relationships.

Once they regain a sense of safety, they can learn to stabilize and regulate their emotions.

This reduces any uncontrollable emotional reactivity caused by the traumatic event.

2. Remembrance and Mourning

This stage pushes people to reflect on the trauma they experienced and any associated emotions.

Having a safe space to express your emotions fully and process your trauma can feel relieving.

Sharing and feeling your emotions encourages healing.

By properly mourning your loss, you can move toward the next stage of recovery.

3. Reconnection and Integration

The final stage of recovery promotes reintegration and empowerment.

Once you have processed your emotions and grief, you can start reconnecting with yourself and others.

The effects of trauma will not go away completely, but you can learn to integrate the loss into your new life.

You can empower yourself with your reconnection.

Tips for Healing from Trauma

1. Do not get angry with yourself

Trauma is difficult to cope with. The effects of trauma can feel all-consuming.

So, the first tip is to avoid beating yourself up if you are struggling to cope.

It can feel isolating to cope with trauma.

If you cope in an unhealthy way once or twice, do not get angry with yourself. Give yourself some grace.

2. Do not avoid your trauma

Avoiding your trauma and emotions can feel easier than confronting it. But ignoring the trauma does not heal it – it just prolongs your grief.

You do not have to completely expose yourself to the stress you experienced all at once.

Gradually exploring the event and your emotions can help you become comfortable with your grief.

3. Build a routine

Traumatic events can sometimes erase a person’s sense of control. Developing a routine can help you regain that control.

Following a morning routine, night routine, or even a daily routine can promote a sense of normalcy and predictability.

It is easier to feel safe when you are familiar with what comes next in your day.

Having a routine can also encourage you to take care of yourself when you feel depressed or overwhelmed.

4. Strengthen your community

Resilience is an important trait for recovery. To build resilience, develop a stronger support system.

Reach out to friends, family, and other loved ones. Strengthening your relationships ensures you can lean on others for support when needed.

Strong connections with your loved ones promote resiliency and can help you move forward from your trauma.

5. Engage in expressive writing

If you are looking for a way to express yourself fully, consider expressive writing.

Expressive writing, like journalling, can provide a safe and secure space to release your thoughts.

Writing creatively about your trauma and experiences can also help you process your loss and grief.

It can even increase your resiliency, as you can write about the empowered future you want to live.

A person journals to help with healing from trauma

6. Practice mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness techniques can help you stay in the present moment.

Often, survivors of traumatic events experience flashbacks related to their trauma. These flashbacks can be frightening and distressing.

Mindfulness techniques, like breathing strategies or emotion focused tapping, can ground you if you are struggling to cope.

7. Attend therapy

The final tip for recovering from trauma is to attend therapy.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and trauma-informed therapy are very helpful for those with trauma.

CBT is the most effective approach for treating PTSD. This style of therapy promotes change in a person’s thought patterns, which then change their emotional and behavioural patterns.

By changing traumatic thought patterns, you can reduce your long-term trauma symptoms.

Trauma-informed therapy recognizes the unique coping strategies that those with PTSD may use.

Those with PTSD are more likely to use maladaptive coping behaviours. A trauma-informed therapist would understand without judgment.

This neutrality helps clients learn healthier coping strategies without feeling ashamed of their past coping strategies.

Therapy can help you learn your triggers, prevent flashbacks, and control your symptoms.

It can help you regain your sense of security, self-control, and independence. You deserve that.

If you are looking for support after experiencing a traumatic event or are dealing with symptoms of PTSD, we’re here for you. Click the link below to learn more about the services offered by Toronto Therapy Practice.

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