Trauma
The Effects of Trauma
Trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter our sense of security, making us feel helpless and in danger.
The traumatic experience can often involve a threat to life but any situation that leaves us feeling overwhelmed can be traumatic, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It is essential that the trauma is recognized and proper support put in place to deal with the effects of trauma on our health.
"We should not forget that it was the symptoms manifested by soldiers returning from combat that the effects of trauma were first recognized."
What is Trauma?
What people that experience trauma have in common is that they feel that their lives are threatened. If you overload an electrical system with too much energy and too much stimulation, the circuit breaker activates and shuts everything down. The human nervous system is also an electrical system.
When it is overloaded with too much stimulation and too much danger - as in trauma, it shuts down to just basics. The body is unable to take in the enormity of the situation and unable to process the emotions. Freeze is a common reaction to a traumatic event, It can support our capacity to survive the event.
Coping Strategies.
When trauma occurs either past or present, we have ways of coping with it.We might “disconnect” from it, doubt it ever happened. We may be in denial, we may pretend we’re not hurt, We may feel shame, and keep these feelings locked up inside us. We can shut off the part of us that feels vulnerable, in danger, that’s angry, or that feels like a victim. We may hide or dissociate this part of us. And we “get on with” life.
Life continues until something triggers a post traumatic implicit memory, then we can feel our lives are in danger, and we can feel fear, shame and anger. These feelings can be interpreted as deep seated inadequacy, low self control or esteem. People wonder what is wrong with them. They can blame themselves for their failings, be deeply judgmental of themselves. Often the result is to hide away, not talk, fear life and do their best to keep themselves “safe”.
Common Experiences
Intellectually, you can lose from 50-90% of brain capacity - which is why you should never make an important decision when you are in the trauma ‘zone’. People describe it as feeling numb, in shock or dead inside. We can still carry out all the responsibilities of our everyday lives, with the trauma of the past becoming a closed book.
- spiritually - we are disconnected
- we don’t want to talk about the trauma
- we find it difficult to reach out for help
- we don’t know what’s happening
- we cannot manage our emotions
It is not the objective facts that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.
Birth trauma
Loss of Family
A breakup
Violence
War/Conflict
Natural Disasters
Serious Illness
Surgery
Accidents
Moving Country
Divorce
Bullying
Anxiety
Panic
Fear of Authority
Easily frightened
Racing mind
Sleeplessness
Worry
Fidgety
Working too much
Diffuculty trusting
Fear of new situations
Needing routine
Fear of future
Dwelling on past
Unable to make eye contact
Accredited Counsellor and Supervisor
087 939 2197
Bridget Haren DIP/MIACP/SEP
It is this story that is stored in the body
So we devise a story that explains it to ourselves, that gives us a sense of control over it.
DIP, MIACP , SEP
About Bridget Haren
Bridget offers Energy Healing to support and deepen the counselling experience. Her many qualifications include healing techniques such as meditation and visualization. Click the button below to learn more about Bridget.
DIP, MIACP, SEP
About Bridget Haren
Bridget Haren has worked in the counselling field for over 30 years. After being a stay at home mum, for many years Bridget returned to education and trained as a psychotherapist, working first with victims and their families experiencing Domestic Abuse, and then establishing her own company Spectrum Counselling. Spectrum meaning wholeness, mind, body, emotions, spiritual as all playing a part in our total health.
Bridget is an entuitive empath who very quickly tunes into the energy of the person she’s working with and with her gentle and nurturing approach people generally relax and feel they are in safe hands. Patterns, trauma, stuckness in relationships/life are cleared, releasing life force energy thus enabling clarity of ones life path.
During a long and varied career, Bridget has also followed her own path towards greater awareness and expansion. Seeking to find answers to life’s questions has let her to study and explore many modalities, and paths to easing the suffering in the world. Her curiosity and openness to learning has led her to gain expert qualifications in Trauma release, EMDR, meditation, relationship issues, and energy healing.
As an accredited member of IACP (Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) she is constantly upgrading her skills and doing personal process work. She is fascinated and intrigued by the current research and findings in Neuroscience and the body mind connection.
She believes in the theory that everything that happens to us is held in the body, so her approach to counselling and psychotherapy is to gently guide and faciliate the release of the 'held' trauma from the Nervous System. This work is done at the individuals own pace, in a safe nurturing environment, thus avoiding any overwhelm or retraumatising.
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087 939 2197