Sarah Farmer, M.A., Certified Trauma Integration Practitioner
What Is Trauma?
Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.
The effects of trauma include adverse physical, social, emotional, or spiritual consequences.
Trauma can:
Cause short and long-term effects.
Affect coping responses, relationships, or developmental tasks.
Impact physiological responses, well-being, social relationships, and/or spiritual beliefs.
Common trauma responses include:
Blowing up when being corrected
Fighting when criticized or teased
Resisting transitions or change
Very protective of personal space
Reckless or self-destructive behavior
Frequently seeking attention
Reverting to younger behaviors
Panic attacks
Risky behaviors
Nightmares or sleeping problems
Sensitive to noise or to being touched
Fear of being separated from family
Difficulty trusting others
Feeling very sad, angry, afraid; emotional swings
Unexplained medical problems
Psychological
Confusing what is safe and what is dangerous
Trouble focusing or concentrating
Difficulty imagining
Always expecting something bad to happen
Not remembering periods of your life
Feeling emotionally numb
Lack of concentration; irritability
Excessive watchfulness, anxiety, anger, shame, or sadness about the future
Hopelessness
Substance abuse
Dissociation
But healing IS POSSIBLE!