One of the main goals of the Trauma Chat Podcast, created by Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, is to help listeners identify whether or not trauma is impacting their lives so that they can take control of their own healing journeys. This trauma podcast episode will help to explain more about the effects of trauma.
On last week’s episode of Trauma Chat, Laura explained:
“Trauma can be very insidious and show up in a lot of ways in these repeating patterns in our lives.”
Laura Reagan, Trauma Chat Episode Two
In this week’s episode, Laura went into more depth surrounding how trauma shows up in people’s lives.
Effects of Trauma and Common Ways That it Shows Up In Our Lives
1. Feeling angry, depressed, or anxious.
Experiencing a traumatic event can have long-term effects on our mood. An inability to integrate the experience into the rest of our life can leave us feeling hopeless and worried about whether or not we will ever be able to move on from the event.
2. A sense of isolation.
A sense of isolation is a feeling that you are very alone in the world. Those with a sense of isolation can feel like there is no one that cares about them, no one wants to hear about their problems, and that there is no one who can help them to feel better. Oftentimes those with a sense of isolation feel this way despite having friends and family who do care about them.
3. Issues with sleep.
Those who have experienced trauma often experience long-term sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances include waking up in the middle of the night with a sense of panic, trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, having nightmares when you are finally able to sleep, and more. Children who have undergone trauma can frequently experience sleepwalking and have night terrors, however, these things can happen with adults as well.
4. Physical aches and pains and muscle tension
People tend to really begin feeling the physical effects of trauma in middle age as a result of repeatedly holding in their feelings. Physical effects of unaddressed trauma can include headaches, migraines, shoulder, back pain, hip pain, and other forms of muscle tension.
5. Chronic pain, chronic illness, and autoimmune disorders.
The development of chronic pain, chronic illness, and autoimmune disorders have all been shown to be highly correlated with the experience of childhood trauma. To learn more about this connection check out our therapy chat podcast episode.
6. Experiencing flashbacks and intrusive thoughts/memories.
A flashback is when you are remembering something that you went through that was emotionally painful and it feels like you are being forced to watch the event playback, despite a strong urge to stop thinking about the event. Flashbacks can fall into the category of intrusive thoughts and memories, which is when you have repetitive, unwanted thoughts popping into your head for seemingly no reason.
7. Depersonalization and derealization.
Depersonalization and derealization are types of dissociation. When experiencing depersonalization and derealization, you may feel like you are not in your body or feel as if you are unreal. To learn more about dissociation, listen to episode 212 of Therapy Chat titled, All About Dissociation.
8. Feeling on edge, hyper-alert, watchful, or on guard.
Those who have undergone trauma often feel like they have to be on alert for the next time they are in a dangerous situation. This can make it really hard to focus and can lead to problems with attention.
9. Self harming behaviors.
Self-harming behaviors include cutting, burning, skin picking, and trichotillomania, which is an obsessive urge to pull your hair out.
10. Eating disorders.
It is very likely for someone who has undergone trauma to develop an eating disorder later in life. To learn more about the relationship between trauma and eating disorders, listen to Episode 229 of Therapy Chat, titled: “Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating During Covid.”
The above list represents ten ways that trauma can show up in our lives, but it is nowhere near all-encompassing. If you recognize some of the symptoms mentioned above, it is possible that you may be affected by trauma.
Learn more about our qualified trauma therapists with a range of different specialties.
Find a Trauma Therapist in Our Directory
If you’re ready to find the trauma therapist that is going to help you have a breakthrough then check out our online therapy directory. Know that we are regularly adding therapists to our directory. Therefore, the list will only continue to grow. To get started follow these steps:
- Head to our find a therapist page.
- Begin looking for a therapist in your area and select one that is a good fit.
- Visit their website and learn about our therapists.
- Get in touch and begin finding hope and healing!
*If you’re a trauma therapist who wants to help others understand the effects of trauma on their lives, our directory is for you. If you’re looking to be a resource for individuals needing help, learn about our directory. Then, visit our page to get set up as a therapist today!
Resources to Learn More About The Effects of Trauma:
- The Body Keeps The Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explains the history of the PTSD diagnosis; summarizes the research on trauma and the effect of trauma on us and describes many healing methods to recover from trauma.
- When the Body Says No by Dr. Gabor Maté is about the mind-body connection in relation to chronic illness.
- Trauma and Recovery by Dr. Judith Herman describes how repeated traumas can lead to complex PTSD.
Additional Resources on The Trauma Therapist Network
Leave a message with a question to be included in a future episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/traumachatpod
Follow Trauma Chat on Instagram: www.instagram.com/traumachatpod
Follow Trauma Therapy Coaching & Consulting on Facebook: www.facebook.com/traumatherapyconsulting
Get more information on Trauma Chat at: www.traumachatpod.com. Sign up for the email list to stay in touch and receive a free gift!
Find A Trauma Therapist Near Me: www.traumatherapistnetwork.com – a community for finding information, resources, and help for trauma.
To listen to Laura’s other podcast, Therapy Chat, go to: www.therapychatpodcast.com
If you like Trauma Chat please go to iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trauma-chat-podcast/id1571301677 and leave a rating and review and subscribe to receive each episode as soon as it comes out.
