Psychological trauma occurs to some people directly following a particularly traumatic event. A traumatic event can happen once or can be a series of repeated events that end up completely overwhelming an individual’s ability to cope with the surrounding emotions.

Understanding Trauma & PTSD

Learn More About Trauma & PTSD

The feelings resulting from a traumatic event may become apparent right away or may not manifest for weeks or years later. This depends on the individual as well as the event.

Typically, shock and denial are the most common responses right after an event in an attempt to protect the psyche. Shock is the rapid and intense disturbance of normal emotional states that leaves an individual feeling completely dazed and confused. Denial on the other hand is completely acting as if the event never occurred. Additionally, many individuals feel emotionally numb. Once the initial symptoms of shock and denial subside, reactions will vary among individuals. People react differently to traumatic events; what can cause significant psychological trauma in one person may may not in another who has experienced the same event.

Psychological trauma can lead to serious long-term consequences. It is important that individuals who are suffering from severe traumatic reactions not blame themselves for their reactions. That instead they realize this is a perfectly normal reaction to such a horrible event. It is not clear why some individuals react so strongly to certain events, but it is very common for trauma victims to blame themselves.

If you are struggling from the aftereffects of trauma, the most important thing for you to remember is that you are a normal person who is struggling to make sense of an abnormal situation.

Trauma can be brought on by a variety of events. Typical causes for the development of psychological trauma may include the following:

Falls
Exposure to violence
Sexual assault/rape
Sexual abuse
Sports injuries
Vehicle accidents
Harassment
Domestic abuse
Natural disasters – earthquakes, deadly tornadoes, volcanos
Police brutality
War or combat injuries
Extreme poverty
Kidnapping
Sudden death of a loved one
Adult children of alcoholics

Co-Occurring Disorders

Learn About Co-Occurring Disorders

Many individuals who have experience intense trauma may develop serious co-occurring disorders following the traumatic event. These types of co-occurring disorders may include:

Anxiety disorders
Alcoholism
Substance abuse disorders
Depressive disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder

Causes

Causes of Trauma & PTSD

Just as there is no set course for grief and grieving, there’s not one set way in which individuals will react to the stress associated with a traumatic event. Everyone reacts to traumatic experiences differently. Some may experience symptoms immediately while others may take longer before they begin to notice symptoms. Reactions to trauma do vary over time. Factors affecting recovery include the following:

The severity of the traumatic event
Event completely unexpected
Unprepared for the event
Repeated trauma
The event was unnecessarily cruel
The trauma occurred in childhood
Amount of loss sustained
The overall ability for an individual to cope with stressful emotional situations
Stressful events which may have preceded the traumatic experience

Risk Factors for Psychological Trauma

Not all traumatic events cause traumatic reactions for all individuals. Certain people are more apt to rebound more quickly from trauma while others are devastated by the same event. There are a number of risk factors increasing the likelihood an individual will suffer from traumatic stress following an event. These include:

Burden of stress
Recent losses in interpersonal life
Feeling unstable and unsafe in the environment
Serious illness
Abuse – sexual, physical, verbal, emotional, financial
Domestic violence
Bullying
Intrusive medical procedures

Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms of Trauma & PTSD

Many individuals who undergo very traumatic events often struggle with a variety of different symptoms after the event. The severity of these symptoms depends upon the person, the type of traumatic event experienced, and the emotional support received. Symptoms can be varied and differ from person to person and are not always experienced in the same way by all individuals. Common symptoms of trauma include:

Mood symptoms: