Understanding Emotional Trauma in Adults
“We don’t heal in isolation, but in community.”― S. Kelley Harrell
You’re not alone if you experience the effects of trauma. Over 90% of adults have endured a traumatic event. Unresolved trauma can cause harm to your mental health and physical well-being. That’s why reaching out for help at Ocean View Psychiatric Hospital is the first step to your journey of recovery.
What Is Emotional Trauma?
Trauma is a result of experiencing emotional distress from an event or situation that overwhelms your ability to process it emotionally. The event or situation can occur one time or can happen several times, and is perceived as extremely dangerous or life-threatening to yourself or a loved one. People analyze things differently, so what may seem dangerous or harmful to you may not be harmful to someone else. They can also have different reactions from you to the same events.
Trauma can occur after you have witnessed or experienced any of the following:
- Natural disasters
- Domestic or sexual assault
- War
- Child abuse
- Childhood trauma
Feeling afraid during or after a traumatic event is normal. Fear during a traumatic event is your body’s fight-or-flight response. This response protects you from responding or being around potential danger. Most people recover from a traumatic event, and their reactions will decrease over time. However, not everyone does.
Traumatic memories can be triggered by specific events, situations, or people long after the traumatic event occurred. Traumatic experiences can leave lasting emotional scars, affecting your daily life and well-being.
When you think about trauma, you may think about large-scale events like terrorism or catastrophic disasters. However, not all traumas are distressing events. You may have a series of less prominent events that are traumatic. The American Psychiatric Association published a guidebook to mental health disorders called The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In the DSM, the definition of big “T” traumas and little “t” traumas is as follows:
Big “T” Traumas
Big “T” traumas are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) traumas. These are the large-scale trauma events like being in a combat zone, natural disasters, sexual or physical violence, and devastating large-scale events. PTSD symptoms can include:
- Nightmares
- Anxiety disorders
- Flashbacks to the event
- Uncontrollable thoughts about the event
- Changes in mood
Little “t” Traumas
Little “t” traumas may not result in PTSD, but you can experience a lower quality of life and increased stress. Little “t” traumas disrupt your emotional functions and surpass your coping ability. While these events aren’t considered life-threatening or harmful, you can feel helpless because they are often ego-threatening. Some examples of little “t” traumas are:
- Infidelity
- Divorce
- Conflict with others
- Sudden or longer than expected relocation
- Legal issues
- Financial stressors
You may overlook these difficulties because you try to rationalize them and may shame yourself if you have a reaction you consider dramatic.
Symptoms of Emotional Trauma In Adults
Symptoms and signs of psychological trauma in adults can manifest themselves emotionally and physically. Signs of emotional trauma in adults present differently from one person to the next. It’s easy to see if someone was hurt or is healing when you see scars or the fading of a black and blue mark. However, emotional scars are easy to miss and can be mistaken for stress or personality quirks. When trauma goes undiagnosed, its effects can harm relationships, increase the risk of substance use, shape how you make decisions, and view your self-worth.
Deep emotional trauma has a profound and lasting effect on your well-being. Emotional trauma that comes from one or more relationships is especially damaging. If you endured emotional trauma in a relationship, you can have difficulty trusting others or struggle with intimacy.
Physical Symptoms of Trauma
Your body is affected by big “T” trauma and little “t” trauma. When you internalize the traumatic event(s), they can cause numerous physical sensations, including multiple physical sensations, including:
- Persistent fatigue or ongoing exhaustion
- Sleep difficulties or disruptions in sleep patterns
- Tension headaches or migraine episodes
- Muscle tension, soreness, or chronic pain
- Digestive issues, including stomachaches, nausea, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Fluctuations in appetite, such as overeating or reduced hunger
- Rapid heartbeat, palpitations, or discomfort in the chest
- Feeling breathless, experiencing hyperventilation, or struggling to breathe
- Episodes of dizziness, light-headedness, or faintness
- Skin conditions, such as rashes, hives, or eczema
Emotional Symptoms of Trauma
Whether a traumatic event is big or small, it can overwhelm you, leaving you unable to process it. When this happens, your emotional reactions can include:
- Intrusive memories or flashbacks connected to the traumatic event
- Overwhelming sensations of fear, anxiety, or panic
- Heightened awareness or being perpetually on guard for possible dangers (hypervigilance)
- Feelings of emotional numbness, detachment, or shutting down
- Challenges with focus or experiencing issues with memory
- Chronic feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or depression
- Self-criticism, self-blame, guilt, or shame connected to the traumatic experience
- Withdrawal from social interactions or isolation, steering clear of relationships, family members, or activities once enjoyed
- Intrusive thoughts, such as fear of hurting others, fear of self-harm, or sexual thoughts you think are inappropriate
Behavioral Symptoms of Trauma
After experiencing a traumatic event, your behavior patterns can change. You may not notice them, but family members and friends often notice the difference. Some behavior changes include:
- Avoidance of cues or reminders associated with the trauma
- Irritability, sudden anger, or emotional volatility (mood swings)
- Withdrawal from social interactions or isolation, steering clear of relationships, family members, or activities once enjoyed
- Substance abuse
Childhood Trauma
A child’s mental health condition can be negatively affected by a traumatic event. They may react to the event, like traumatic shock, which can lead to PTSD. However, not every child will have the same reaction to a traumatic event. Some children will feel helpless and have a lack of safety or stability.
Childhood trauma is when a child is exposed to an emotionally distressing or painful event. There are several types of childhood trauma. They can include:
- Acute trauma: Acute trauma is connected to a single event
- Chronic trauma: Chronic trauma happens if you’re repeatedly exposed to harmful events or situations
- Complex trauma: Complex trauma is linked to experiencing multiple traumatic events.
Examples of events that contribute to childhood trauma are:
- Childhood abuse (physical or sexual abuse)
- Emotional neglect
- Death of a parent
- Medical trauma
- Violence in the community
The severe events can create enduring effects on a child’s physical and mental health. These adverse effects can also impact their development.
Common Signs of Childhood Trauma in Adults
Trauma that occurs in childhood can have long-lasting effects. The signs of childhood trauma differ by age.
Preschool
- Bedwetting, thumb-sucking
- Nightmares or disturbances in sleep
- Persistent or excessive anxiety
- Difficulty separating from parents
Elementary School
- Flashbacks
- Intrusive thoughts about the event
- Reenacting the event through play or art
- Social isolation or withdrawal
- Difficulty concentrating
Middle & High School
- Persistent feelings of shame, self-blame, or guilt
- Emotional instability or mood swings
- Social withdrawal from their friends
- Avoiding activities or places connected with the traumatic event
The Impact of Emotional Trauma in Adulthood
The effects a traumatic event has on your life can create trauma-related issues. Emotional trauma can disrupt your life. The harmful effects can challenge relationships with your family, friends, and coworkers.
Effects on Relationships
A traumatic experience can change how you interact with a loved one. Two examples of these changes are:
- Pulling away because of a loss of trust
- Hypervigilance
Workplace Challenges and Performance Issues
Your behavior at work reflects your personal history. Unresolved childhood trauma can affect how you interact with your coworkers, manage challenges, and cope with responsibilities. Some examples of workplace challenges are:
- Fear of relying on others
- Overextending yourself
- Inability to set boundaries
- Difficulty with trust and authority
Long-Term Effects of Unaddressed Trauma
Trauma that isn’t addressed can be harmful to your mental and physical health. If you have signs of emotional trauma, you should seek help.
Seeking Professional Help for Emotional Trauma
Finding people who can support you when you feel overwhelmed by harmful emotions or behaviors is vital to your mental and physical health. An essential part of finding that support is seeking help from others.. At Ocean View, we offer guidance from our psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinicians. Our comprehensive psychiatric health facility provides a comfortable, safe, private environment.
When to Seek Professional Help
Mental health disorders have different signs and symptoms. However, you should seek professional health care if you experience one or more of these symptoms:
- An inability to cope with daily activities or problems
- Feeling withdrawn or disconnected from normal activities
- Unusual thinking
- Severe anxiety
- Changes in personality, sleep patterns, or eating
- Persistent depression, apathy, or sadness
- Suicidal thoughts
- Thoughts of harming others
Choosing the Right Environment for Recovery
Your surroundings make a difference. Think about what makes you feel safe and comfortable. When you’re looking for a place to retreat and regroup, is this where you go? The health facility you go to for acute psychiatric stabilization should give you the same feelings of safety and warmth. At Ocean View, we created a space where you can heal without worry.
The Importance of a Safe and Supportive Setting
Mental health care is enhanced when you are in a safe space. A safe space isn’t just a location, it’s an environment where you can heal without fear of judgment. Ocean View understands how a peaceful, warm environment can foster your healing. Our commitment is to you and your journey of healing.
Psychiatric Care for Emotional Trauma at Ocean View Psychiatric Hospital
Ocean View is a psychiatric health facility. Our commitment is to provide you with acute psychiatric care that focuses on your medication needs to help you stabilize before moving on to the next chapter of your recovery journey.
Comprehensive Care for Psychiatric Needs
Our psychiatrists and psychologists are professionally trained to help you build your coping strategies, support system, and stabilize your mental health.
Medication Management
You will have regular visits with one of our doctors to ensure your medication is adjusted to help you stabilize.
FAQs
Can emotional trauma affect physical health?
Emotional trauma does affect your physical health. Your body’s central stress response system, the link between your central nervous system and endocrine system, is affected by trauma. You may notice a change in how you react to stress. Increased stress leads to an increase in your stress hormone, called cortisol. When triggered, cortisol increases sugar in your bloodstream, enhancing your brain’s use of glucose. It will also increase the availability of chemicals that repair tissues. When cortisol is constantly high, it can become toxic and increase the risk of the following:
- Cardiovascular disease: Your risk of stroke and heart disease increases when you have chronic stress.
- Gastrointestinal issues: Trauma survivors can have acid reflux or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Endocrine disorders: Persistently high cortisol levels can disrupt metabolism and hormones.
- Autoimmune disorders: Many trauma survivors are at an increased risk of having autoimmune diseases. You can experience long-term or increased inflammation.
How long does it take to recover from emotional trauma?
Your journey of healing from emotional trauma doesn’t look like anyone else’s. Finding recovery from trauma may take more or less time than it does for someone else. However, a few factors can affect the length of time it takes for you to recover. A few factors are:
- Accessing mental health therapy
- The severity of the traumatic event
- Your coping skills
But you can take healthy steps to help you heal. The most effective way to begin healing is to seek help from a mental health professional.
What does emotional shock look like?
Emotional shock is also called acute stress disorder. It is a relentless and profound psychological response to a traumatic event. How your body and mind handle trauma decides how your well-being is affected. You may not have any emotional shock symptoms if you have healthy coping skills. However, your age, genes, or other factors can increase the risk of having the symptoms of emotional shock. Some of the signs include:
- Denial
- Numbness
- Anger
- Breathlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Agitation
- Fatigue
- Increased heart rate
Ocean View’s doctors can work with your health care providers to manage your symptoms with medication if necessary.
What is dissociation?
Everyone has experienced mild dissociation. If you have ever experienced one or all of the following, you have “lost touch” with your immediate surroundings:
- “Getting lost” in a movie, book, or other form of entertainment
- Daydreams
- Highway hypnosis
Dissociative disorders (DD) are complex mental health disorders that often go undiagnosed despite being linked to chronic medical issues. DDs are the disconnection or detachment characterized by:
- Depersonalization: Feeling detached from your mind and/or body.
- Derealization: The detachment from your surroundings
- Fragmented sense of reality
If you’re diagnosed with dissociation, it may be because it’s a trauma response. A few symptoms of dissociation often interfere with your:
- Memories
- Identity
- Emotions
- Behavior
- Perception
However, if you have been exposed to events like a natural disaster or a violent crime, you may develop a severe dissociative disorder. A DD can create severe mental health disruptions in your life. According to Alpha Psychiatry, ”About 90% and 60% of patients with DID have major depressive episodes and borderline personality disorder, respectively; and patients with DDs may also report severe positive (psychotic) symptoms.”
When you seek acute psychiatric stabilization at Ocean View, you will feel the comfort and support of our center. The inclusivity of our group and individual therapy gives you the support you need from a healing community. We believe in you and are here to guide you in your journey to emotional well-being.
Emotional trauma can stem from traumatic experiences when you’re a child or an adult. The impact of unaddressed emotional trauma can leave lasting, harmful effects on your mental and physical health. Some of these effects include changes in your behavior, harmful thoughts, or severe reactions to specific events or places. You can address unresolved trauma when you seek help from professionally trained therapists. Learning healthy coping strategies, understanding the cause of your trauma, and how to rebuild relationships is possible at Ocean View Psychiatric Hospital. When you seek help at Ocean View Psychiatric Hospital, you will feel supported and cared for in your journey of recovery. For more information, contact us at (844) 562-1212.
