Medical Trauma in Adolescents & Adults

 

Medical trauma refers to the emotional and physiological distress that can arise from medical events that feel overwhelming, frightening, or out of your control. Even if a medical intervention was necessary, the way your nervous system reacts in that moment and the meaning you give the experience shapes whether your body will register this as a welcomed and helpful treatment, or as something that triggers a survival response.

 

Symptoms of traumatic stress due to medical trauma can occur following a single medical encounter or develop over time from repeated events. The symptoms of medical trauma often resemble PTSD from other causes, but include features specific to medical settings, such as:

• Unwanted memories, flashbacks, or nightmares about the medical event
• Anxiety in medical settings (doctor or dental office, clinics, hospitals)
• Delaying or avoiding needed medical care

Common medical situations that can activate the body’s survival system and lead to a trauma response include:

• Emergency procedures or ICU stays
• Painful or repeated invasive procedures
• Receiving a life-altering diagnosis
• Hospitalizations that involve sedation, loss of control, or disorientation
• Emergency surgery
• Complications from a scheduled surgery
• Childbirth complications or your infant's need for Neonatal ICU care

 

Factors that increase the likelihood of a medical experience being traumatic:

• Feeling judged, dismissed or not believed
• Not being adequately informed about the risks or side effects
• An authoritarian rather than a collaborative approach to healthcare decisions
• A medical crisis where treatments happen quickly without time to prepare you
• Being restrained or immobilized without prior consent
• Being sedated or anesthetized while feeling unsafe
• Isolation from family and friends (such as was common among hospitalized patients during the Covid pandemic)

Healing From Medical Trauma

Medical trauma can create a deep sense of betrayal and distrust in the medical system, which may create difficulty during future medical encounters. Being curious and open to exploring the role of parts in the expression of symptoms is the first step toward healing. 

As both a medical doctor and trauma psychotherapist, I bring an integrated approach to this work. If you have signs of traumatic stress related to a medical encounter, I can help you explore parts involved and bring compassion and healing to parts holding the trauma. My goal is to help you restore a sense of internal safety and autonomy in medical decision making, and help make future medical encounters more manageable.

NOTE: Before using psychological approaches for new or unexplained symptoms, a medical evaluation by your doctor should always come first to identify any conditions that require medical treatment.

 

For a free 20-minute intro meeting call 415-785-4202, or send a secure message using the button below.

[Please note that my practice is limited to residents of California.]