What is Trauma?
Trauma can occur after we experience an event that feels like a threat to our life. What makes an event traumatic isn’t the event itself, but how our nervous system responds to it. That’s why two people can go through the same event and have very different responses: one may recover quickly, while the other may develop symptoms that last for months or years.
When we perceive danger, our nervous system automatically activates our survival response to fight, flee, freeze, or submit. This reaction is instinctive and happens before we have time to think about it -- much like pulling your hand away from a hot surface. It’s the body’s way of protecting us from harm.
While this rapid response is vital in moments of real danger, problems arise when the alarm system doesn’t “reset”. This is what happens with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) -- the body continues to signal danger even in the absence of threat. It causes a constant state of tension -- always feeling as though something bad is about to happen -- made worse by any cues reminding us of the original traumatic event.
Common symptoms that occur in persons with PTSD include:
- Anxiety, panic attacks or chronic worry
- Irritability or a sense of being “on edge”
- Sleep problems or difficulty concentrating
- Emotional numbness
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Depression
- Turning to substances or behaviors (alcohol, food, overworking, social media, etc.) to cope
Brain imaging research has shown that chronic PTSD is associated with changes in both the structure and function of brain regions involved in threat detection, emotional regulation, and memory processing. Fortunately, many of these brain changes and their associated symptoms can be helped through effective trauma-focused therapy.
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[Please note my practice is limited to residents of California.]
