Signs of Traumatic Stress

Trauma is typically discussed in terms of an event, such as witnessing a traumatic accident or being the victim of abuse.

However there is another, more useful, way to view trauma…

Trauma lives in the nervous systems of those who were involved.

A traumatic event may have happened in the past but trauma is the stress that lives on in the people who were affected.

Two Common Patterns

The effect of this stress can be seen both in the body and the mind.  Here are the two most common patterns seen in those that have a nervous system with unresolved trauma.

1) Problematic & Recurrent Over-Activation of the Nervous System

An over-activated nervous system constricts the body and tends to leave the mind feeling like it needs to be on constant guard.  More specifically this can look like the following:

Mental/Emotional

• panic attacks
• rage outbursts
• racing thoughts
• excessive worry
• hypervigilance
• difficulty being able to relax

Physical

• struggles with sleep (either hard time falling asleep or waking too early)
• chronic increased heart rate (tachycardia)
• shallow rapid breathing
• excessive sweating or cold sweats
• tingling
• muscle tension
• exaggerated startle response
• chronic pain

2) Problematic & Recurrent Under-Activation of the Nervous System

An under-activated nervous system generally this has an effect of mental and physical numbing and suppression.  More specifically this can look like the following:

Mental/Emotional

• depression
• dissociation
• apathy
• disconnection in relationships
• isolation from others

Physical

• low energy
• exhaustion
• numbness
• poor digestion
• low heart rate (bradychycardia)
• low blood pressure
• poor immune system functioning

Three Most Common Types of Trauma

The three main types of events & situations that are associated with producing these effects are

1. a severe event (such as physical abuse, rape, near fatal accident or witnessing these events)
2. chronic and accumulated stress
3. developmental trauma (verbal or emotional abuse, neglect, dysfunctional environment)

There are many specific forms of trauma but these are the three categories can help simplify.  They also highlight that that effects of trauma can happen outside of an isolated, severe event.  For example the effects of chronic and unrelenting stress can wear someone down (psychologically and physiologically) and cause traumatic symptoms.

Nervous Systems Are Not All Made the Same

One reason it is more useful to focus on the symptoms the person is experiencing is that the traumatic event or events themselves are not a good predictor of how much they will affect the people involved. If a hurricane blows through a town it will damage some homes and not others. There are many factors related to which homes will see the worst of it. Of course how close they are to the worst of the storm is one factor but so is when the house was built, out of what materials, how well was it kept up, did it get some hurricane protection before the storm, and are there trees ready to fall on the home. In the same way a person has many factors that relate to their resiliency including their upbringing, their state of health at the time, if they have supportive relationships and how soon do they seek help if they are showing signs of trauma, if seeking help at all.

Trauma is NOT Permanent

When a nervous system experiences more stress than it can handle it passes the threshold of coping and causes trauma.  A traumatized nervous system then becomes dysfunctional and falls into patterns of chronic under or over activation.  These over & under activated patterns are the result of a loss the ability to self-regulate (aka resiliency). The symptoms above are the result.

Thankfully this is a treatable condition.  Building resiliency is a key part of treating trauma.  It can allow the past to be resolved in order to move forward.

Want Help?

I’ve worked with many people to help them move past long-standing problems and return to a fulfilling life. They all started with this first step – asking for help.

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