How Your Body Remembers Trauma
It feels like it is going to be a fantastic day.
You jump out bed, ready to tackle everything you have going on. You feel motivated and full of energy as you go about your morning, preparing for the day ahead.
Everything seems normal and nothing is out of the ordinary. But then you happen to glance your phone and notice the date.
Two years to the date since that happened.
Nothing feels so great, anymore. This is what trauma feels like. That sudden switch from good to feeling like everything is crashing down around you.
"Why is this still affecting me? "
It really doesn't matter how long it has been. After you have gone through something traumatic, it can affect you for years after. Because while your mind tries to repress the memories, your body is really good at remembering trauma.
What Is Trauma?
First, let's begin by going over what trauma is. Trauma is what happens when someone goes through an emotionally distressing event or situation.
Anybody, at any age, for any reason, can go through something they feel is traumatic. This can range from anything from car accidents, witnessing a crime or being the victim of one, abuse, and so many other things.
How The Body Remembers Trauma
We don't often think about our bodies being able to remember anything - after all, that is what the mind is for, right? Yes, but not entirely.
When you go through something traumatic, it often stays in the background of your mind. Over time, you try to repress the memory, thinking that it can't affect you anymore if you don't think about it. Out of sight, out of mind? Not quite.
You see, your body holds on to trauma through your five senses: sound, smell, sight, touch, or taste. Anything your senses picked up at the time of the traumatic event can serve as a trigger when it picks up something similar later on.
Which is why the sound of an ambulance in the distance could remind you of the exact moment you were waiting for one after a car accident. That is a very specific example of a trigger from trauma - but in fact, it can take much, much less to trigger the symptoms of trauma.
How Your Body Responds To Trauma
Even when you aren't actively thinking about the traumatic event or experiencing triggers, trauma can still impact you. There are quite a few emotional, physical, behavioral and mental reactions that are a result of trauma.
Mental
Memory loss
Inability to concentrate
Feeling confused or foggy
Thinking about the traumatic situation over and over again
Emotional
Anxiety
Depression
Easily irritable or upset
Physical
Trouble sleeping
Nightmares
Fatigue
Headaches
Behavioral
Social isolation
Avoiding people, places or things that remind you of trauma
Changes in appetite
None of these are an exhaustive list of all the symptoms associated with trauma. However, they are some of the most common ones someone may experience.
Healing After Trauma
A traumatic event can affect someone for months, years, or decades after it occurred. While some people can easily "get over" a traumatic event, others aren't so lucky. But, it doesn't matter how long ago a traumatic event occurred, healing is always possible.
Part of the problem with healing from trauma is when we try to actively repress the memories associated with it.
You don't ever have to deal with the aftermath of a traumatic event alone. It doesn't matter if you think what you experienced is small or insignificant to you - if it is affecting you in any way, then you deserve to get help with it.
As a trauma therapist, I am very familiar with how debilitating the aftermath of a traumatic event be on a person's whole entire life. Reach out to me for trauma therapy so we can begin unwinding the tangles and free you from it.
