CASA Recovery Treats Trauma
Psychological trauma happens when a situation or event feels threatening or dangerous and your ability to cope is tested beyond your limits. Experiences of things like natural disasters, traffic collisions, mass shooting, terror attacks, domestic violence, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, for instance, are clearly likely to cause trauma, but what characterizes a traumatic event or situation is your experience of it. If you felt or feel in danger or under threat of danger you will be traumatized and the effects can manifest in different ways.
There can be physical effects like, unexplained aches and pains, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, nausea, and perhaps self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. Psychological signs of trauma victims can include angry outbursts, flashbacks, hypervigilance (constantly in fight or flight mode), nightmares, feeling fearful, avoidance of anything that reminds you of the traumatic event or situation, feelings of hopelessness, erratic sleep and eating patterns, isolating yourself.
Why Get Professional Help for Trauma
The effects of trauma can impact on your daily life and your personal and professional relationships. There are therapies and techniques to help you process your experience of trauma, learn coping skills, and retrain your brain to think differently. Trauma victim treatment can help you react differently, think productively and establish new routines, thoughts and behaviors to replace those keeping you rattled.
Trauma can be experienced by anyone and you may not display symptoms immediately after an event – you may be trying to cope with daily life but find you are struggling with the after-effects of something traumatic. The danger is that trauma victims may develop behaviors which mask their symptoms. You may turn to drugs or alcohol or other unhelpful ways of masking your symptoms and getting through the day. If you have experienced trauma and are suffering psychologically and physically help can be found.
