What are the symptoms of trauma?

 

When an experience blasts through the defenses, it lands in the mind, emotions, and body. At the moment of trauma, the brain goes into what I call "camcorder mode," in which it records details for later processing while devoting maximum awareness and resources to survival in the present moment. After the experience, a complex process unfolds--sometimes rapidly and sometimes not--to restore the person to health. One process that can be distressing is playback of the "movie," complete with sights, sounds, smells, and other sensory data, often one frame at a time, in snippets or in dreams. This is the brain's information processing system trying to start processing and integrating the details it recorded earlier. It's trying to get all the details together and saved in long-term memory so you're better prepared the next time. If you have just been traumatized, click here.

Unfortunately, this process can become stuck and the brain's ability to process the experience is compromised. It's like the experience gets "frozen" in time and the person is unable to put it behind them. So many brain resources can get tied up in this that it becomes hard to absorb new information. It's not unusual for traumatized people to experience a sense of numbing or detachment, feelings that things aren't "real," or even feeling as though they've left their body and are watching from above or off to the side. They might feel clumsy, off balance, or move awkwardly due to this. Remembering can become a chore, thinking dulls, and it can become harder to fight off illness. They may suffer from lethargy, exhaustion, or seem to be "elsewhere" or distracted. It may be impossible for them to set
boundaries, recognize limits, or defend themselves. These signs are very often mistaken for depression.
It's like when your computer doesn't have much RAM available because a big program is running in the background.

On the other end of the spectrum are signs that are very often mistaken for anxiety. As you might expect, this is nearly the opposite of hypoarousal. The nervous system charges up, unconsciously preparing you to fight or run. The person may be irritable, defensive, violating the boundaries of others, anxious or on edge, have racing or cyclical (obsessive) thoughts, be constantly on the go, jump at the slightest sound, or experience sensory intrusions such as images, sounds, or smells from the trauma. There may be nightmares, scanning the surroundings for signs of threat, palpitations, sweats, shortness of breath or breath holding, muscle tension, or avoidant behavior--particularly avoidance of any reminders of the trauma.

There is an increased risk of unhealthy practices such as smoking, abusing alcohol or drugs, impulsive eating/spending/risk taking, or engaging in unsafe sex. Any stress or difficulties that were present prior to the traumatic event are likely to be magnified. A vicious cycle of bouncing between intrusion and numbing can develop, dramatically impacting the person's overall functioning and behavior. It's like the body can only stay numb for so long before it charges back up again, or can only stay charged up so long before crashing. This is called ANS dysregulation .

Not all symptoms are present in all people. And some folks tend to get amped up whereas others tend to get spacey. Signs of both numbing and intrusion may or may not be present. Symptoms may show up right away, decades later, or anywhere in between.