Cats and dogs who've been through trauma can develop signs of fear, anxiety, and stress, which can reveal themselves in a variety of ways. Some signs to watch out for are: Attempts to escape or flee. Avoidance behaviors, like hiding, avoiding eye contact, or avoiding certain triggers.
“Dogs and cats may attempt to escape or flee situations where frightened, they may become aggressive when interacted with or if forced out of a hiding spot, may freeze or show avoidance behaviors such as hiding or becoming still, and fidget by pacing, jumping up, or repeatedly pawing at their owners.”
PTSD symptoms are generally grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.
Psychological Concerns: Anxiety and panic attacks, fear, anger, irritability, obsessions and compulsions, shock and disbelief, emotional numbing and detachment, depression, shame and guilt (especially if the person dealing with the trauma survived while others didn't)
intrusive thoughts or images. nightmares. intense distress at real or symbolic reminders of the trauma. physical sensations such as pain, sweating, nausea or trembling.
Physical Signs of Unhealed Trauma
You may also be extremely alert because you are constantly looking for the next potential danger. Furthermore, you may be unable to sleep through the night, leading to excessive fatigue or feeling exhausted.
Behavioral Symptoms Related to Shock Trauma
Compulsions and impulsive or self-destructive behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use and eating disorders, are common, too. People who are struggling to process trauma may become hostile and argumentative, or you may notice a sudden change in their peer group.
Criteria for Diagnosis
To receive a diagnosis of PTSD, a person must have at least one re-experiencing symptom, at least three avoidance symptoms, at least two negative alterations in mood and cognition, and at least two hyperarousal symptoms for a minimum of one month.
Trauma is not physically held in the muscles or bones — instead, the need to protect oneself from perceived threats is stored in the memory and emotional centers of the brain, such as the hippocampus and amygdala.
Sometimes, they may appear a few hours or a few days later. And, in some cases, weeks or months may pass before the stress reactions appear. The signs and symptoms of a stress reaction may last a few days, a few weeks or a few months and occasionally longer depending on the severity of the traumatic event.
Losing your cool when training your pup is not only mean, but it can also affect your pet.
Gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sexual behaviors, extreme drinking, and the use of weapons are all examples of what risky behavior can look like in those with PTSD. It is likely that gender plays a role in who develops the risky behavior symptom of PTSD.
Silent traumas are the non-fatalities, the muggings, robberies, stabbings, and gang-related incidents that are 120 times more common than the loud traumas. The impacts of silent trauma are much more prevalent, pernicious, and far-reaching than many people realize.”
Trauma Blocking: Driven to Distract After a painful experience, some people may choose to face their feelings head-on while others would rather forget. The latter can manifest as trauma blocking, where someone chooses to block and drown out painful feelings that hang around after an ordeal.
Trauma blocking is an effort to block out and overwhelm residual painful feelings due to trauma. You may ask “What does trauma blocking behavior look like? Trauma blocking is excessive use of social media and compulsive mindless scrolling. Binge drinking every weekend because you are off from work.
“Fawning” refers to when an individual copes with a perceived danger by attempting to appease whoever is causing the danger in order to prevent them from causing harm. Sometimes, trauma and abuse survivors will fawn in response to their abuse in an effort to keep the abuser happy.
Among the most common examples of psychological trauma is the loss of a family member, friend, or loved one. Whether their death is accidental, results from disease, comes with old age, or is by suicide, the people around that person may feel traumatized by the event.