A traumatized person often experiences intense emotions (fear, anger, guilt, numbness), relives the event (flashbacks, nightmares), avoids reminders, feels constantly on guard (hypervigilance), and struggles with focus, sleep, and relationships, essentially living in a state of high alert or emotional shutdown due to the brain's survival response being stuck in overdrive after a deeply distressing event. They might seem irritable, detached, easily startled, or have trouble trusting, often coping through self-destructive behaviors or substance use, though responses vary widely.
Helping Someone Through Trauma: Do's and Don'ts
Delayed responses to trauma can include persistent fatigue, sleep disorders, nightmares, fear of recurrence, anxiety focused on flashbacks, depression, and avoidance of emotions, sensations, or activities that are associated with the trauma, even remotely.
Trauma has lasting effects on the brain. It can become difficult to feel fully alive in the present moment. When we are not living in the moment, we are reliving the past—or fearful of what might happen in the future. Our experiences also shape our beliefs about ourselves.
Causes of unresolved trauma may include:
Kinds of Traumatic Events
Symptoms of unprocessed trauma frequently emerge as: Physical symptoms: heart palpitations, sweating, or shaking. Emotional symptoms: panic, feeling trapped or terrified. Psychological symptoms: avoidance of situations that trigger the trauma.
While all traumas leave a profound mark on an individual's life, there's a different level of difficulty in recovering from what's called "complex trauma." Unlike single-incident traumas, complex trauma stems from repeated experiences of stressful and traumatic events, usually in environments where there's no escape.
Things Never to Say to Trauma Survivors
Some common physical signs of trauma include paleness, lethargy, fatigue, poor concentration, and a racing heartbeat. The victim may have anxiety or panic attacks and be unable to cope in certain circumstances. The physical symptoms of trauma can be as real and alarming as those of physical injury or illness.
For example, an individual who was previously outgoing and cheerful might become withdrawn and serious after experiencing trauma. They might also exhibit increased irritability, emotional instability, or risk-taking behaviors.
Smiling or laughing when disclosing trauma can be an indicator of shame. Some trauma survivors hold deeply entrenched feelings of self-blame and other distorted and inaccurate thoughts about the role they believe they played in their abuse.
Common symptoms of PTSD
Because survivors feel irritable, on guard, jumpy, worried, or nervous, they may not be able to relax or be intimate. They may also feel an increased need to protect their loved ones. They may come across as tense or demanding. The trauma survivor may often have trauma memories or flashbacks.
It won't rid you of PTSD and your fears, but let your tears flow and you'll maybe feel a little better afterwards. 'Crying for long periods of time releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain.
“For trauma survivors, especially those who've experienced neglect or emotional invalidation, oversharing can feel like a fast-track to safety or intimacy — even if it bypasses healthy relationship pacing.” Figueroa adds that you might also overshare intimate details to avoid feeling rejected or unseen.
The "3 C's of Trauma" usually refer to Connect, Co-Regulate, and Co-Reflect, a model for trauma-informed care focusing on building safe relationships, helping individuals manage overwhelming emotions (co-regulation), and processing experiences (co-reflection). Other "3 C's" include Comfort, Conversation, and Commitment for children's coping, and Catch, Check, Change from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for challenging negative thoughts in trauma recovery.
This is especially true for trauma survivors. The wrong words can wound, isolate, and intensify the pain they already carry. Certain language can re-trigger old wounds and reinforce feelings of shame, guilt, inadequacy, and mistrust.
When our brain then recognises similarities between our present situation and our past trauma (e.g. a colour, smell or noise), it can activate the fight, flight, freeze, flop or friend response, even if we're not currently in danger.
As we age, we experience life differently and this can impact how PTSD symptoms affect us. Some older adults with PTSD have long-lasting (or chronic) symptoms that increase or decrease over time. For others, even when PTSD has been treated and managed earlier in life, symptoms return.
A Level IV Trauma Center has demonstrated an ability to provide advanced trauma life support (ATLS) prior to transfer of patients to a higher level trauma center. It provides evaluation, stabilization, and diagnostic capabilities for injured patients.
People who experience a highly stressful event may have trouble returning to a normal state of mind afterwards. In some cases, they develop a mental health disorder related to the experience. This is known as a trauma disorder, and there are 7 different types: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Some of the signs of unhealed trauma may include:
The death of a loved one or a significant loss can trigger trauma. This could be the loss of a relationship, job, or even one's home. The emotional pain and adjustment required can lead people into a state of despair and trauma.
With PTSD, it is common to react to trauma-related cues. The date of a traumatic event from your past may bring up feelings or distress, even years later. These "anniversary reactions" could make you upset or create more intense symptoms. Learn about common types of anniversary reactions and how you can cope.