A hyper response to trauma, clinically known as hyperarousal or hypervigilance, is a state where an individual's "fight-or-flight" survival response becomes overly sensitive or chronically active, even in the absence of real danger. It is a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (C-PTSD).
Trauma responses are survival mechanisms.
The four primary trauma responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—are adaptive patterns developed in response to perceived threats and can become ingrained behaviors over time.
Children who have experienced traumatic events like child abuse, neglect, natural disasters, or wars, can exhibit signs of hypervigilance, too. Their developing brains are still learning to assess situations and form appropriate relationships.
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.
Here are some positive coping methods:
Besides the typical fight, flight, freeze, and fawn, there are a few more responses you may not be familiar with. Fright, flag, and faint are a few of the lesser-known trauma responses that are theorized by professionals of this field.
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.
7 Clear Signs Your Body Is Releasing Stored Trauma
The 'fight or flight' response is how people sometimes refer to our body's automatic reactions to fear. There are actually 5 of these common responses, including 'freeze', 'flop' and 'friend', as well as 'fight' or 'flight'.
In many cases, trauma survivors fear sharing their stories or are so exhausted that we lack the strength to tell anyone. We are too busy struggling to get by each day. I wanted you to see what trauma can look like in a person's expression. It is called silent tears.
Signs of childhood trauma
Psychodynamic trauma therapy is a highly effective treatment that focuses on identifying and addressing the underlying psychological causes of trauma. It works by exploring a patient's past experiences and their impact on their current behaviors and emotions.
Things Never to Say to Trauma Survivors
A trigger is any sensory reminder of the traumatic event: a noise, smell, temperature, other physical sensation, or visual scene.
The "8 childhood traumas" often refer to common Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) from the CDC, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, household substance abuse, a household member with mental illness, and parental separation/divorce, though these can be expanded to include things like violence, discrimination, or sudden loss, which profoundly impact a child's development and well-being. These experiences, especially repeated ones (complex trauma), disrupt a child's sense of safety, leading to issues with trust, emotional regulation, and relationships, often manifesting as anxiety, depression, or attachment problems in adulthood.
The belief is emotions and traumatic experiences can become trapped in the body, and somatic therapy helps release this pent-up tension and emotions. Somatic therapy uses body awareness, breathwork and movement exercises to be more aware of bodily sensations and release stored emotions.
Symptoms of complex PTSD
Take 5 minutes in the morning and evening to rock back and forth, or side to side, just noticing and relaxing the body. Find music or tones of music, with or without words, that bring you into a state of calmness. Practice deep breathing in sequences of three. For example, breathe, breathe, breathe.
Can I heal from childhood trauma without therapy? While professional support is recommended, self-healing strategies like mindfulness, journaling, creative expression, and physical practices can support recovery.
Crying when angry can be linked to past trauma, where the nervous system reacts to triggers. Emotional flooding occurs when stress responses lead to overwhelming feelings. Strategies like mindfulness and therapy can help regulate these emotional reactions.
The Trauma-Healing Diet
Trauma-focused therapy can feel mysterious or even intimidating at first. Dr. Judith Herman's three stages of trauma treatment offer a roadmap for healing (Herman, 1998). The stages are: safety and stabilization, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection and integration.
physical or sexual assault. abuse, including childhood or domestic abuse. exposure to traumatic events at work, including remote exposure.
Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you.