The effects of trauma are complex. It is a complex issue since everyone's experience and coping skills are different. Trauma can come from a variety of situations and incidents in one's life. Trauma is an experience in one's life that creates stress, anxiety, and takes away a feeling of self-security. Incidents that cause trauma can be acute, chronic, or complex in nature.
Acute Trauma:
This event is a one-time event such as being a victim of a crime, a natural disaster, witnessing something graphic, or having a sudden life changing event such a divorce, death of a loved one, or loss of a job. Even though these acute traumas are one-time incidents, they can still create long lasting psychological issues.
Chronic Trauma:
This relates to ongoing/longer events such as domestic violence, prolonged abuse, or long-term exposure to chaotic/unstable situations such as being in the military and deployed for a lengthy period in a war zone. First these types of traumas can appear to be stressful situations that one can overcome. However, as one continues to be a part of these situations coping skills can erode. This creates a situation where someone feels the trauma will never end.
Complex Trauma:
I feel this is a combination of acute and chronic trauma. For example, one can have previous experience of childhood abuse, then later in their adult life they witness or are a part of an abuse incident. Now those current feelings regarding the recent event will often bring up those feelings of their previous trauma. Combination of past and current experiences of trauma can be very overwhelming to an individual.
Signs and Symptoms of Trauma:
Trauma can have emotional, physical, and psychological effects on an individual. The emotional effects can be depression, anxiety, or feeling unstable. Physical effects could be difficulty sleeping, cold sweats, high heart rates, high blood pressure, or even ulcers. The psychological symptoms can be low self-esteem, low motivation, or having medical complaints that are not substantiated.
The long-term effects of untreated experiences of trauma could lead to a disorder such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Also, these individuals could have thoughts of suicide or other types of self-harm.
Treatment Options:
Counseling/talk therapy is a method of discussing feelings and developing coping skills to deal with one's trauma experience. Professional therapists can properly evaluate and guide someone through the healing process.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This is a therapeutic technique used by professional therapists to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories, so they are less destressing. However, not all therapists are trained/certified in this technique.
Psychiatric medication can assist with some of the management of one's symptoms. The medication can reduce anxiety or assist with improving sleep. These medications can be prescribed by a physician. However, medications should not be the only treatment. If on medication, then counseling therapy should also be recommended.