Trauma & Abuse
Unfortunately, we all are faced with some type of trauma at some point in our lives, no matter who you are. Some of this is natural trauma, where at other times it is imposed upon us by others and sometimes it might be due to involvement in an accident or experiencing illness etc.
Natural trauma
Natural trauma for me can come in many forms. But before giving an example of same, I would like to define what I mean by trauma. Trauma in simple terms is something that happens to us all when we are overwhelmed by something that happens in our life. In other word’s we cannot deal with it – due to the fact maybe that we have never dealt with it before or we are in a state of shock due to the experience that does not allow us to function normally.
The most common form of natural trauma that most of us if not all people will experience at some point of their life is bereavement (the loss of a loved one). When we experience same, we become traumatised. Where we go into shock and at times cannot think straight. We become fatigued and might not be able to eat or do the normal things that we do each day.
Imposed trauma
Imposed trauma, is when for example another imposes something on us. This can happen as a child or as an adult. This can involve different types of abuse (of which there are a number of types).
When this happens in childhood it can have. profound impact on our development. This can lead to low self-esteem, lack of confidence. And the use of maladaptive coping mechanisms for example alcohol misuse. Usually, we can live our lives or get on with life and learn to live with the trauma experienced we might even experience signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which can prevent us living the life we are destined to live.
At times due to no fault of our own we can be involved in an accident that can leave us traumatised for a period of time. This can come with symptoms of inability to sleep, intrusive thoughts, feelings of anxiety and depressed states.
We eventually might need to come and work on this trauma by eventually processing the events and learn how to change our coping mechanisms that make them adaptive. Finally working on the way that we feel about ourselves to ensure that our self-esteem is at the level that it should be at so that we can enjoy our lives and maximise our well-being.
If you have any comments on the above please contact me as shown below.
Thanks for reading
Dr Dermot Casey
Counselling Psychologist, Cork, Ireland.