Physical Symptoms Of Trauma

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If you believe you have suffered from trauma, you are not alone. 

According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, 70 percent of adults have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes.

Perhaps you have been suffering from inexplicable physical symptoms, but you’re not quite sure where they came from. It could be that you, too, have gone through a traumatic event. If so, your body can react just as strongly as your mind does. 

Read on to learn about the signs and symptoms of trauma that you may be suffering — and how to fix them. 

Did I Go Through a Traumatic Event?

Trauma can spring from a single, life-changing event, or it can develop over time from unending stressors. These experiences are much more likely to take a physical toll if, for instance, a sole traumatic event happens without any warning or if the person felt powerless while it happened. If a person is abused throughout their childhood, the regularity with which it happened can cause trauma to become more ingrained, as well.

There are so many events that fit the above bill. Most of them will have put you in severe physical or psychological peril. And, if you have underlying, unaddressed trauma, it can make other life events into traumatic ones, too, as your brain takes you back to that place. 

Here are some examples of experiences that can cause lasting trauma: 

  • An accident in your car or the workplace
  • A violent act, such as a robbery
  • Violence in your personal life, including child abuse, rape or the suicide of a loved one
  • Living through a natural disaster

Other, even more common events can become traumatic, depending on the circumstances. These include: 

  • Surgery
  • A bad breakup or divorce
  • The unexpected death of a family member or friend
  • An experience that humiliated you
  • Receiving a debilitating or life-threatening health diagnosis

If you’ve been through these or any other deeply stressful experiences, you may suffer from the symptoms of trauma. 

What Are The Symptoms of Trauma?

In some cases, the symptoms of trauma appear immediately and dissipate over a short period of time. Other, more severe cases of trauma will get increasingly worse as time passes. It depends on a slew of factors, including your personality type, the amount of support you receive in your personal life and the coping mechanisms on which you rely. 

Still, you will want to determine if your behaviors come down to your traumatic experiences or not. These are some of the common signs that you have, indeed, experienced trauma.

Behavioral Symptoms of Trauma

Your behaviors may change in the following ways: 

  • Withdrawing from public gatherings or social events
  • No longer enjoying the same activities you once loved
  • Avoiding specific places or hobbies that remind you of the event in question

Cognitive Symptoms of Trauma

A traumatic event can alter the way you think, too. You may have:

  • Confusion
  • Disorientation
  • Lack of concentration
  • Memory loss
  • Mood swings
  • Nightmares
  • Random, painful thoughts about the event

Physical Symptoms of Trauma

Trauma can manifest in physical ways, too. Perhaps you have experienced: 

  • Appetite changes
  • Alertness, to the point where you’re always on the lookout for danger
  • Dull aches and pains throughout your body
  • Edginess and constantly feeling startled
  • Insomnia
  • Irregular sleep patterns
  • Tachycardia, or an extra-high heart rate, for no reason

Psychological Symptoms of Trauma

Finally, trauma can cause you to experience psychological side effects, as well. 

  • Anxiety and panic attacks
  • Depression
  • Detachment
  • Disbelief
  • Guilt or shame
  • Irritability
  • Numbness

Keep in mind that these aren’t the only symptoms you may experience. But these are the main ones felt by those who have experienced trauma, and they are signs that you may need treatment. 

What Happens If I Don’t Get Help to Overcome My Trauma? 

Treatment for trauma is vital to your health and longevity. Otherwise, you’re susceptible to a slew of other issues that can wreak havoc on your day-to-day life. 

People with untreated traumas often fall into the following patterns and problems: 

  • Alcoholism
  • Compulsive behaviors
  • Damaged relationships with loved ones
  • Dissociation 
  • Drug use and addiction
  • Feeling alone or in despair
  • Feeling damaged
  • Feeling ineffective
  • Hostility
  • Inability to maintain relationships
  • Inability to make or maintain healthy lifestyle decisions
  • Rejection of former beliefs
  • Sexual issues

You can lessen these feelings or side-step them all together with the right form of therapy and treatment, though.

How Can I Heal From Trauma?

Perhaps you’re ready to address your trauma and move forward. 

Your best bet is to rely on scientifically proven approaches to trauma and healing. At Intensive Therapy Retreats, this does not mean submitting to cognitive behavioral therapy. Through our programs, we have found the best treatment to be Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EDMR. 

EDMR helps you to process your memories and emotions in short bursts. As you repeat and retell of your trauma, it will make it easier and easier to discuss — and dull your memory, too.

Over time, you will feel desensitized to the trauma. EDMR will make it less emotional to process the memory of what happened to you. We find that it works more quickly and in fewer sessions than cognitive behavioral therapy, which is why EDMR is our focus on our retreats. 

Should I Sign Up For a Retreat? 

If you have the symptoms of trauma and feel ready to deal with them, then our retreats could be the next best step for you to take. 

Start by contacting us through our website to schedule a consultation. We’ll set you up with the right treatment course and help you get your life back.