We all encounter painful or difficult circumstances in life. Sometimes, these situations feel unmanageable.

But how can we distinguish between experiencing a stressful event and being traumatized? While the symptoms may appear similar, understanding your trauma is the first step in your healing journey.

Trauma, especially unresolved trauma, can take a significant toll on our emotional and physical health. You may not realize it at first, but over time, the pain and suffering you endured can begin to affect every area of your life, often when you least expect it.

If you're a resident of Arlington, Virginia, and you suspect you may be traumatized, we are here to help. Let’s discuss what trauma is and how to recognize the signs that you might be suffering from PTSD.

What Exactly IS Trauma?

While trauma was originally a term solely reserved for soldiers returning home from war, extensive research and discussion have broadened our understanding. Today, trauma encompasses any emotional or psychological damage caused by an overwhelmingly terrible event.

Trauma can be thought of as any situation in which your normal coping strategies were overrun, causing you to feel an immense sense of danger and a shattered feeling of security.

Although traumatic instances often involve a sudden threat to safety or survival, any circumstance—whether witnessed or experienced—that leaves you feeling isolated, frightened, or helpless can be traumatizing.

It's important to remember that it's not always the severity of the incident that causes trauma and PTSD, but rather the way you personally experienced the event.

What Situations Count as ‘Traumatic’?

Traumatic events are marked by a sense of horror, fear, immense stress, helplessness, severe injury, or death. These events can be sudden or prolonged such as in the case of childhood abuse or neglect. 

One Time Events:

These traumatic events can either be personally experienced or witnessed as a bystander:

• Car accident

• Severe injury 

• A violent attack 

• Sexual assault

• Natural disasters: flooding, wildfires, tornadoes

• Witnessing a shooting or stabbing 

• Sudden death of a loved one

• Severe illness or hospitalization 

Long Term, Relentless Events:

Unlike one time events, these traumatic episodes are ongoing and rarely give you a moment to breathe, let alone cope with the way you’re feeling. 

• Domestic abuse 

• Childhood abuse

• Witnessing abuse of a parent or caregiver

• War

• Chronic illness

• Neighborhood or community crimes

• Neglect

• Starvation

• Homelessness

How Do I Know If I Have Trauma?

While all of us react to stress and pain in different ways, there are a few signs you may be suffering from trauma, or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

If you’ve experienced something you believe is traumatic and you’re wondering to yourself, do I have trauma? Keep these signs and symptoms in your back pocket so you can get professional help as soon as you see them arise:

Emotional / Psychological Symptoms Of Trauma:

• Anxiety or fear

• Guilt or shame 

• Shock or denial 

• Confusion 

• Difficulty concentrating on daily tasks

• Anger or irritability 

• Mood swings

• Withdrawal from others 

• Isolation 

• Feeling sad, hopeless, or depressed 

• A general of feeling of numbness or disconnect from the world 

Physical Symptoms of Trauma:

• Nightmares

• Flashbacks 

• Insomnia 

• Muscle tension 

• Being easily frightened or startled

• Feeling on edge 

• Fast paced heartbeat

• Unexplained aches and pains 

While many symptoms of trauma gradually decrease overtime, this isn’t the case for everyone. As you begin to process the traumatic event you may find your symptoms become even worse and you feel overwhelmed in your ability to cope with them. If you feel as though you simply can't move on from a traumatic event, you may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. This is when finding PTSD counseling is imperative. 

Trauma and PTSD Therapy in Arlington, Virginia:

If you’re a resident of Arlington, or you live in surrounding cities, we’ve got you covered. There are a few different methods used to help guide you in working through your trauma, as well as decreasing your symptoms of PTSD. There are a few methods used when seeking therapy for your trauma:

EMDR Therapy: Otherwise known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, this form of therapy was designed to help people heal from the emotional damage caused by a traumatic event simply using their own bodies. Research believes rapid eye movement is linked to a brain process uncovered during REM sleep - enabling a person to free themselves from the hold in which painful memories have on them. As your therapist begins to talk to you about your trauma, they’ll direct you in a series of eye tracking movements. Doing so enables your brain to reprocess and work through traumatic events. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This is one of the most commonly used techniques in therapy and has been successful in helping patients with a variety of mental illnesses. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) uses talking to help a therapist identify any negative thinking patterns and irrational thoughts linked to a traumatic event. When those unhelpful, toxic thoughts arise, CBT aims to confront them and redirect them into a more positive light. Not only does CBT help rewire the way your brain perceives your trauma, you’ll learn valuable coping skills and stress management tips to carry with you for the rest of your life. 

Let Us Help You Let Go Of Your Trauma:

Healing from trauma takes time. Especially if this trauma has been chronic, or repressed for years. Unresolved trauma can quickly take a toll on your mental health resulting in anger, mood swings, irritability and depression as well as your physical health manifesting as insomnia, nightmares or flashbacks. 

If you feel as though time has passed since your traumatic event, yet your symptoms are unrelenting - or even getting worse, PTSD counseling should be your next step. 

Your trauma has already stolen enough from your life, let us help you let go of your trauma so you can begin your healing process here. 

If you recognized the symptoms of trauma listed above then it’s time to take action. As an EMDR therapist, I can guide you as you invest in yourself and your mental health. In order to get started in Individual Counseling follow these steps.

1. Reach out to speak with an online therapist in Arlington, VA

2. Schedule your first appointment here

3. Starting living life with at the fullest.