Psychological trauma: advice from a psychologist. mental trauma

It is the harm done to a person by society. Under the influence of many causes and external factors, a person may develop a trauma that he will not be able to overcome on his own. As a rule, psychological trauma requires the participation of a psychologist. The consequences of psychological trauma are sometimes so severe that it takes a lot of time for a person to cope with himself and stop obsessing over his own feelings. Psychological trauma is compared to a deep wound that does not heal over time, but continues to bleed.

Symptoms of psychological trauma

What signs can be used to determine that a person is experiencing psychological trauma? Any injury, no matter what factors they are caused, affects the attitude of a person. The presence of trauma radically changes the attitude to life, the ability to perceive the surrounding reality. How does a traumatized person feel? What are the main symptoms of trauma?

Return to the traumatic event

A person who has a trauma will repeatedly return to negative experiences. This happens completely uncontrollably, in this way the subconscious mind tries to free itself from traumatic impressions. A person begins to be haunted by fears, obsessive thoughts. As soon as he finds himself in a similar situation, the event immediately arises in the memory, which led to the formation of psychological trauma. It is known that this kind of injury is not dangerous in itself, but because of its negative consequences. It is impossible to predict what this or that injury will lead to. Psychological trauma causes a person to repeatedly experience the same event. There is an immersion in the problem, detachment from the outside world.

Feeling of worthlessness

Experiencing trauma greatly affects the emotional sphere. A person often has a depressive state, it seems to him that no one needs him. On this basis, apathy, a sense of one's own exclusivity is often formed. Closure, anxiety, distrust of others - this is not a complete list of signs of psychological trauma. A person experiences such severe mental pain that he does not know how to deal with it. Gradually, he loses faith in his own capabilities and prospects, closes in on his inner world and feelings. Psychological trauma deprives moral strength, self-confidence, makes a person consider himself a failure. The feeling of uselessness is the key concept here. The person does not know where he could apply himself, he is afraid to act actively.

Types of psychological trauma

Psychological trauma includes several types of mental shocks, which differ in the power of psychological impact. Trauma is destructive in itself, however, different types of injuries may indicate a specific one. Depending on the types of psychological trauma, appropriate assistance should be selected. Help should begin with awareness of the problem situation. If a person does not recognize the presence of a destructive conflict in himself, he cannot be helped.

childhood trauma

In terms of the frequency of occurrence and the strength of the destructive impact, it is the strongest. Childhood trauma leaves an indelible imprint on the mind, affects the rest of life. The most interesting thing is that almost every person has it. Sometimes we simply do not notice how we sink into hopeless longing, suffer from loneliness and misunderstanding. In fact, psychological trauma acquired in childhood has a great influence on us. Such a trauma forces us to seek confirmation of our own need and importance in literally everything. Childhood trauma is accompanied by unconscious actions and experiences. One of the most characteristic signs of childhood trauma is the constant expectation of betrayal and misunderstanding on the part of loved ones. As a rule, childhood trauma is caused to us by parents, relatives, the first social environment. It is good when a child has the opportunity to speak out loud their feelings, and not hush them up. Thus, it becomes possible to at least reduce the destructive effect of trauma.

Loss of a loved one

The loss of a loved one is one of the most traumatic experiences in life. We will never face our own death, but the departure of a loved one hurts so much that it seems that not a single living thread remains in the soul. This is how psychological trauma is formed, which for a long time does not allow to fully live and enjoy the manifestations of life. The loss of a loved one does not necessarily mean that they have passed away. Sometimes a long separation or an interrupted relationship can cause serious trauma to the individual, make her withdrawn and distrustful. As a result, a person will be somewhat biased towards people, wary of new acquaintances.

The loss of a loved one causes more trauma, the more a person is considered to have failed in life. If in an adult it causes grief and pain of loss, then in a child it will turn into a real nightmare, from which there will be no getting rid of. When trust is undermined, it becomes very difficult to trust another person again, to open your true feelings and needs to him. This kind of injury takes a long time to manifest itself.

catastrophes

Sometimes things happen in life that you have no control over. Natural disasters, catastrophes have a powerful destructive effect on the body. From sudden all-consuming experiences, the nervous system is depleted, numerous fears and doubts appear. Any catastrophes lead to psychological trauma. If something happens to another person in front of your eyes, you are unlikely to remain calm and calm. As a rule, most people tend to empathize and empathize. Empathic listening can reduce the destructive effect of trauma, help to cope with the problem.

How to deal with psychological trauma

Whatever the causes of psychological trauma, it is important to know how to survive it. Those who have experienced this unbearable pain know that no injury can be healed overnight. It takes a lot of effort to help yourself cope with its devastating effects. As a rule, you have to work with trauma for a long time, until you fully restore peace of mind.

Recognition of your feelings

A big problem for many people is that they are afraid to talk about their feelings. Some do not want to be seen as weak and therefore do not say what they really feel. This approach tends to exacerbate the injury rather than cure it. Recognizing your feelings will help you release the pressure of a negative event, reduce its destructive effect. The more we talk about our feelings, the sooner we can fully release them. On the contrary, if you keep silent about the problem, it will never be solved.

Some people find it difficult to talk about their own feelings. Such a feeling arises when, from childhood, a person is squeezed into the framework imposed on him, afraid to enter into an open, confidential conversation with other people. In this case, you have to learn to pronounce emotions, they cannot be hidden. There is nothing wrong with admitting how we really feel: anger, pain, guilt, disappointment, fear. Psychological trauma requires increased attention.

Description of the problem

After the person has decided on his feelings, you need to start describing the problem that worries him. Correction of injury begins from this moment. Try to determine what was really happening at the moment when something out of the ordinary happened. The description of the problem includes a detailed statement of the facts, an analysis of one's own feelings. Drawing up a complete picture of what happened will help to get to the reasons for what happened. No matter how painful it is, it must be recognized and accepted in order to learn some positive lesson. Psychological trauma is too serious a thing to try to ignore.

Separating yourself from pain

In case of failure, most people associate their own personality with an oppressive problem. That is, a person is rarely able to separate the acquired trauma from his inner essence. We sometimes become so merged with the problem that we stop noticing the surrounding reality. It is human nature to get hung up on what brought him the greatest disappointment and mental confusion. Helping yourself is about learning to separate yourself from the pain that currently dominates your consciousness. Just understand that this is not forever, and the current situation is just a short moment that will end soon.

Art therapy

With this method, you can get rid of the consequences of injury. As a rule, a person who has experienced psychological trauma needs to be listened to. The need to be heard is key in this matter. Drawing disturbing moments, you reflect on paper your inner conflict. That pain that for a long time prevented you from living, did not allow you to rejoice, will gradually go away. Art therapy is recognized worldwide as an effective method of working through severe emotional disorders. You can deal with psychological trauma by picking up a pencil and paper.

Forecast for the future

It must be compiled in order to help yourself. Until you see where to move forward, it will be difficult to step over the internal conflict and overcome the consequences of trauma. If you sit in one place and feel sorry for yourself endlessly, nothing good will come of it. Try to predict the future result: think about how to live on. At the same time, the main emphasis should be placed not on all-consuming pain, but on your own hobbies, activities, interests. Such an approach will allow you to get rid of oppressive experiences, outline for yourself the necessary steps to complete spiritual recovery.

Thus, psychological trauma is a problem that must be dealt with. This is a serious internal task, by solving which you can reach a completely new level of development, cultivate the qualities of a strong person in yourself.

Psychological trauma

What is psychological trauma? Review of scientific articles (translated from Wikipedia).

Psychological trauma is a specific damage to the nervous system that occurs as a result of severe stress. Often the result of an excessive amount of stress that exceeds the person's ability to integrate it. A traumatic event can also be the result of a prolonged stressful situation stretching over weeks, years, or even decades, during which a person tries to carry out normal life activities. Moreover, this is a subjective experience, since different people can react differently to the same events. Moreover, not all people, having experienced a traumatic event, become traumatized, some have protective devices that help them cope with strong emotion. It may be a stress habit acquired at an early age, or simply a high resistance accompanied by a willingness to seek help.

Definition of psychological trauma

The DSM-IV-TR defines trauma as follows: “The experience of personal experience of death, threat of death, severe injury, or disturbing physical contact. The result of reflection on an event related to the above. Reaction to the news of an unexpected (violent) death. An impression of humiliation, fear, or loss experienced by a loved one.

Due to the fact that traumatic memories are preverbal in nature, they cannot be accurately reproduced in memory, but can be provoked (with the help of stimuli under normal conditions). The response will be intense fear or horror, helplessness. In children - disorganized or aggressive behavior.

Causes of psychological trauma

Psychological trauma can be caused by various events, but all of them are united by the presence of the same signs. Usually this is a violation, leading to a state of extreme bewilderment and uncertainty. A person gets into such a state when he is faced with a violation of a person’s usual ideas about the world or a violation of his rights. When institutions designed to provide life support are violated, humiliated, betrayed or cause loss or division. Traumatic experiences often include threatening physical injury, as well as harassment, shame (shame situation), disappointment (rejection), abusive relationships, rejection, co-dependency, physical abuse, sexual abuse, beatings, beatings from a partner, employment discrimination , police brutality, judicial corruption and misconduct, bullying, paternalism, domestic violence (especially in childhood), life-threatening drug-induced conditions. This also includes force majeure events (flood, earthquake, fire, war, etc.), terrorist attacks, kidnappings. Poverty or relatively mild forms of violence (such as verbal abuse) can also cause psychological trauma, although not associated with the threat of physical abuse.

Some theories suggest that childhood trauma may increase the risk of psychiatric disorders, that neuroticism in adulthood is associated with childhood trauma. The fact is that parts of the brain in a growing child develop in a hierarchical order from complex to simple. Neurons designed to receive and store new information change in response to external signals received from the five main sensory channels. At this time, babies and children create ideas about the environment. Attachment that appears shortly after birth, if it is of a violent or sacrificial nature, already influences these ideas. The more often the corresponding structure of neurons is activated, the more persistent it becomes in relation to the pattern.

Childhood is the most sensitive period and one of the most important stages in the psychological development of a person. It is no coincidence that the greatest number of complications with the longest effect comes from child abuse. Hickey's trauma management model suggests that "for serial killers, childhood trauma may be the trigger that leads to the person's inability to cope with some stresses." The dynamic aspect of psychotrauma is especially important for healthcare professionals: "If a doctor is unable to comprehend the patient's problem through the prism of his psychotrauma, then he is not able to see the circle of recurring affects, focusing on which the patient arranges his life" .

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Symptoms of psychotrauma

Reactions and symptoms indicating a psychotraumatic experience can be very diverse and differ in number, as well as in severity, depending on the nature of the person. Some try to avoid traumatic memories, but experience pain in the process. Others try to drown their psychotraumatic experience in wine or narcotic intoxication. Meanwhile, re-experiencing symptoms is a sign that the body and mind are trying to cope with psychological trauma.

For many people who have experienced severe stress, triggers (exciting memories) and external cues act as reminders of the trauma. A person may not guess what is happening to him, and commits inadequate actions. Panic attacks are a typical example of this kind of behavior. A person may also have uncontrollable fits of anger (including in inappropriate or unexpected situations), when he feels that he is under threat. And this is true, but the threat is experienced from past events.

A person may be haunted by unpleasant memories, including in the form of vague pictures or thoughts. He may be haunted by nightmares. He may suffer from insomnia, as inner fear and insecurity make him alert.

Psychotrauma can entail morphological changes that are inherited. Genetics is one of the causes of psychological trauma or, conversely, their absence.

After a severe psychotrauma, a person's memory is often repressed, and he does not remember what really happened, but the experienced emotions can come to life, and at the same time he will not understand why this is happening to him. By constantly experiencing the emotions experienced during the trauma as if they were happening in the present moment, the person loses the ability to gain a vision of the experienced experience. As a result, there is a persistent phenomenon of acute overexcitation (pattern), which can be accompanied by physical and mental exhaustion. Such conditions lead to various types of personality disorder: anxiety, conversion, psychotic, borderline, and so on. . Emotional exhaustion entails absent-mindedness, due to which a person loses the ability to think clearly and falls into a state of detachment (dissociation) from emotions. Not only from painful ones. There is a numbness of all emotions, and a person becomes emotionally flat - distant or cold, he is always preoccupied with something. Dissociation is usually diagnosed as depersonalization disorder, dissociative amnesia, dissociative arc, dissociative identity disorder, etc.

Some people who have experienced psychological trauma begin to feel a sense of inferiority if the symptoms of the trauma do not disappear, and they do not believe that their situation will improve. This can lead to despair with elements of paranoia, to a loss of self-esteem, as well as suicide based on depression and a feeling of emptiness. With the destruction of self-esteem, a person may doubt his own identity.

Parents of a traumatized child should not try to help them control their post-traumatic fear and restrain their emotions on their own. As a rule, this leads to adverse consequences for the child, so it is better to seek the help of a psychiatrist.

Assessment of the consequences of psychotrauma

Since the concept of psychological trauma has acquired an expanded definition, traumatology as a field of medicine has received an interdisciplinary approach. This is partly due to the diverse professional representation in traumatology, where there are psychologists, medical professionals, and lawyers. As a result, the data obtained in traumatology began to be adapted for various fields of activity. However, their practical application required appropriate methodologies, which are simply not developed in many disciplines. And here it is important that the surrounding people understand the state of the person. These do not have to be representatives of medical, psychiatric or law enforcement agencies. To ensure safety, it is more important that a person is supported by his relatives and environment.

The experience and consequences of psychological trauma can be assessed in several ways In the context of a clinical interview, the risk of imminent danger to oneself or others is important to consider, but one must not fall into common misconceptions about a crisis or "psychosis". It must be understood that a person experiencing endless pain cannot console himself. If at this moment he is treated with respect and humanly, then he will not pose a threat. It is best to let him know that no matter what the circumstances, he will be taken seriously and not as sick or crazy. It is extremely important to understand the reality of what is happening in the head of this person. If this point is not missed, then the specialist will be able to explore both the traumatic event and its consequences (eg, post-traumatic dissociation, drug abuse, somatic symptoms, etc.). It is important to investigate possible problems with relatives. Perhaps, out of fear, they refused to help the patient and he “turned on” self-defense. Such research should end in an empathic, sensitive and supportive manner.

During this work, the patient may flare up feelings, memories, or thoughts related to the event (eg, suffering, anxiety, anger). Since he is not yet able to cope with this pain, it is worth preparing in advance how to discuss this event. It should not injure the patient again. It is also important to write down his answers. This can assist the clinician in determining the severity of a possible post-traumatic stress disorder as well as the ease of the reaction. In addition, it is important to catch the presence of avoidance reactions, which can manifest themselves as a lack of expected involvement or simply the ability to respond emotionally. The main mechanisms of avoidance are drug use, avoidance of anything that resembles a traumatic event, psychological adjustment (dissociation). It is also necessary to monitor mood swings, bursts of depression, attempts at self-harm, which may indicate difficulties in controlling affect. Information obtained by observing the patient's ability to regulate his condition will determine his readiness to participate in various therapeutic actions.

The assessment of psychological trauma can be both structured and unstructured. Structured assessment includes Physician-Controlled PTSD Scale (CAPS, Blake et al., 1995), Acute Stress Disorder Interview (ASDI, Bryant, Harvey, Dang, & Sackville, 1998), Structured Overuse Disorder Interview. stress (SIDES; Pelcovitz et al., 1997), the DSM-IV Structured Clinical Interview for Dissociative Disorders - modified to (SCID-D, Steinberg, 1994) and the Brief Interview for Post Traumatic Disorders (BIPD, Briere, 1998).

Psychological testing of the patient includes the use of common tests (eg, MMPI-2, MCMI-III, SCL-90-R) to evaluate symptoms unrelated to trauma, as well as difficulties experienced by the individual. In addition, psychological testing may use specific trauma tests in order to assess post-traumatic consequences. These tests are based on the Post Traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS, Foa, 1995), the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS: Davidson et al., 1997), the Detailed Post Traumatic Stress Assessment (DAPS, Briere, 2001), the Trauma Symptom List (TSI: Briere, 1995), Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC, Briere, 1996), Trauma Life Event Inventory (TLEQ: Kubany et al., 2000), and Guilt-Related Injury Inventory (TRGI: Kubany et al., 1996) .

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Treatment of psychological trauma

Psychic trauma can be treated through progressive counting (PC), somatic experience, biofeedback, family building therapy, and sensorimotor psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is popular and is used to treat symptoms associated with psychological trauma, including stress disorder. The Institute of Medicine guidelines identify cognitive behavioral techniques as the most effective way to treat PTSD. . The US Department of Veterans Affairs has nationally adopted two CBT methods for the treatment of PTSD: the long-term exposure method and the cognitive process therapy method. There are also methods of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and exposure therapy. Studies have shown that the former is used to treat borderline personality disorder, while the latter is effective in treating psychological trauma. However, if psychological trauma caused dissociative disorders or complex PTSD, then the cognitive approach gives way to the method of trauma modeling, also known as phase-oriented treatment of structural dissociation. Research funded by pharmaceutical companies has shown that cognitive-behavioral therapies can be effectively supplemented with newer antidepressants.

An independent section in the treatment of the consequences of psychotrauma is trauma therapy. It is the most adaptive way of psychological help, as it allows you to work with memories associated with a psychotrauma, on the basis of which the patient gets the opportunity to deal with his internal depressive material (thoughts, feelings and memories) and even get an impetus for personal development, including the development of such skills like resilience, ego control, complementarity (benevolent sympathy, empathy), etc. . Trauma therapy is divided into mental education and several types of techniques: cognitive processing, emotional processing, experiential processing, trauma processing, and emotional regulation.

• mental education- this is the education of others regarding the psychological vulnerability of a person and ways to overcome it.
• Emotional regulation- these are actions against discrimination (identification and opposition), as well as competent identification of the thoughts and emotions of the patient (design, typology, etc.).
• cognitive processing- this is a revision of negative ideas and beliefs about oneself, about others and the environment by changing the point of view on the subject.
• Treatment of injury- these are directed efforts to reduce the sensitivity (desensitization) of psychotrauma; by recognizing it: by destroying the conditionings by which it manifests itself; on partial (selective) destruction of emotional reactions; to deconstruct the discrepancy between emotion and reality; to relieve stress from traumatic material (a condition in which triggers do not cause severe pain, but, on the contrary, alleviate a person’s condition.)
• emotional processing(only used in the early termination phase of a mental health assessment) is the recovery of perceptions, beliefs, and erroneous expectations.
• Experimental processing- this is the selection of visualizations of the achieved state of liberation and the use of various relaxation techniques.

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Types of psychotrauma

The level of trauma is related to a person's ability to overcome it. There are three different types of response to stress:

• Proactive (preventive) is an attempt to adapt or integrate the resulting stress before it affects the lifestyle.
• Reactive is an attempt to minimize damage after a trauma.
• Passive - ignoring stress.

People capable of proactive behavior are more likely to be able to handle unexpected situations. Those who react to the stress of the fact experience a noticeable effect from it. Passive attitude towards a stressful event entails suffering from long-term traumatic consequences.

Traumas are also divided into situational (caused by recent situations) and long-term (caused by traumas that remain in the unconscious). Situational injuries can be triggered by a medical emergency or catastrophic events (natural or man-made). Long-term psychological trauma is a continuation of childhood or even infantile stress caused, for example, by abuse.

The French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot argued in the 1890s that psychological trauma was the source of all cases of the mental illness known as hysteria. Charcot's "traumatic hysteria" often manifested itself as paralysis, which was accompanied by physical trauma. With regard to psychological trauma, Sigmund Freud, a student of Charcot and the father of psychoanalysis, gave it the following definition: “an event in the life of the subject, determined by the inability of the subject to adequately respond to it due to shock and changes in the structure of the psyche” (as presented by Jean Laplan).

The French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan argued that all reality contains the traumatic quality of symbolization. From the point of view of the object of concern, reality "is what you face and all words disappear and all categories fail".

Stress, that is, the physiological response to a stimulus, is indeed the basis of all psychological trauma. Long-term stress increases the risk of poor mental health and mental disorders. This may be due to long-term dysfunction of glucocorticoid secretion, which entails a weakening of the immune system and an increase in blood pressure. Such stress can cause morphological changes in the hippocampus. Studies have shown that if taken early in life, it can disrupt the normal development of the hippocampus and affect its function in adulthood. The correlation between the size of the hippocampus and its susceptibility to stress disorders has been clinically proven.

The psychological trauma received during the fighting is called shell shock. A contusion is characterized by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the symptoms of which persist (for diagnosis) for at least a month and include 4 categories.

Psychological trauma is the harm caused to the psyche, which occurs when a person reacts to adverse environmental factors and extreme situations. The cause of psychological trauma can be stress or a strong emotional shock. Psychotrauma often occurs in childhood. In this article, you will learn how to determine that a psychological trauma has occurred, as well as how to help a person cope with it.

Each of us sooner or later faces life's difficulties, humiliation of human dignity, tragedies and losses. Under unfavorable circumstances, the dramatic events of our lives can significantly affect mental health. The concept of psychological trauma first appeared in the 80s of the last century.

Psychotrauma happens when a bright external phenomenon or event in life entails stable and long-term negative experiences of a person.

To date, this phenomenon has been well studied. The cause of psychological trauma should always be sought in the external environment. Sometimes other people are to blame for the trauma, sometimes it happens simply by unfortunate coincidence, and sometimes the traumatic event occurs as a result of the actions of the person himself.

Family conflicts, being fired from a job, divorce from a spouse, the death of a relative, or sudden surgery can all cause psychological trauma. The perception of a traumatic factor is very subjective. For some, a certain negative event in life, such as a divorce or job change, will seem insignificant, but for someone it will cause psychological trauma.

It is also worth noting that there are people who are most prone to experiencing psychological trauma, and there are people who are much less prone to it. The risk group, of course, includes children and adolescents: child's psychological trauma- this is not uncommon. Also, according to statistics, women suffer from psychological trauma much more often than men. In general, people with immature thinking, open and emotional are most susceptible to psychological trauma. Particularly acute first psychological trauma.

Consequences of psychological trauma

The result of psychotrauma can be both borderline and clinical states of the psyche. The first group includes:

• general malaise
• loss of working capacity
• persistent feeling of discomfort

The second group includes various mental disorders that a doctor can diagnose.

Coping with the clinical consequences of psychological trauma is impossible without the help of specialists and medication.

Borderline conditions are amenable to correction - in this case, a person can cope with the trauma together with a psychologist, with the support of close friends and relatives, or even on their own. However, to solve the problem, you need to behave correctly so that the situation does not worsen.

Types of psychological trauma

What are the types and features of various psychological traumas? Specialists classify psychological traumas according to the degree of their strength and the duration of their impact. There are four main categories:

1. Shock psychological trauma. This type of psychological trauma involves an immediate and unexpected impact - for example, a car accident or an animal attack can cause such an injury.
2. Acute psychological trauma. The cause of this type of injury is an impact that lasts no more than a few days. It could be illness or natural disasters.
3. Medium-term psychological trauma. This category includes regular traumatic effects, in which a person understands that the traumatic situation will end one day. It could be a childhood with alcoholic parents, school bullying, domestic violence, or a prison sentence.
4. Chronic psychological trauma - characterized by continuous exposure to a traumatic factor. Such a factor can be considered a serious illness, disability, life in a zone of military conflict. It is important that with chronic psychological trauma a person partially adapts to adverse environmental conditions.

There is another classification that allows you to divide psychotraumas according to the nature of the reasons that lead to them. In this classification, there are:

1. existential trauma. In such cases, a person experiences a threat to his own life or the lives of loved ones. Such psychological traumas are often considered the most powerful, because the fear of death is the strongest fear inherent in us biologically.
2. The trauma of loss. These are psychotraumas, which are caused by the fear of loneliness, the feeling of being useless and the desire to avoid any social contact.
3. Relationship trauma. This kind psychological trauma occurs after how a close person who has been trusted does not live up to the expectations of the individual. Betrayal and violence are the most common factors that provoke such a trauma. The consequences of such a trauma are related to the fact that it is difficult for a person to start trusting the people around him again.
4. Mistake injury. They occur when a person is confronted with an unexpected result of their own actions. Such traumas entail shame and guilt.

Symptoms of psychological trauma

The first and main sign of psychological trauma is the presence of a traumatic factor. If a person plunges into depression or simply experiences a negative emotional state, but there is no traumatic factor in the external environment, these problems cannot be called psychological trauma. However, negative external influences do not always lead to psychotrauma.

Psychological trauma can be identified by a number of symptoms. Some believe that the consequences of psychological trauma are reflected only in our emotional state, but often a psychological trauma experienced by a person negatively affects his health. Thus, the symptoms of psychological trauma can be divided into emotional and physical.

Emotional symptoms of psychological trauma

These symptoms of psychological trauma are the most pronounced. However, in the absence of an external traumatic factor, they may indicate other psychological problems. Many of the symptoms are characteristic of simple stress, and for psychological trauma. If you know that a traumatic event has occurred, and you observe several of the following symptoms in a person, most likely he has experienced a psychological trauma.

Emotional symptoms include:

• Psychological trauma is characterized by sudden mood swings in a person. Most of the time there is apathy, detachment and indifference to life. At the same time, uncontrolled aggression is periodically manifested.
• People suffering from psychological trauma cannot find a place in life. They have problems with self-identification, they often feel unclaimed in the profession or unnecessary and abandoned in relationships with close friends and relatives.
• Patients plunge into loneliness and try to avoid communication with people.
• Often, people who have experienced psychological trauma develop phobias, such people become unreasonably anxious and irritable.

• Intrusive memories are another important symptom. Psychological trauma is characterized by the fact that a person constantly scrolls a negative experience in his head. Often this prevents such people from living in the present day, and they are completely immersed in the past.
• The desire to abstract from reality is also characteristic of people who have experienced psychological trauma. The most common way to escape from reality is the use of alcohol or drugs. Obsessive craving for extreme sports or illegal activities can also be included in this category.

Physical symptoms of psychological trauma

Unfortunately, strong emotional upheavals lead not only to psychological problems, but also to significant ailments and health problems. After suffering a psychological trauma, it is worth talking not only about emotional, but also about physical symptoms.

Physical symptoms are not specific to trauma—they can occur for many different reasons. Therefore, if you are trying to determine whether a person has experienced a trauma, you should focus on physical symptoms as secondary. However, if you know that a traumatic event has occurred, if you see a few emotional symptoms and a few physical symptoms, this is cause for concern.

Here are some of the most common physical symptoms:

• Insomnia is one of the most common consequences of psychological trauma. Often, some of the other physical ailments that are associated with trauma are the result of insomnia. For example, this is reduced immunity and poor concentration.
• For people suffering from psychological trauma, constant muscle tension is characteristic. This, in turn, also negatively affects overall health.
• Often there are problems with remembering information, concentrating and solving mental problems.
• For people who have experienced psychological trauma, a general decrease in immunity is characteristic. This means that frequent colds and other health problems may occur. Moreover, those diseases that were previously easily tolerated can be much more severe.
• Exacerbation of chronic diseases in those who suffer from them is possible. It is also associated with a decrease in immunity.
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system often occur on a nervous basis. They are also characteristic of psychotrauma.
• Migraines and headaches are another symptom often complained about by trauma survivors.

How to deal with psychological trauma?

How severe the consequences of psychological trauma will be depends on the strength of the traumatic factor, the duration of the traumatic impact, the perception of the event by a particular individual, as well as on the support of loved ones and the provision of timely assistance.

Many people wonder if a loved one has had psychological trauma how to help to him? The best option at the first signs of psychological trauma is to seek help from specialists. If this is not possible, or if first aid is required before visiting a psychologist, the following tips will help you. These simple tips will allow you to help a loved one suffering from psychological trauma or work with your own emotions if psychological trauma treatment you need:

• First of all, it is worth simply distracting from negative memories and focusing on the future and the present. A person who has experienced psychological trauma wants to plunge into the past and abstract from real life However, it is especially important to fill life with positive events and new positive emotions.

• However, one should not expect that a person will immediately be able to forget negative events. Experience is a normal process that should take place naturally. It is necessary to realize the loss and experience suffering so that a negative episode does not disturb a person for the rest of his life. However, one should not allow a person to spend all his time and energy on his own grief.
• Rehabilitation after psychological trauma may stretch for a long time. You can not leave a person who has experienced a psychotrauma alone. It is very important for him to feel the support of loved ones and his own need. Often, after a psychological trauma, it is difficult to start trusting people - the best way to learn this again is in the process of communicating with family and friends.

How can you help your child deal with trauma?

Unfortunately, children and adolescents are the most susceptible to psychotrauma. Childhood trauma- a frequent and dangerous phenomenon, because if timely and competent assistance is not provided, the consequences of such an injury will affect the entire future life of a person. Moreover, some psychologists believe that psychological trauma can be inherited. Their logic is simple: a person experiencing psychological trauma cannot fully raise their own children.

Therefore, the treatment of psychological trauma is very important. This is especially true for children - after all, they usually cannot solve the problem on their own. Helping a child after a psychological trauma has its own difficulties:

• It can be difficult for adults to look at the situation from the child's point of view and understand his feelings. To better understand your child, you can read additional literature or watch films about psychological trauma. A child may misinterpret some life events, and minor negative situations that an adult would not pay attention to can cause psychological trauma.
• In addition, traumatized adults often realize that they need help. Children, on the other hand, often withdraw into themselves and do not allow themselves to be helped and supported.
• Particularly difficult to run psychological trauma in adolescents. Teenagers often distrust parents and most adults, so helping them is the hardest thing to do. To do this, it is very important to find an approach to a teenager and establish a trusting relationship with him. Here work with psychological trauma is to be thorough.

A common mistake parents make is that they begin to blame the child for his problems and give him advice from the perspective of an adult. Because of this, a child who has experienced psychological trauma may become even more withdrawn into himself. In order to provide support to a child with psychotrauma, it is important, first of all, to listen to him, as well as to surround him with care and love. However, if for a long time it is not possible to cope with the consequences of the injury on your own, you should contact a child psychologist.

Psychological trauma is dangerous not only for emotional, but also for physical health. Moreover, if it is not dealt with, the negative consequences will affect the entire future life of a person. Especially it concerns childhood psychological trauma because children perceive everything most painfully. Therefore, if you or your loved one has been traumatized, it is very important to fill your life with positive events and communicate with loved ones in order to quickly get rid of negative memories.

Video: "Description of psychological trauma"