Trauma causes our nervous systems to overreact to stimulation and stress. We feel on “high-alert” and as if we are in survival mode. Trauma left our bodies and minds in a state of fear. We worry about re-experiencing similar events. We have a difficult time managing stress. We feel uncomfortable around new people and have a difficult time opening up to others. Living in a state of constant fear can wreak havoc on our emotions. Due to our tendency to be in a highly reactive state of being, we may have a difficult time fully understanding or processing our emotions. We may view the world around us as more frightening than it truly is and therefore experience distorted emotions.
Emotions are our reactions to events in life or things that happen to us. When we experience trauma, we may have learned to shut ourselves off from emotions as a way of dealing with pain. When we shut ourselves off from emotions, we can even block out the experience of positive emotions. Since emotions are the way our brains react to our environments, being in a state of alert may also cause us to experience powerful emotions or mood swings when something goes just slightly wrong. We may overreact to surprises or unexpected daily stress. We may begin to process all of our emotions in “black-and-white,” meaning that they are either all good or all bad with no in-between.
Learning to process our emotions following trauma may take time. However, to truly enjoy life, we deserve to heal from our pain to prevent us from blunting our emotions or overreacting to them.
The Guest House understands that trauma can affect our emotional responses to everyday events. We may begin to overreact to normal everyday stress and under-react to positive events in life. Our emotions help us to process and understand the world around us. When our emotional processing is stunted by an overly reactive nervous system, our capacity to experience emotions appropriately is compromised. When we see the world in “black-and-white,” we may overreact to any potential stress that life hands us. By learning to experience the in-betweens and the gray areas, we can lead a more balanced life. Healing can begin by engaging in treatment from trauma to reconnect with our emotions. Call The Guest House today at (855) 483-7800 to begin working on your trauma. You deserve a better life and we are here to help!