You’ve had your share of hardships in life. Maybe money was tight for many years growing up, or you lost a loved one at a young age. Or perhaps you’ve been through a bitter divorce, survived a severe illness or injury or witnessed violence. The effects of experiences like these are hard to define. For one, they impact different people in different ways. Some individuals are more willing to ask for help and talk about their experiences. Others compartmentalize, keeping their troubles locked inside. In many cases, people aren’t even sure whether their experience qualifies as traumatic — for example, abuse victims sometimes internalize the idea that the mistreatment was their own fault, or people who were deeply impacted by the death of a loved one feel as though their trauma is less “real” than someone who has served in a war.
But trauma is less defined by the experience itself and more by the lingering effects it has on an individual’s mental and physical health. There are definite signs of trauma that can be seen after it occurs or during an individual’s coming-to-terms process. There are also symptoms of trauma that can last far beyond the initial event, particularly when trauma goes unrecognized or untreated for many years. At The Guest House, we specialize in helping men and women process their trauma in a safe healing environment. The treatment we provide focuses on helping you overcome everything that is ailing you, no matter how small you may think it is or how deeply rooted it may seem. We approach all trauma with the same level of care, and work closely with each guest to identify their symptoms and understand the trauma behind them. Learn more about trauma symptoms — or contact us to learn more about our programs and how we can help you or your loved one heal.
Emotional, Psychological and Physical Symptoms After Trauma Occurs
Traumatic experiences leave many symptoms in their wake. The brain — the control center of our body — struggles to process these experiences because they are out of the ordinary; they make us feel a level of stress, panic, loss of control or grief that we are not meant to process on a daily basis. The brain sends out a variety of distress signals that trigger extreme emotional, psychological and physical responses.
Emotional/Psychological Symptoms:
- Shock
- Numbness
- Panic
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Confusion
- Hopelessness
- Isolation
- Guilt
Physical Symptoms:
- Insomnia
- Muscle tension
- Body aches
- Headaches
- Exhaustion
- Increased heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
These symptoms may fade over time or may manifest more or less strongly depending on the person. This can cause some people to never seek professional help after a traumatic experience. But they often return unexpectedly in response to triggers or episodes, or they cause changes in behavior patterns as the affected individual tries to adjust to life after living through traumatic events. In the long run, trauma can result in the development of mental health concerns — including diagnosable mental health disorders — and of self-defeating behaviors that arise as coping mechanisms.