What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Stimulant Abuse and Withdrawal 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.

Mental Health Concerns

Trauma causes interruptions in neurological function that can change the structure of certain pathways in the brain. A traumatic experience might flood the brain with chemicals that cause stress or fear while lowering feelings of contentment and security. The lingering symptoms of trauma can cement these new patterns in place, making it more difficult for someone who has experienced trauma to regulate their moods, feel happy or feel motivated. Mental health concerns, including mental health disorders, can arise as a result of the imbalances that trauma leaves behind.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is an umbrella disorder that may include symptoms of several other mental health concerns. Those who struggle with PTSD might experience flashbacks of the traumatic event, uncontrollable thoughts about their trauma or anxiety that something similar could happen at any moment. The symptoms of PTSD are unpredictable and may occur at any time, which can make it difficult for people with PTSD to get through a normal day.

Depression

Depression is characterized by a deep sense of sadness, accompanied by feelings of fatigue, worthlessness, apathy and low self-esteem. When traumatic events occur, it can make those involved feel helpless, as though there was nothing they could do to prevent it. In turn, they may feel guilty — as though they should have been able to do something about it, but couldn’t. The accompanying sense of deep despair is a precursor to depression, especially if the affected individual does not seek help for the thoughts of sadness and self-blame.

Anxiety

Trauma can instill a sense of fear and panic. People who experience trauma may feel that at any second, something else could befall them and they would not be able to protect themselves. They may fear that they will see someone or something that reminds them of their trauma, and feel worried about how they will react. Living with this constant tension is a key indicator that an anxiety disorder is developing

Compulsive Disorders

Those who experience trauma often feel as though their world is spiraling out of the control. Developing compulsive behaviors is a common coping mechanism since repetitive actions or regular rituals use the same self-control pathways and trick the brain into feeling better. But compulsive disorders arise when the associated behaviors become disruptive or harmful, and when psychological and physical reactions occur if behaviors can’t be completed.

Personality Disorders

People who have lived through trauma, especially trauma involving loss of a loved one or harm at the hands of someone they trusted, may develop personality disorders that interfere with their interpersonal skills. They might feel as though they can’t trust others, or they might cling to people in their life because they don’t want to lose them. The result might be a personality disorder with poor self-control, insecurity, unstable relationships and unpredictable moods.

Self-Defeating Behaviors

Trauma affects the conscious mind as well as the physical structures of the brain. Regardless of the chemicals that regulate moods, reactions and mental health, people react to trauma by feeling a certain way. Since these feelings are often negative and difficult to live with, those who struggle with them search for ways to cope with them in the hopes of feeling better and achieving a sense of normalcy again. But too often — and without professional guidance — the coping mechanisms they develop are unhealthy habits that only serve to worsen the situation over time.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse — both drug and alcohol addiction — is, unfortunately, an incredibly common reaction to experiencing trauma. The illusion of pleasure derived from being drunk or high can make someone struggling with trauma feel like they can finally forget their worries. But this is of course only a temporary solution, since the effects of drugs and alcohol wear off after a short time. In an effort to maintain the pleasurable feelings of being drunk or high, people will use substances constantly — which in turn leads to dependency and addiction.

Eating Disorders

Disordered eating can arise after trauma, usually as a type of compulsive disorder with roots in control pathways and self-soothing or as a means of dealing with poor self-image. Exercising control over food, meal times and body weight, however, can be very dangerous for physical health. Eating disorders can involve overeating, undereating, eating only certain foods, avoiding certain foods or any strict eating patterns that are abnormal or unhealthy.

Self-Harm

Many people describe a feeling of numbness after a traumatic event. The overwhelming task of emotionally confronting trauma leads people to shut away their thoughts and feelings rather than addressing them head-on. But this also means that they don’t feel emotions — positive or negative — toward anything else, either. Many people self-harm as a way to “feel something” after trauma, even if that something is pain. Self-harm can also be a compulsive behavior, allowing the subconscious to exercise control over one’s actions and feelings.

Trauma Treatment at The Guest House Ocala

Trauma is not something that should be ignored. Holding deeply disturbing events inside of you and allowing them to influence your thought patterns and behaviors can lead to many problematic symptoms, both soon after the event and over many months and years. If you or your loved one has symptoms like the ones described here, we encourage you to reach out to us at The Guest House Ocala. We specialize in treating trauma and the resulting concerns and self-defeating behaviors. We offer high-quality residential treatment programs for men and women who are dealing with the effects of traumatic experiences, and provide a safe space so our guests can heal from trauma and its many effects. Contact us today at 855-483-7800.