Trauma can take many forms. A person can become traumatised through an accident, illness, a bereavement, loss of work or through a violent incident.
Many people have been traumatised by the events of the last 2 years – losing their freedom and their life as they knew it, losing their jobs, not understanding what is happening, having feelings of helplessness and/or anger or developing social anxiety.
Traumatic events can lead to us re-experiencing them through:
- flashbacks
- nightmares
- repetitive and distressing images or sensations
- physical sensations, such as pain, sweating, feeling sick or trembling
Alternatively, some people use avoidance techniques such as:
- avoiding certain people or places that remind you of the trauma
- avoiding talking to anyone about your experience.
- distracting themselves with work or hobbies.
- trying not to feel anything at all and becoming emotionally numb.
- becoming isolated and withdrawn
- giving up activities they used to enjoy.
Some people become anxious and feel on edge frequently, this is known as hyperarousal and has symptoms of:
- irritability
- angry outbursts
- sleeping problems – insomnia or difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep
- difficulty concentrating
These feelings can be hard to deal with, they may be isolating and you may feel others do not understand what you are going through, they may be overwhelming or they may be ‘stuck’ and you don’t seem to be able to move past them. Counselling can help to process the feelings and help you to come to a place of relative peace with what has happened.
