TRAUMA

 

Unresolved emotional trauma doesn't just linger in the mind it embeds itself in the body.

And it reshapes how we respond to stress on a fundamental level.

Research from Harvard University reveals that chronic stress and unhealed trauma can recalibrate the nervous system, locking it into a heightened state of alert. In this state, the body becomes hyper-responsive, misinterpreting ordinary sensations as threats, which can manifest as chronic pain, tension, or inflammation, even in the absence of a clear medical cause.

This prolonged fight-or-flight response means the body remains stuck in survival mode, echoing the emotional distress that has not been fully processed. As muscles stay tense and inflammation festers, these physical symptoms become somatic expressions of unresolved psychological pain. It's the body's way of continuing the conversation the mind has yet to finish-an urgent signal that healing must occur not only emotionally but physically as well.

If you have recently dealt with a traumatic event, you might be worried that you're going to feel lousy indefinitely. While it can certainly take some time to feel like yourself again, there are many steps you can take to help you process traumatic events. Know that it is possible for you to feel better and that you have the power to make choices that improve your symptoms.

This article discusses how to improve your symptoms of Unresolved trauma. First, we'll first look at exactly what trauma is so you can be clear that it's what you're experiencing, then we can see various steps you can take and tips you can try.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is the result of a negative event. It occurs when you are physically, emotionally, or mentally hurt by something that has happened. About 5% - 10% of people who experience trauma develop post-traumatic stress disorder, which is commonly referred to as PTSD.

Examples of traumatic events include the death of someone you love, experiencing abuse, a plane or automobile crash, an extremely difficult relationship or breakup, or a natural disaster like an earthquake or hurricane.

Feeling shock, sadness, anxiety or feeling overwhelmed by difficult life circumstances is a common response for most people. The following are symptoms people are more likely to experience if they have been traumatized:

Difficulty sleeping or nightmares

Unwanted thoughts or vivid memories of event

Hypervigilance/being on guard

Difficulty managing emotions/feeling intense emotions

Difficulty concentrating and/or memory problems

Negative thoughts and beliefs about themselves, others or the world

Engaging in risky/ harmful behaviors

Dissociating

Difficulty sustaining healthy relationships

Constant feelings of shame, guilt, or self-loathing

Difficulty trusting

Aggression or irritability

Low self-esteem

Substance abuse

Eating disorders

Accept Support

Finding and welcoming support is a major part of dealing with many mental health issues. That said, people with trauma histories might struggle to receive support due to their own histories of trauma. It is best to focus on letting them know the benefits of accepting support, rather than framing it as something they have to be willing to do. Many people with trauma histories lack safe support or even access to support.

For them it might be more beneficial to understand the importance of building support networks. In this space, it is more helpful to acknowledge how difficult it can be to find or accept support, while also pointing out the benefits of it.

So it might turn out that much of your healing journey occurs alone, or with individual therapy, or it might involve a lot of community support. Whichever route it's going to take naturally, you'll have the best chance of recovering well if you are in the space of understanding what support is available and what it can do for you.

You might receive support from loved ones, a support group, a therapist, or from friends or colleagues. The important part here is to get into a mindset where you understand that others may likely be able to help you, and you are willing to take that help.

Find the Right Help

Next, you'll want to find the right type of help for your situation. If therapy seems like the right step for you, you can look specifically for a trauma-informed therapist to ensure the therapist is able to work with trauma and provide you with the best possible service. Individual trauma-focused psychotherapy is recommended over all other approaches for PTSD and traumatic experiences in general.

Modalities like EMDR, somatic experiencing, trauma-focused CBT, Internal Family Systems, or art therapy can be good treatment options as well.

Talking about traumatic events might be re-traumatizing if you're experiencing emotional or visual flashbacks, so support groups are not recommended for trauma without individual trauma-informed support.

Connect With Others

It's important for trauma survivors to connect with other people. You don't need to center your trauma with a group, and you don't even necessarily need to talk to other people about your trauma if it doesn't feel like the right move for you.

Many trauma survivors either overshare, or don't share anything about their trauma. It's important for you to build a network of 1 - 3 people with whom you can share difficult experiences, and a wider network of people with whom you don't talk to much or at all about your trauma, but who can help you connect to fun and joyful activities.1

Connection with others is key to happiness as humans, and isolating yourself while dealing with trauma can lead to negative outcomes like depression. Spend time with friends when you feel up for it, and share what you've experienced when it feels right.

Physical Movement

Exercise has been shown to improve symptoms of PTSD.2 In addition to directly helping you heal, exercise and physical movement also provide your body with much-needed feel-good chemicals like endorphins.

If you don't love working out, that's OK! Take walks, do something fun like bike riding or roller skating, move along to a yoga video, or have a solo dance party. Anything that involves moving your body will help you heal.

Work With Your Feelings

Journaling is a common way to manage stress and move through complex events. Give it a try if it feels like it might be beneficial for you. Trauma survivors might experience emotional flashbacks, so they actively avoid feeling emotions to avoid spiraling down for days or even weeks.

So as you journal and work with your feelings, be curious about your emotions and sit with them if you are able to do so. If not, you can work with other tools first. Don't pressure yourself to feel things that can trigger a flashback.

Feeling your feelings, and accepting them, is key to healing from trauma. You may have some difficult feelings along the way, like anger, and that's OK. It's natural to have a wide variety of emotions, and there's nothing wrong if some of them are new for you.

Practice Self-Care

Self-care reduces stress. Equally important, it feels good. Practice self-care through your healing journey by regularly taking action to do things that feel good and loving for yourself.

Self-care acts can be simple and free and might be as mundane as taking a bath. What matters is that you set time aside to care for yourself, and you do things that make you feel loved. Here are some examples of self-care practices that can be helpful for dealing with trauma:

Practicing sleep hygiene

Daily exercise

Belly breathing

Grounding exercises

Journaling

Eating a balanced diet

Hydration

Connect with others

Create art

Practice a hobby

Avoid Recreational Substances

While healing from trauma, it might be incredibly tempting to drink or do drugs. Many people with trauma histories learn to cope with intensity of emotions by doing an activity that makes emotions feel more manageable (like recreational drugs).

You won't be able to work through your feelings if you're actively avoiding them by taking substances. During the healing process, it's a good idea to reassess your relationship with substances. Know that healing from trauma can be a lifelong journey, and for some, it may be best not to return to substance use at all.

Take Breaks

When moving through healing, you might find that you're more tired than usual. Or, you might feel like you have physical energy, but your mind doesn't work as well. Healing from trauma takes a lot of energy.

The best way to deal with reduced energy during this time, whether physical or mental, is to be gentle with yourself. Taking breaks, even from doing fun things, to pause and give yourself a moment will help keep your energy up and ensure you don't exhaust yourself.

Practice Mindfulness or Meditation

One practice that has been shown to support mental health is mindfulness. It's a method of experiencing life where you make a point of paying attention to each moment. You stay present for everything from your thoughts and feelings to how things are for you physically. This can help you relieve stress.

Additionally, meditation and breathwork, which are natural offshoots of mindfulness, can improve stress levels and help you to feel more relaxed and settled in your life. These are all helpful for healing.

Note that these practices might not be helpful for some trauma survivors, because being attuned to your body might cause more dysregulation. For someone who isn't used to these skills, it can take some time to get used to them. Some trauma survivors can struggle with self-loathing, and if it feels like mindfulness isn't "working", it can lead to feelings of failure that will not be productive.

Engage in Creativity

Lastly, having fun is a great healing tool. Getting creative, for you, might mean making music or just listening to it. It might mean writing poetry, journaling, or even just reading a fiction book. Engaging your brain in creative and artistic endeavors has been proven to improve physiological and psychological outcomes in people.3

You can try art therapy or be completely casual about your creativity and do it alone. What matters is that you engage with anything creative that feels positive for you.

Healing from trauma might feel overwhelming. Know that there are many options at your disposal, and if you use them, you'll be on your way to feeling better soon.