Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Mental & Emotional Health

The most prevalent risk factor for all mental health disorders is emotional and psychological trauma. Whether it is repeated exposure to adverse circumstances or a one-time difficult event, distressing experiences can shatter a person's sense of security and identity, and may leave one feeling depressed, anxious, hypervigilant and overwhelmed.

Here, at Healing Wounds Healthcare, we prefer to define trauma in simple terms. Trauma can be seen as anything that negatively impacts the way a person sees themselves, others and the world around them. Trauma is like an emotional wound, a psychological injury or an unpleasant experience that causes abnormal stress. Trauma can occur from layers of invalidation, ongoing abuse, or emotional abandonment, and trauma can occur from a single incident event such as a loss of a loved one, sexual assault or a natural disaster. In essence, trauma happens when an event or a series of events causes a person to experience a dysregulated central nervous system. Whatever happened to put a person into a state of dysregulation is considered traumatic. 

The residual effects of trauma can include sleep disturbances, muscle tension, sweating and heart palpitations, stomachaches, headaches, autoimmune deficiencies, difficulty concentrating, fragmented or impaired memories, emotional swings, easily startled by noises or unexpected touch, easily upset or frustrated, intolerance for self or others, having difficulty trusting self or others, internalizing or personalizing events that may not be directly linked to you, having negative self-talk and distorted thoughts, overreacting to situations perceived as dangerous when, in fact, the circumstances are safe, and suffering from intense feelings of shame, guilt or hopelessness.

Trauma survivors often feel alone. They may believe that others will not fully understand their experiences, and they may think that sharing their feelings, thoughts, and reactions will fall short of expectations. However horrible the event may be, the experience of the trauma is typically even more profound. Traumas that generate shame will often lead survivors to feel more alienated from others - believing that they are “damaged goods.”

The therapists at Healing Wounds Healthcare have each endured some form of trauma in their lifetime and personally understand the mental, emotional and physical responses to trauma. We hold love and compassion for each one of our clients and are intimately invested in helping our clients find hope, healing and connection for their futures.

If you are a trauma survivor, we encourage you to reach out. Many of our clients come to us with multiple diagnoses - Major Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder to name a few. We have found that many of our clients have been treated for the existing diagnosis with medication, and some have had years of therapy - to no avail.

At Healing Wounds Healthcare, we believe healing from mental and emotional wounds can happen. In fact, we have witnessed many clients experience profound healing and freedom. Our five-stage model is based on HOPE and HEALING - (1) Building a client/counselor therapeutic bond to instill hope and connection; (2) Completing an in-depth and thorough evaluation; (3) Providing tools for physical and emotional regulation; (4) Processing the trauma through narrative counseling, if needed; and (5) Exploring post-traumatic growth.

We hope this information has been helpful to you. Please contact us if you would like to initiate services.

Blessings,

Cherie Burgess, LMHC
Owner of Healing Wounds Healthcare