ISSUE #49: Tuesday August 23, 2011 -- Glossary

TRAUMA

I am continuing to group terms together for the glossary so that they might have more of a context and be easier to remember then (if you do want to remember them at all).

Please be aware, I’m not an “expert” or therapist in the mental health field. These terms are from various sources, including the DSM (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Some of the opinions expressed are mine alone. If something looks like a serious symptom that you experience you might want to talk to your doctor about it.

First, what is trauma?

It is an event or situation that we experience that is usually outside of normal and usual human experience and is so distressing to us that we are absolutely overwhelmed by it and are quite likely to have lasting emotional harm from it. Another way to look at it is an event or situation in which we feel the threat of harm or even death and we can see no way out of it, no escape. The result is we feel terrified and helpless. Feeling helpless and having no control over the situation is probably the key experience of trauma and most likely the biggest cause of our distress.

Trauma can also be a loss, or threatened loss, of an important person in our life or even an important object we own. It may also be an overwhelming urge to hurt ourself or another person. Finally, keep in mind, that trauma for one person may not be trauma for another. It depends on such things as who we are, how we cope with things in life, and the situation itself.

An author named Lenore Terr described two different types of trauma.

Type I Trauma
she defined as a single event such as fire or a single rape episode. If we experience this we may be fortunate enough to have family and/or friends to support us afterwards and help us deal with the situation. Also, we usually remember the details of the event, although that’s not always the case. However, we may develop Acute Stress Disorder as a result of the incident.

Acute Stress Disorder

After a traumatic event we might feel numb, detached from everything and everyone. It might feel like we are in a daze or fog, not as aware as usual of our surroundings. Things may feel unreal. We may not feel like our usual self.

At some point we may begin to relive the event with recurrent images, thoughts, and/or dreams. We might try to avoid anything or any place that reminds us of the trauma. We may also feel a lot of anxiety and fear, be constantly on alert in case it happens again, have difficulty sleeping and have very poor concentration.

The symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder tend to start either during the trauma or within four weeks of the event. Usually they last a minimum of two days and a maximum of four weeks.

Type II Trauma
is when we experience prolonged and repeated trauma. We might then develop PTSD symptoms much later, months or even years after the traumatic incidents. Also we might keep the incidents a secret or not even remember them for years. Even when we do remember them there may not be the same kind of support as there was for Type I Trauma. Often people go to therapy first and then begin to remember what happened.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Many of the symptoms of PTSD are the same as with Acute Stress Disorder. The main symptoms are:

> recurring and intrusive dreams, images, thoughts or perceptions that are actually recollections of the event or events. This can go on for months and even years and is very distressing. It can render us quite dysfunctional;

> feeling or acting as if we are reliving the event or events;

> trying to avoid any situations that remind us of the events because they trigger memories of the trauma. Certain people can also trigger us and remind us of a person that caused our trauma;

> constantly on alert for any signs of danger, as if the trauma may happen at any moment again. This is called hypervigilance. It may also mean we are very easily startled, or have difficulty sleeping or concentrating during the day;

> emotionally numb and sometimes less responsive than most people to situations. For example, not feeling grief about the loss of someone, or even talking about the trauma without feeling or expressing any distress. Or we may feel less interest in activities than we used to when we start to experience PTSD. We may also feel detached from others, unable to feel love or affection.

This disorder is a very difficult one to live with as people around us don’t understand why we are behaving so strangely. They may not understand why we avoid certain situations or why we are so jumpy. They may wonder why we seem so emotionally dead or why we are so fearful.

People with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or multiple personality, usually have PTSD as well because DID is most often caused by prolonged childhood trauma.