What is trauma?
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Psychological trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or events, in which a person may have felt threatened, humiliated, rejected, abandoned, invalidated, unsafe, trapped, ashamed or powerless.
These experiences may impact negatively on emotions, self-worth or relationships and result in unhelpful ways of coping such as avoidance, self-harming or alcohol misuse.
Sometimes a person isn’t aware that these distressing events are the underlying cause or have contributed to their problems.
Types of traumatic experiences
Below is a list of common traumatic experiences. However, a person can experience psychological trauma in response to a number of distressing events and therefore this is not an exhaustive list.
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Physical assault
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Sexual assualt
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Experiencing violence, abuse or neglect in childhood or as an adult
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Bullying
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Witnessing violence in the home or community
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Growing up with a parent with mental health problems, substance misuse or other instability
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Experiencing an act of violence such as robbery
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Involvement in a serious accident
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Living through a life-threatening natural disaster
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Loss of a loved one
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Sustaining personal injury or developing a debilitating health condition
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Traumatic birth
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War
How trauma can affect you
There are a number of ways traumatic experiences can impact on mental health, wellbeing and relationships. Here is a list of common difficulties noticed in people who have experienced trauma:
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Depression
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Anger
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Severe anxiety
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Isolation and loneliness
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Flashbacks
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Nightmares
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Avoidance
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Irritability
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Low self worth
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Feeling numb
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Hypervigilant
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Alcohol or drug use
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Self-harming or suicidal thoughts
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Individuals that have experienced traumatic events may have reached out to mental health services and received a diagnosis. This could be a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD or personality disorder. Regardless of your diagnosis, understanding and learning ways to manage difficulties associated with trauma can improve your mental health and wellbeing.
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