Trauma

The original meaning of the word trauma is wound.  Any event that causes emotional or physical scars is traumatic.

There are many ways that we become hurt, wounded and scarred.

• Abusive relationships
• Early childhood abuse and neglect – intentional and unintentional
• Sexual abuse
• Chronic abuse in the workplace
• Witnessing the unexpected
• Bullying

Trauma happens to us in three different ways – Overt, Developmental and Complex.

Types of Trauma

Overt – means that something either something or an event or both was seen and experienced either physically or emotionally.

Covert means that the event was either hidden or invisible.  You know that something is wong even though you can’t quite put your finger on it.  This is because you sense that something happened but you don’t know what it is.

Chronic means that whatever disturbed you or whatever happened in the past continues to do so now.

Developmental Trauma

Developmental is when the security of early infant relationships with parents or caregivers breaks down for some reason. This can be neglect, abuse, or both. Neglect and abuse are not necessarily deliberate or intentional. Sometimes these breakdowns stem from parental or caregiver stress and/or their own personal traumatic history.  Parents have a history too, and it is not uncommon for this to impact children as they are growing up.

Complex Trauma

This is when the experience of physical, sexual or emotional abuse, the sudden death of a loved one, or an overwhelming experience happens on top of an early childhood of abuse and or neglect.

 Therapy

Even though we try to wish away suffering by “fixing” wounds,  in therapy our job is to unpack and try to understand how we feel.  In a safe space and relationship with your therapist we try to loosen the ties that bind empathetically.  Because feelings can make their way deep into our memories and into the tissues and cells of our body we try to dislodge them during therapy. Relieving the fragmented state of mind that trauma can leave us with generally provides a freshness and new way of seeing.

Conditions that can have a history of trauma

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Suicidal ideation
• Borderline personality Disorder
• Dissociative Identity Disorder
• Neurodiversity – ADHD, ADD, Austism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia

           Unpacking and Understanding traumatic memories allows your mind and feelings to breath and find relief