Trauma means a deep psychological trauma caused by a very stressful event that violates a person’s sense of security. It manifests itself m.in. anxiety, nightmares and excessive vigilance. Trauma treatment consists in working through it during psychotherapy.
Causes of trauma
The development of trauma can be caused by both a one-time event and a long-term repetition of certain situations. Its cause may be:
- traffic accident,
- natural disaster,
- physical, psychological or sexual violence,
- growing up in a dysfunctional family,
- participation in the war,
- Your own illness or that of a loved one,
- divorce of parents in childhood,
- sudden death of a loved one.
Trauma develops when a stressful event exceeds a person’s adaptive abilities.
The risk of its occurrence depends on the mental state at the time of the occurrence of the situation, previous traumatic experiences, genetic predispositions, and the support of relatives and specialists immediately after the event.
Symptoms of trauma
People who have experienced a traumatic event often struggle with problems such as:
- constant sense of danger,
- intrusive thoughts about trauma,
- fear of situations and places that are associated with the event experienced,
- insomnia,
- nightmares,
- long-lasting deterioration in mood,
- disorders of the digestive system,
- heart rhythm disorders,
- isolation from the environment.
Trauma treatment
The best results are brought by psychotherapy, which serves to work through the trauma. The therapist provides the patient with safe conditions to confront difficult memories and the emotions they evoke. It helps to fully understand the impact of an event on current functioning and regain a sense of control over life.