Q-What is Trauma?
A-Psychological trauma is your response to a distressing or disturbing experience that feels overwhelming and affects your ability to cope or make sense of what happened. Psychological trauma can leave you feeling helpless. It can diminish your sense of self and your ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences.
Q-What are the symptoms of trauma?
A-Symptoms of psychological trauma include
- Shock
- Denial or disbelief
- Confusion, difficulty concentrating
- Anger, irritability, mood swings
- Anxiety and fear
- Guilt, shame, self-blame
- Withdrawing from others
- Feeling sad or hopeless
- Feeling disconnected or numb
Q-What are the three types of trauma?
A-There are three main types of trauma
Acute trauma results from a single incident
Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse
Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature
Examples of traumatic events:
- Rape
- Domestic violence
- Physical, emotional or sexual abuse
- Serious accidents, i.e. road traffic collisions
- Natural or man-made disasters
- Severe illness or injury
- The death of a loved one/Loss and grief
- Witnessing an act of violence
- Neglect
- Bullying
- Being taken hostage