07 Jul Where Does Trauma Go?   The Body’s Response To Emotional Distress

Human beings are very adaptable. We can endure situations we might have once thought ourselves incapable of facing. Nearly anyone who has experienced a loss understands this. Grief and the processing of loss may be difficult, but we’re still capable of managing it, and in many cases, more effectively and in less time than we expected.

Loss is just one type of traumatic experience to which every single one of us is vulnerable. In fact, we’re vulnerable to trauma just by way of the universal truth that everything is changing all the time. Although it will vary in type and degree person to person, no one escapes trauma. Doesn’t it make sense then to understand it better, as a phenomenon but also as an individual experience?

If you’re wondering about your own experience with a traumatic event in your life, this article is a good place to start. You’ll gain a basic understanding of what trauma is, how it can manifest, and what you can do about it.

Before we continue, we want to make clear that if you’re experiencing self-destructive thoughts in response to trauma, you should contact a licensed psychologist or approach your general practitioner for a referral. Help is available.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. All kinds of life events can be traumatic. It’s not so much what happens in our lives as it is our individual response to events, which is affected by our own personal cocktail of temperament, early influences, and the presence or absence of love and support in our lives.

Some people are resilient in the face of even the most oppressive or deleterious events, like abuse or a major injury. They seem to sail through with few scars. Others are highly sensitive to life’s challenges and may become trapped in depression or anxiety. Still, others seem fine on the surface but have the unconscious habit of repressing difficult emotions.

It’s important to note here that resilience and sensitivity are not at opposite ends of a spectrum. Inherently sensitive people can be quite resilient and resilient people can be quite sensitive deep down. Vulnerability is indeed a strength. The difference is how we manage our proclivity toward a particular type of response and whether we’re even aware of it.

While the root of trauma will vary from person to person, there are some common symptoms that may signal post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some are obvious; others are insidious and surprising. Let’s take a look:

Symptoms Of PTSD Or Trauma-induced Stress

• Negative self-perception wrought with feelings of shame, guilt, and helplessness
• Difficulty regulating emotions resulting in outbursts of anger, depression, or “simmering rage” (repressed anger)
• Somatic problems like pain and illness, often appearing in a telling location which we may identify as a metaphysical issue
• Detachment by disconnecting from one’s body or mind processes by ignoring physical and psychological signs of distress
• Challenges with relationships characterized by deep distrust, feelings of isolation, projection, or avoidance of relationships
• Despair or hopelessness

What Happens To Trauma?

The body’s response to trauma is one more indicator of its incredible intelligence. Each part of our body and its every function serves a sophisticated survival system. Our primary task in life is to survive, so our bodies have specific defenses designed to protect themselves against threats like trauma and stress. In most cases, our defense system works preventatively through physiological and neurological mechanisms like fear that warn us against impending danger. On a spiritual level, intuition acts to guide us toward deeper insights.

In some cases though, the body shuts down and is unable to immediately process traumatic events. When left untreated, trauma can get stuck in the body for months, sometimes years, and may manifest in a variety of physiological and psychological conditions. Often our instincts tell us to avoid confronting the emotional repercussions of stressful or traumatic events because they’re more than we are capable of managing. Indeed, they can certainly feel that way, and over time, the fear inspired by a particular traumatic event can negatively impact our mental and physical health.

Integrating Trauma: How To Know You’re Healing

Many people don’t want to “dredge up the past” or rehash events that they have no power to change. Some therapies do require a critical look at past events and their emotional impact. Other styles of therapy focus on “here we are, now what?” In many cases when a commitment is made to maintain awareness of challenging emotions, reactions, and triggers as they arise, the past tends to work itself out without too much intensive analysis.

Healing doesn’t follow a timeline, fit within a framework, or require a standard protocol, but it is fluid. You may feel like your forward motion is offset by a couple of steps back, but the point is that there is movement. We occasionally need minor regressions to recognize how far we’re capable of going.

Awareness of everything you’re feeling is the way toward accepting the repercussions of the post-trauma reactions, which may be disguised as something that seems completely unrelated. It involves searching every nook and cranny of yourself with a commitment to leave no stone unturned, even the ones that seem too hard to move. This process of healing can take a long time, but there are several techniques that can help. Receiving every emotion and being patient with yourself are critical practices.

Energy medicine for trauma recovery is increasing in popularity as more people look for alternative approaches to stress release. Not only does it work with our energy meridians to prevent and release emotional blockages, it educates us about our own bodies. For example, each time I receive a Reiki treatment or therapeutic massage, I experience a profound emotional release when my left thigh is stimulated. What does that mean? While the answer to that may call for some deep metaphysical analysis, it’s enough for me to know that this is a particularly sensitive part of my body that’s prone to storing emotion. Awareness is always the first step toward deeper insight.

Recovery Is A Journey

The recovery journey is a personal one. As much as suffering is universal, it is also very personal in that every person experiences it in their own way. That means recovery also has a roadmap unique to each person and how trauma plays out in their lives.

Healing from a traumatic event is a bit like aging. You don’t see it happening moment to moment, but one day you look in the mirror and realize that a great deal of change has occurred. You can measure your progress but understand that it’s not going to appear in a linear fashion. Some days you’ll look older, some days you’ll look younger. Some days your recovery journey will take you down and burn you out. At other times it’ll guide you to the most peaceful of places. Notice it, feel it, and accept it all.

Do you want to learn more about your body’s response to stress? Consider a Reiki treatment for trauma recovery. If you’re in the Durham region, contact Marnie, owner of Journey Within Healing Center to make an appointment or to find out if it’s right for you.