Trauma Psychology

 

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If you are looking for a sign to get out of bed, take a shower, walk outside, or a simple reminder that you are important: Here it is! This is your sign!

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What Causes Trauma

+ 3 Steps to Begin Trauma Psychology

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DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A DOCTOR, COUNSELOR, OR THERAPIST. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS MERELY BASED OFF OF SCHOLARLY RESEARCH (linked), AS WELL AS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THAT I HAVE FOUND TO BE INFORMATIVE IN REGARDS TO TRAUMA. I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ON THIS TOPIC. I RECOMMEND A CONSULTATION WITH YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU ARE SUFFERING THROUGH TRAUMA.

 

This series may also bring up traumatic experiences and/or responses. Although I am going to try to avoid using examples, I cannot assure you this will not be a trigger for some. It is your choice to continue reading.

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Welcome to part 2 of our trauma series!

 

Today, we’re going to get into trauma psychology. We’ll be looking at the ins and outs of what can cause trauma and one of the first steps many therapists and psychologists use to begin  working through this with their clients!

 

**Even if you aren’t personally experiencing trauma, or trauma related problems, I urge you to still read over this series! As we all know, knowledge is power, and you never know when you may learn some valuable information that you can help someone else with!**

 

 

In my last post, I went over why I chose to begin a trauma series. I also defined trauma and gave some different types! Since I have already covered what trauma is, I have decided to dive right on in today by discussing what causes trauma! (I am also going to talk about trauma psychology, because I always want you to leave my blog with something that could help!) With that, today’s topic:

 

What causes trauma + how trauma psychology can help!

 

I don’t want to start in on trauma psychology without first briefing you on what can even cause trauma. How can we start fixing something we don’t even understand? But, here’s the thing: trauma is vague. Remember? And some of the characteristics that makes trauma so vague are the causes.

 

Before going any further, I want to point out that someone else’s trauma isn’t meant for you to understand. You don’t get to dictate how someone else should be responding to anything that has happened. Their feelings are just as valid as yours, regardless of how different that might be.

 

So, let’s get started with causes of trauma.

 

For some more information on types of trauma, psychological trauma shocks a person’s systems: cognitive, emotional, physical, spiritual, and social. Now, for that to mean anything to you, let me tell you what those systems do:

 

1. Cognitive: processes thoughts, decision making
2. Emotional: clear as day- this is your emotions, your reactions
3. Physical: how your body works- muscles, immune system, joints, sleep, body temperature
4. Spiritual: our worldview, how we see reality, what we deem ‘safe’, our meaning of life
5. Social: relationships, how we work within society

 

It’s important to know everything that psychological trauma can affect when looking at what can cause trauma. I want you to keep in mind the five terms previously mentioned, to really emphasize how drastic trauma can be on people.

 

So, I could go into a story or research paper format, but I am going to keep it simple and just going to list off some causes of trauma, with a description and subtopic examples. These are going to be broadly listed and in no particular order. Here we go:

 

• Childhood trauma

  • Generally defined as trauma happening between the ages of 0-6, childhood trauma is, in my opinion, the most impactful. This is due to the fact that during this age range, a child’s brain is rapidly developing. Agreeing that a child is in the most vulnerable stage of life, any trauma happening during this time frame can cause drastic, life-long struggles.
    • • Neglect
      • Deprivation
      • Consistent loud and/or aggressive tones
      • Abuse
      • Kidnapping
      • Parental figures or people in close proximity of the child are active addicts/ alcoholics

 

• Serious illness

  • This can range from a surgery happening as a baby, up to being diagnosed with a terminal illness. This can also cause physical trauma, but the psychological trauma these situations can cause should not be overlooked.
    • • Overlooked surgeries
      • Long-term illness
      • Potentially fatal illness
      • Diagnosis of someone close to you

 

• Unsafe/ unstable environment

  • Being in an unsafe environment can affect anyone, but more-so affects children, females, or single parent families. An unstable environment is especially rough for children.
    • • Fostercare
      • High crime area
      • School violence
      • Community violence
      • Active addicts or alcoholics

 

• Ending of a significant relationship

  • This can be broad, also.  Relationships can form in so many ways, but they can be lost in so many more. Having a relationship, regardless of what kind, is a bond. When we bond with other people. we tend to exchange parts of us. When this ends, this can leave us feeling broken, drained, or even hopeless. This could also pertain to moving away from friends and family. Even though those bonds are still there, making a life-changing decision that changes your environment can lead to trauma.
    • • Moving
      • Break-up
      • Divorce
      • Loss of someone

 

• Relentless stress

  • Stress can come in literally all forms. Everyone can be stressed, but all due to different reasons. Stress is a huge factor in suicide rates, but also an overlooked factor in trauma.
    • • Family stressors
      • Work stressors
      • Financial stressors
      • Relational stressors

 

• Abuse

  • Abuse is the most commonly known cause of trauma.
    • • Physical abuse
      • Mental abuse
      • Sexual abuse
      • Domestic violence

 

Now that you’ve read six primary causes of trauma, with twenty-six subtopics, can you see what I mean about trauma being vague? there are so many different reasons someone could be dealing with trauma in their life. Keeping in mind the five systems in you that trauma can affect, this leaves a huge grey area when asking what causes trauma and how to deal with it.

 

 

It is with great pleasure, I now introduce to you trauma psychology.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I want to be able to give you a tactic that you can use, or teach others about, if you are encountering trauma. Once again, I am no doctor, but I believe this is something you can use to possibly begin to work through trauma on your own! Although I won’t be diving into growing from our trauma just yet (that’s part 4 of this series), I want to talk about trauma psychology and how it is performed by psychologists and therapists.

 

**I should note that trauma psychology, in its greatest form, is used primarily for individuals suffering with PTSD. As stated in the beginning, I am not a licensed psychologist or therapist. I AM comfortable sharing the following information I have found. These examples/ tips are in reference to a mild form of trauma psychology, that you can work on yourself, IF you are content with doing so. I want you to be your best self and my biggest hope is that this may help.**

 

Psychological trauma is caused by circumstances that have affected you psychologically, right? (Duh.) So, trauma psychology is confronting and dealing with your trauma, psychologically. Basically, it’s playing with and rewiring your brain! I am going to give you 3 steps in working through trauma psychology, by yourself.

 

[Before beginning to work through your trauma, it’s pretty smart to go through some psychoeducation. (That’s just a fancy word for learning about mental health.) If you click here, you can read my mental health check in post, but I also encourage you to research more on your own! There are tons of websites (even ones linked throughout the entirety of this post), videos, podcasts, and books on this topic, even dealing with trauma in particular. Whether you are a visual, audible, or hands on learner, there are plenty of resources! Be sure look into mental health!]

 

Step 1:

Okay, so this process does NOT begin with reliving your trauma story. Trauma psychology begins by restoring your sense of safety. This means the first step in processing your trauma is making sure you feel safe. (There is a difference in being safe, and feeling like you are safe. Separate the two and make sure you are good on both terms.) One of the primary reactions to trauma is constantly feeling unsafe. Before you can work through the trauma itself, you have to start gaining your life back. Part of that gain is restoring your sense of safety. This could mean removing yourself from a situation that heightens your sense of not being safe. Or, this could seemingly be reminding yourself on a regular basis that you are safe and you are grounded.

 

Step 2:

Then, we have to focus on how to cope with the stress our trauma brings us. It may seem like it would be more beneficial to bring up the traumatic experience prior to this step, but learning to cope with the stress of this will allow you to later discuss the experience in a less emotional, and more grounding, way. I will go further into this in the next part of this series (when we focus on recognizing trauma), but begin looking into what your trauma has affected in your day-to-day life. (Look for signs of stress in your relationships, body changes, moods, etc.) This most likely won’t be a quick process, but once you realize how your trauma is contributing to your stress, start taking back control of your life. Find ways to stop the stress, caused by this trauma, from creeping up on you and controlling you in that moment.

 

Step 3:

Once you have worked through reducing the outcomes of the stress your trauma can lead (or has led) to, you may be able to start slowly working through the trauma itself. It will not be easy, and you will probably be an emotional roller coaster while doing so. But, one way I personally would work through trauma is by journaling. (There are many other ways, which will also be brought up in part 4, when we focus on how to grow through/from trauma, but journaling is my personal favorite.) A lot of people say to write and burn: write out what happened, how it made you feel, how it has affected your life, how you are taking control back, etc. and then burn the paper you wrote it on. Not only is it supposed to be physically healing to visually see your trauma being burned, it also emphasizes to your brain that you are in control and your trauma is seemingly old news. This may not sound appealing to you, which is okay, but find a way to begin working through your trauma. Maybe it means playing music, dancing, crying, yelling, getting a therapist… whatever healthy healing looks like to you, start doing it.

 

And, there you have it!

 

3 beginner steps of trauma psychology.

 

 

Guys.

I know life is hard.

 

I know this is not an easy fix.

 

But, you’re never going get anywhere by staying where you’re at.

 

As I said in the first part of this series, your trauma does not define you. What has happened to you does not define you. YOU define you. You choose who you are. You choose what you do. You choose how often you grow.

 

I need you to work on yourself. It’s honestly your only hope. If you want to break through something, all that’s standing in your way is the amount of effort you’re willing to put in. Trauma does not make you less than. It does not mean you aren’t ‘enough’.

 

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I really have no leg to stand on. Do your own research. Put in your own work. Study the topics you need help with. Find experts who can help you. Like I said, even throughout all my research, I am not a doctor. I am not a therapist or a psychologist. But, I do care about you.

 

You are loved. You are so beautifully created. You are impactful.

 

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

 

Leave a comment. Send me an email or DM me on Instagram by clicking their icon.

 

I am here.

 

As always, if you need a sign to take care of yourself: this is it.

Learn more about mental health.

Start journaling.

Take your life back.

Because as we all know:

you are the most vital character in your story!

The trauma llama will be back, soon.

Peace out, girl scouts!

… and always aim to be the best self you can be.