29 Oct Trauma
When we hear the word trauma we can think of many obvious causes of trauma – abuse, war, living through a pandemic…. but here are some less obvious potential causes of trauma from Peter Levine, Ph.D. from his book Healing Trauma. They include:
- Minor automobile accidents (even fender benders) especially those that result in whiplash
- Invasive medical and dental procedures, particularly when performed on children who are restrained or anesthetized (the use of ether increases the chance of trauma. For adults, many medical procedures, such as a pelvic exam, can be experienced as an attack, even if rationally we know they are necessary and helpful.)
- Falls and other so-called minor injuries, especially when children or elderly people are involved.
- Natural disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods
- Illness, especially when there is high fever or accidental poisoning
- Being left alone, esp in young children and babies
- Prolonged immobilization, esp in children
- Birth stress, for both mother and infant
- Sudden loud noises, esp in children and babies
Trauma is often in our history, sometimes we are not aware. All we know is we don’t feel well or our nervous system is in fight, flight or freeze mode all the time. We need to get back to our original normal state of calm.
Talk therapy is a good start but does not do enough to address the effects of trauma that affect the person not only on a cognitive level but emotionally and physically as well. Somatic experiencing, IFS, and/or EMDR can provide full healing of trauma.