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How do different people process trauma?

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How do different people process trauma?

An individual's emotional attachment to a risk to their emotional or physical safety,

which, as reported earlier by SELF, can result in various long-term mental and physical

difficulties, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Just as not that anyone who goes

through a traumatic experience will be permanently altered by it, the same holds for long-term

impacts. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the beneficial and destructive effects of

trauma on health.

Unfortunately, not everybody who faces adversity can recover and flourish. Some people

cannot shake the memories of their tragedy, while others will go to great lengths to hide their

anguish (Milanak et al., 2019). Disorders of mental health and substance abuse, such as comment

traumatic stress, are a real possibility for some people (PTSD). Even though they may appear

fine on the outside, some people may still be experiencing subtle effects from their trauma, even

if they are unaware of them. Although appearing to be fine on the outside, some people may be

particularly vulnerable to seemingly harmless statements or facial movements that are meant to

be hurtful.

Even though trauma might create health issues, the incident itself is not always the cause

(Montgomery et al., 2019). How each individual reacts to pressure is unique. If you were

molested as a youngster, you could react negatively to loud noises or proximity from others. The

physical manifestations of stress and anxiety, such as heart palpitations and shallow, quick

breathing, might occur despite your conscious awareness of your safety. This is the learned

physiological reaction your body has developed in response to trauma. However, this reaction

can be lessened through conscious effort.

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Trauma can alter our levels of hormones, particularly those of adrenalin, cortisone, and

oxytocin, which are all controlled by the HPA axis. We become more sensitive to stress and

more inclined to produce more stress hormone cortisol after experiencing trauma. Hormones like

cortisol are crucial in emergency cases. Consider: if an animal is after you, the adrenaline will

help you run faster and further away from the threat. However, trauma keeps your body in that

revved-up condition, even when there is no immediate threat, which is extremely taxing on your

system (Curry et al., 2022).

The "love hormone," oxytocin, which fosters close bonds between friends, family

members, romantic partners, and even infants and their mothers, is suppressed in trauma

survivors. It is oxytocin's job to lift spirits and protect us from the damaging effects of stress. A

lack of oxytocin may make one less resilient and protective.

Some traumatic experiences are beneficial to health, while others are not. The body

naturally produces adrenaline and cortisol in response to traumatic experiences, triggering the

body's fight, flight or freeze response. These reactions can be triggered by past traumatic

experiences that have not been processed. Trauma comes in a wide variety of forms. Without a

thorough examination, signs of the trauma of various forms may be missed. Consequently, it is

necessary to develop a proper definition of trauma.

Understanding how people has strongly influenced how I interact with and learn from

Columbia’s diverse and collaborative community. The diverse community of Columbia means

that people come from a wide variety of social and cultural background. They all grew up in

different environments and this has shaped how they respond to different stimuli. I am
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empathetic and understanding towards people. The urge to judge people is suppressed because I

understand that people may have endured traumas they are yet to address and this affects how

they interact with people. For example, some people resort to violence when they feel offended

whereas others become reclusive. This is largely attributed to traumas from their childhood.

These approach is very unhealthy. I deal with trauma through speaking to someone. This is a

healthy way of dealing with emotions instead of bottling up and letting them erupt.

Reference

Milanak, M. E., Zuromski, K. L., Cero, I., Wilkerson, A. K., Resnick, H. S., & Kilpatrick, D. G.

(2019). Traumatic event exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder, and sleep disturbances

in a national sample of US adults. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32(1), 14-22.

Montgomery, E., Just-Østergaard, E., & Jervelund, S. S. (2019). Transmitting trauma: a

systematic review of the risk of child abuse perpetrated by parents exposed to traumatic

events. International Journal of Public Health, 64(2), 241-251.

Curry, A., & Epley, P. (2022). “It makes you a healthier professional”: the impact of reflective

practice on emerging clinicians’ self-care. Journal of Social Work Education, 58(2), 291-

307.