Keys to overcoming trauma

Trauma is a Greek word meaning "unhealed wound." Dr. Jamie Marich defines trauma as "an event or events so horrific it forever changes your brain structure and soul." When undergoing a traumatic event, the human body prepares itself for an emergency. In this moment, normal functions such as digestion, reproduction and cell repair are considered unimportant and are shut down. Your brain pumps out cortisol to counter pain and inflammation. The blood sugar increases to provide extra energy to the muscles. Blood is redirected from the extremities to the muscles for increased strength. The individual begins to feel their heart racing, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, and notice they are feeling hot or sweating. Adrenaline, the neurotransmitter responsible for the fight, flight, or flee response, quickly surges through the body. These changes happen quickly, as a defense system dedicated to an individual's survival. This is one of the body's miracles and has kept humans thriving on this planet. However, prolonged trauma, or a traumatic experience that is highly intense, can create intrusive thoughts, loneliness, anxiety, irritability and difficulty sleeping. Prolonged suffering can lead to physical and mental health problems, broken relationships, extreme emotional fluctuations, and a feeling of fear and insecurity. Interestingly, trauma may only last a moment but can become prolonged due to triggers. Triggers are sights, sounds, and/or smells that remind the brain of the traumatic event. When this memory is triggered, the body goes into the same response as though the trauma is happening in the present instead of the past. When this happens, one part of the brain is shutting down another part of the brain, making it impossible for an individual to reason through the danger or lack of danger. This is known as hypervigilance. The body is stuck in the traumatic event, and it feels as though there will never again be a time when there isn't trauma in the individual's life. Thankfully, this is not true. The three main goals of trauma treatment are improving symptoms, acquiring coping skills to work through PTSD attacks, and restoring self-esteem. The following is a brief description of possible treatments. Please understand there are treatments not listed below. • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a treatment that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. This allows an individual to recognize triggers, and their response to those triggers. Additionally, CBT can help a person rework their automatic responses to minimize the dramatic impact a trigger has on them. • Cognitive Processing Therapy is when an individual talks about the trauma in detail, and how is has affected their life. It is not uncommon for an individual to discover feelings of self-blame for the trauma. The therapist can help an individual navigate these feelings, bringing healing into an individual's life. • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) allows an individual to process the traumatic event or events, which may be blocking their ability to heal. It allows one to move beyond the event and live in the present. If you are suffering with trauma, please contact a therapist. Remember, you do not deserve to suffer continually and you have every right to a good quality of life. If you have survived trauma, you are very capable of being treated, and that unhealed wound can become healed. Shelly Coonrod is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Pathways Counseling Center in Ottawa.