"What cannot be talked about cannot be put to rest. And if it is not, the wounds will fester from generation to generation." -Bruno Bettelheim  Trauma means "wound." It is any terrifying experience that you have personally encountered or witnessed that leaves you feeling physically and emotionally wounded. It can be any event that instantly changes your world and leaves you feeling unsafe, helpless and overwhelmed. Types of trauma include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, assault, rape, accident, illness, divorce, death, natural disaster, and war. Trauma can overwhelm your brain's natural coping skills. When a traumatic event occurs, it can get locked in the brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and body sensations experienced during the event. PTSD  Whenever you are reminded of the traumatic event, those images, thoughts, feelings, and sensations continue to be triggered. This is the basis for discomfort which may take the form of intrusive memories, nightmares, numbness, and low self esteem. Traumatic images are also the root of negative emotions such as fear, depression and helplessness which you are not able to control. The discomfort and negative emotions do not define who you are.  You may have tried to overcome your traumatic experiences on your own, or tried traditional therapies, or even researched, to no avail. |
Trauma |