How do I know if I have trauma?

Suffering from severe fear, anxiety, or depression. Unable to form close, satisfying relationships. Experiencing terrifying memories, nightmares, or flashbacks. Avoiding more and more anything that reminds you of the trauma.
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How do you know if you have been trauma?

Signs and symptoms of emotional & psychological trauma
  1. Intrusive thoughts of the event that may occur out of the blue.
  2. Nightmares.
  3. Visual images of the event.
  4. Loss of memory and concentration abilities.
  5. Disorientation.
  6. Confusion.
  7. Mood swings.
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How do you find out what your trauma is?

3 Steps to Identify Your Trauma
  1. Step 1: Acknowledge What Hurts. Even considering seeing a trauma therapist is a huge step in the recovery process. ...
  2. Step 2: Get Curious. Curious moments might be how you got here today. ...
  3. Step 3: Connect the Dots. ...
  4. 5 Myths About Codependency and People-Pleasing.
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Can you have trauma without knowing it?

While many people who seek therapy want to sort out a known trauma, there are probably many more people who have no idea they've experienced trauma. In fact, I treat more people who come in for symptoms related to trauma and have no idea they are experiencing trauma than those who specifically seek treatment for it.
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What does trauma feel like?

Emotional reactions to trauma

fear, anxiety and panic. shock – difficulty believing in what has happened, feeling detached and confused. feeling numb and detached. not wanting to connect with others or becoming withdrawn from those around you.
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9 Signs You Have Unhealed Trauma



How do I know if I have childhood trauma?

TRAUMA CAN INCLUDE A VARIETY OF RESPONSES AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGES, SUCH AS: Intense and ongoing emotional upset, including feelings of fear, terror or under pressure. Anxiety or being in a state of constant alert. Depression.
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What are the 5 signs of emotional suffering?

Know the 5 signs of Emotional Suffering
  • Personality change in a way that seems different for that person.
  • Agitation or displaying anger, anxiety or moodiness.
  • Withdrawal or isolation from others.
  • Poor self-care and perhaps engaging in risky behavior.
  • Hopelessness, or feelings of being overwhelmed and worthless.
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What does childhood trauma look like?

Traumatic experiences can initiate strong emotions and physical reactions that can persist long after the event. Children may feel terror, helplessness, or fear, as well as physiological reactions such as heart pounding, vomiting, or loss of bowel or bladder control.
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Is it possible to give yourself trauma?

Trauma can come from any experience that overwhelms your sense of being safe, or your sense of being okay with yourself. The experience of trauma, especially in childhood, makes learning good self-care practically impossible. Trauma triggers an overwhelming sense of feeling unsafe, no matter the cause.
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What are examples of trauma?

Examples of trauma:
  • Physical abuse.
  • Sexual Abuse.
  • Bullying.
  • Family / Intimate Partner Violence (“domestic” violence)
  • Community violence.
  • Traumatic Grief.
  • Medical Trauma.
  • Terrorism.
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What are the 3 types of trauma?

There are three main types of trauma: Acute, Chronic, or Complex
  • Acute trauma results from a single incident.
  • Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse.
  • Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.
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What is emotional trauma?

Emotional trauma is the end result of events or experiences that leave us feeling deeply unsafe and often helpless. It can result from a single event or be part of an ongoing experience, such as chronic abuse, bullying, discrimination or humiliation.
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How does a person with trauma behave?

Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal, and blunted affect. Most responses are normal in that they affect most survivors and are socially acceptable, psychologically effective, and self-limited.
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What triggers trauma?

Anything that reminds you of what happened right before or during a trauma is a potential trigger. They're usually tied to your senses. You may see, feel, smell, touch, or taste something that brings on your symptoms. While triggers themselves are usually harmless, they cause your body to react as if you're in danger.
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Where does the body hold trauma?

The organs, tissues, skin, muscles and endocrine glands can store trauma. These parts have peptide receptors that let them access and retain emotional information. This means that your memories are in your body and your brain.
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How do I heal myself mentally?

University Health Service
  1. Value yourself: Treat yourself with kindness and respect, and avoid self-criticism. ...
  2. Take care of your body: ...
  3. Surround yourself with good people: ...
  4. Give yourself: ...
  5. Learn how to deal with stress: ...
  6. Quiet your mind: ...
  7. Set realistic goals: ...
  8. Break up the monotony:
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What are the 5 signs of PTSD?

PTSD: Top 5 signs of PTSD you need to know
  • A life threatening event. This includes a perceived-to-be life threatening event. ...
  • Internal reminders of a traumatic event. These signs of trauma typically present as nightmares or flashbacks. ...
  • Avoidance of external reminders. ...
  • Altered anxiety state. ...
  • Changes in mood or thinking.
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How do I heal myself emotionally?

Tips for You As You Heal
  1. Practice self-compassion—you're not broken. ...
  2. Don't go it alone. ...
  3. You may not like the pain that you're in, but maybe you're afraid to work on emotional healing because you're afraid of what you might find in the process. ...
  4. Journaling is often suggested—and for good reason.
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What is considered a bad childhood?

I define a 'bad childhood' as knowing that your emotional, physical, and/or sexual safety was not guaranteed by your caretakers. Once a child feels unsafe like this, his priority must be to manage his parent's feelings and behavior – instead of focusing on his own development.
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How do I know if I have repressed memories?

low self-esteem. mood symptoms, such as anger, anxiety, and depression. confusion or problems with concentration and memory. physical symptoms, such as tense or aching muscles, unexplained pain, or stomach distress.
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What is unhealed childhood trauma?

Neglect is also traumatic, and so is the loss of a parent, a serious childhood illness, a learning disability that left you doubting yourself, too many siblings, a detached, emotionally unavailable, or anxious parent, even your parent's own childhood trauma.
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Why do I have crying spells?

There are a lot of reasons, besides having an immediate emotional response, why you may cry more than normal. Tearfulness is frequently associated with depression and anxiety. People often experience the two conditions at the same time. Certain neurological conditions can also make you cry or laugh uncontrollably.
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Why do we feel pain in chest when sad?

During a particularly stressful experience, the anterior cingulate cortex may respond by increasing the activity of the vagus nerve—the nerve that starts in the brain stem and connects to the neck, chest and abdomen. When the vagus nerve is overstimulated, it can cause pain and nausea.
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What does mentally broken mean?

A nervous breakdown (also called a mental breakdown) is a term that describes a period of extreme mental or emotional stress. The stress is so great that the person is unable to perform normal day-to-day activities. The term “nervous breakdown” isn't a clinical one.
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What is unresolved trauma?

“Unresolved trauma” is an active and usually disruptive emotional response to a terrible event or experience. Trauma that is “unresolved” can be characterized by mental, physical, emotional and/or behavioral symptoms or distress.
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