Was I just traumatized?

Signs that you've been traumatized can vary from typical symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, to a vague sense that your feelings of fear or anger seem exaggerated. Something to ask yourself is, does your level of fear or anger seem larger, more dramatic than seems appropriate to the situation.
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How do you know if you were traumatized?

Intrusive memories

Recurrent, unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic event. Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again (flashbacks) Upsetting dreams or nightmares about the traumatic event. Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event.
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Can you be traumatized and not know it?

Trauma happens to everyone.

It can be physical, mental, or emotional. Many do not realize they have had a traumatic experience because most believe “a trauma” is only something dramatic or changes their world entirely.
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What does being traumatized feel like?

All kinds of trauma create stress reactions. People often say that their first feeling is relief to be alive after a traumatic event. This may be followed by stress, fear and anger. Trauma may also lead people to find they are unable to stop thinking about what happened.
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Is it trauma or am I overreacting?

If you often feel as though your life has become unmanageable, this could be a sign that you have some unresolved emotional trauma. Emotional overreactions are a common symptom of trauma. A victim of trauma might redirect their overwhelming emotions towards others, such as family and friends.
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Childhood Trauma and the Brain | UK Trauma Council



What can trauma be mistaken for?

PTSD can be misdiagnosed as the symptoms or behaviors of other mental health conditions. Conditions such as anxiety, depression, acute stress disorder, and more, have similarities to PTSD. It is important to note that not everyone who experiences a traumatic event has PTSD.
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Do I have trauma or am I just dramatic?

People who go through a traumatic experience go through a lot of mental and physical stress that can make it hard for them to recover without professional help. Drama on the other hand consists of our personal reaction to things and the way that we interpret events that aren't objectively painful.
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How does a person with trauma behave?

A traumatized person can feel a range of emotions both immediately after the event and in the long term. They may feel overwhelmed, helpless, shocked, or have difficulty processing their experiences. Trauma can also cause physical symptoms. Trauma can have long-term effects on the person's well-being.
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How trauma changes your personality?

Some unpleasant experiences produce permanent changes in the brain and corresponding shifts in intelligence, emotional reactivity, happiness, sociability, and other traits that used to be thought of as set for life.
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What does emotional shock feel like?

Symptoms of Emotional Shock

You might feel numb, or cry, or rage. You might just sit there, emotionally unable to move. You might dissociate, and feel like nothing around you is real, or that it's actually happening to someone else.
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Is my trauma being triggered?

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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What is unprocessed trauma?

People who have unprocessed trauma often report having commonly known symptoms, such as intrusive thoughts of the event(s), mood swings, loss of memory and more. However, some people may be struggling with unresolved trauma without even realizing it.
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What is unhealed trauma?

Cognitive Signs of Unhealed Trauma

You may experience nightmares or flashbacks that take you back to the traumatic event. Furthermore, you may struggle with mood swings, as well as disorientation and confusion, which can make it challenging to perform daily tasks.
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What does a trauma episode look like?

vivid flashbacks (feeling like the trauma is happening right now) intrusive thoughts or images. nightmares. intense distress at real or symbolic reminders of the trauma.
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How long does being traumatized last?

People affected by trauma tend to feel unsafe in their bodies and in their relationships with others. Regaining a sense of safety may take days to weeks with acutely traumatized individuals or months to years with individuals who have experienced ongoing/chronic abuse.
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What are the 5 signs of emotional suffering?

Common warning signs of emotional distress include:
  • Eating or sleeping too much or too little.
  • Pulling away from people and things.
  • Having low or no energy.
  • Having unexplained aches and pains, such as constant stomachaches or headaches.
  • Feeling helpless or hopeless.
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What are the physical symptoms of unresolved trauma?

Unresolved trauma puts people at increased risk for mental health diagnoses, which run the gamut of anxiety, depression and PTSD. There are physical manifestations as well, such as cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure, stroke or heart attacks.
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Why does trauma cause split personality?

Causes and risk factors

Dissociation, or detaching from reality, can be a way of shielding the main personality from a painful mental or physical experience. In this way, a different personality experiences the trauma instead, leaving the person with little or no memory of the event.
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Can trauma change your appearance?

Symptoms of facial aging and trauma can range from wrinkled, drooping skin to injuries that cause pain and interfere with sight, smell, speech and breathing. Symptoms of aging skin can include: Fine lines and wrinkles. Loss of skin elasticity.
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Why do I smile when talking about trauma?

Smiling when discussing trauma is a way to minimize the traumatic experience. It communicates the notion that what happened “wasn't so bad.” This is a common strategy that trauma survivors use in an attempt to maintain a connection to caretakers who were their perpetrators.
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Is it trauma or not?

To be traumatized usually means that individuals have been affected by the events. That is, they have symptoms of PTSD and some impairments in their abilities to function. To be traumatized means that individuals have some emotional or behavioral problems as a result of the traumas.
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Do I have trauma or BPD?

PTSD is focused on an extremely traumatic incident or a series of incidents and the symptoms tend to be outwardly noticeable, whereas BPD revolves around the fear of abandonment and tends to be inwardly displayed (self-harm, self-deprecation, self-doubt).”
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What counts as trauma and what doesn t?

The key to understanding the definition of trauma is that it's not really about what happens to you that matters, it's how you experienced that event that matters. The best definition of trauma is any experience that overwhelms your thoughts, emotions, or body.
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Can trauma look like ADHD?

Among children who experience trauma, intrusive thoughts or memories of trauma (e.g., feeling like it is happening all over again) may lead to confused or agitated behavior which can resemble the impulsivity of ADHD.
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What does an emotional flashback feel like?

An emotional flashback may leave you feeling oversensitive, “crazy,” or even like something is wrong with you. You may also think self-hating thoughts such as “I am worthless” or “I am flawed and ugly.” Emotional flashbacks can be a symptom of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD).
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