Question: “Hi Bahar. I work in a hospital and have noticed that May is National Trauma Awareness month. There are posters on the walls and trainings offered teaching ways to prevent falls. You said that you work with trauma, but you are a therapist?”
Right, you are! May is indeed National Trauma Awareness Month, and I do work with trauma. In fact, working with people who have experienced a hurtful, confusing, distressing, or traumatic event or situation is my passion and specialty that I practice in my office in Jackson, Mississippi and in online sessions. First, let’s talk about what trauma is. When people think about trauma (and this sounds like what you are talking about with awareness and trainings in the hospital), they usually think about physical trauma: head trauma as a result of a sports injury, back/hip trauma as a result of a fall, full body trauma as a result of a car accident, or some other type of physical injury. All of these physical injuries are definitely types of trauma, but did you know that trauma actually encompasses so much more?
What is Trauma?
Definitions of Trauma:
The term trauma can also refer to a wide range of events or situations that are deeply distressing or disturbing for an individual. Traumatic experiences can include war/combat experience and various forms of abuse (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or mental abuse, or neglect); however, trauma can also include seemingly common life events, such as loss of a job or loved one, experiencing a catastrophic weather event (ex. tornado or hurricane), or going through a divorce.
What can be considered trauma or traumatic events?
Given this definition, it makes sense that trauma can be almost any event, depending how someone experiences that situation. A separation, a heated argument with a friend/family member, a seemingly insignificant comment made to us as a child or as an adult, a hostile work environment, moving to another city or state, or even a situation where someone thought that they were in danger, but nothing ended up happening can all be considered trauma. Remember that ANY situation or event that causes someone distress or hurt in some way can be considered trauma. No one is exempted from traumatic, hurtful, or confusing experiences. Unfortunately, they are a part of everyone’s life. If you take a couple of seconds right now to think back, I’m sure that you can think of several situations throughout your life that left you feeling confused, hurt, lonely, depressed, or betrayed.
How can trauma impact me?
Oftentimes, people think that because the hurtful or traumatic situation happened a long time ago or that the event “wasn’t really a big deal” in comparison to what other people experience that they’ve moved past it or think it is not affecting them. This is not always true. Many times, these hurtful or confusing situations continue to affect how we see ourselves and how we interact with others without us even knowing that it’s happening. The aftermath of traumatic or hurtful experiences or situations can leave people feeling angry, hurt, sad, confused, lonely, betrayed, afraid, anxious, like they can’t trust others anymore, or having feelings of low self-worth. People can experience difficulties in their relationships with their significant others, troubles with their children, rocky friendships, issues at work, onset or worsening of physical issues, and disconnects in their spiritual lives (note: one’s spiritual life and religion are different, though both can be affected). A combination of these troubles is often what leads to unhappiness and feeling unfulfilled in life- all because of someone’s hurtful/confusing/traumatic situation is lurking in the background.
Never fear! Trauma doesn't have to hold you back from happiness and fulfillment…
Now that we have a good grasp of what trauma entails and how it can affect our daily lives, what can you do about it if it is impacting your life? No matter what the issue is, bottling it up inside is never the answer. Talking to a trusted friend or family member can really help to get some of your feelings out and give you some outside perspective. Some people find that consulting other outside sources, like surfing the internet (maybe that’s how you found this blog post 😉 ) or reading self-help books can provide new insights into what’s going on in their life. Next, finding ways to manage your stress is definitely needed. Harboring too much stress for too long can lead to all sorts of additional problems (more on stress and techniques for stress management in an upcoming blog series). Making sure that you are physically healthy by keeping regular appointments with your doctor, having a routine of exercise, getting plenty of leisure time and restful sleep, and healthy eating are all great ways to help with overall wellbeing. Many people also report that journaling about your day-to-day activities, thoughts, and experiences helps, too.
If you find that you have tried these strategies, and they don’t seem to be helping, then speaking to a licensed mental health professional is a good next step. Trained therapists can provide you with an unbiased, non-judgmental, view of your situation. When people are in the middle of a difficult circumstance, we frequently cannot perceive/see either the situation or any repeating patterns clearly. Talking to a therapist can help you process through the hurtful or confusing situation that is holding you back from living life to the fullest and can help guide you to where you want to be. If this sounds like what you or someone you know has been going through, don’t wait another day to reach out. Finding a therapist who is trained in trauma and relationships is key. At the end of therapy, I’ve had so many people tell me that they can’t believe that they feel this happy, that the time spent in therapy wasn’t nearly as long as they thought it would be, and that they wish they would have come to therapy sooner. Life can and does get better with therapy. Reach out today- (769) 300-5259.
If you have a topic or a question that you would like for Bahar Dunn, our Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Central Mississippi Therapy Solutions, LLC in Jackson, MS to answer, please email centralmstherapysolutions@gmail.com. Please do not include any identifying information (unless you are comfortable in doing so and understand the possible risks), as email communication is not always a confidential medium of communication.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post is for general information purposes only. Nothing in this post or on this website should be taken as therapeutic guidance or advice for any situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, a therapist-client relationship.
**Don't forget to Share our Blog post by clicking the "Share" link below and choosing which Social Media platform you would like to share with.
