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What is Trauma?
Trauma is an emotional response to a difficult event. Every person will have a different way of viewing events in their life, and every person will also have different responses to trauma. Trauma, however, indicates an event which someone finds very stressful. Some examples of trauma might include witnessing or being in an accident, being exposed to violence, or experiencing a natural disaster. Some people may even find the experience of lockdown during a Covid-19 pandemic traumatic. Trauma does not result in PTSD. There is a misconception that PTSD is very common, but the evidence actually supports that most people are resilient to traumatic events, when the right factors are in place. Not every stressful event will result in trauma. Trauma can be broadly categorized in three ways: acute, chronic, and complex trauma.
What are some signs of Trauma? Because trauma is an emotional response, there will be a range of different experiences that people have to trauma. Emotions are also linked to our body, so people who experience trauma may also have physical experiences at the same time. Some common emotional/psychological responses to trauma include:
Some common physical responses to trauma include:
What is a Flashback? A flashback occurs, when re ‘re experience’ the traumatic event, even though it is no longer happening. Flashbacks may include:
Because trauma can affect memory, sometimes during a traumatic event, memories do not process efficiently. The brain is also wired to protect us from future trauma, so flashbacks are often ‘triggered’ by something which reminds the brain of the past traumatic event. Flashbacks can happen for a very short moment or can go on for a long period of time. Flashbacks are a way of reminding a person of what has happened by activating protective mechanisms. These mechanisms are a way of keeping a person safe, although they are involuntary, and can sometimes become disruptive and distressing. What will my trauma be like? Each person’s way of responding to trauma will be completely unique. The meaning a person makes of the event, combined with past traumatic experiences, physical wellbeing, and personality will all contribute to a person’s trauma response. Research suggests that all people have different pre-existing vulnerability to stress, so that means each person will respond differently. The most important things are that a person doesn’t negatively evaluate their responses, and that they notice changes in normal ways of feeling or behaving. Why do we need to debrief traumatic events? Research has established that providing immediate post-traumatic support assists in people to:
Ideally, a trauma should be debriefed between two and ten days after the event. References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Campfield, K.M., & Hills, A.M. (2001). Effect of timing of critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) on posttraumatic stress symptoms. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 14(2). http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.navitas.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=42ffdc55-b59c-46db-8289-9780c835be1d%40sdc-v-sessmgr03 Creamer, M. C., Varker, T., Bisson, J., Darte, K., Greenberg, N., Lau, W., et al. (2012). Guidelines for peer support in high-risk organisations: an international consensus study using the Delphi Method. Journal Trauma Stress 25(1), 134–141. DOI: 10.1002/jts.21685 Macdonald, B., Salomons, T.V., Meteyard, L., & Whalley, M.G. (2018). Prevalence of pain flashback in posttraumatic stress disorder arising from exposure to multiple traumas or childhood traumatization. Canadian Journal of Pain, 2(1), 45-56. DOI 10.1080/24740527.2018.1435994 Mitchell, J. T. (1983). When disaster strikes – the critical incident stress debriefing process. J. Emerg. Med. Serv. 8, 36–39. Richins, M.T., Gaunlett, L., Noreen, T., Hesketh, I., Weston, D., Carter, H., & Amlot, R. (2020). Early post-trauma interventions in organizations: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(1), 1164-1078. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01176 Scheeringa, M.S. (2020). Reexamination of diathesis stress and neurotoxic stress theories: A qualitative review of pre-trauma neurobiology in relation to posttraumatic stress symptoms. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.1864 Spencer, S.A., Nolan, J.P., Osborn, M. & Georgiou, A. (2019). The presence of psychological trauma symptoms in resuscitation providers and an exporation of debriefing practices. Resuscitation, 142, 175-181. DOI:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2019.06.280 Weiss, D.S., & Marmar, C.R. (1997). The Impact of Event Scale-Revised. In J.P. Wilson, & T.M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing Psychological Trauma and PTSD: A Practitioner’s Handbook (pp. 399-411). Guilford Press.
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Humans have an incredibly evolved and complex brain. In fact, there are still many discoveries science has yet to make regarding all the different ways our brain works. One thing we do know though, is part of our brain’s role is to protect us, and it does this in several ways. One way is by using certain chemicals and hormones when we are in danger. (note: our brain doesn’t always discriminate between ACTUAL danger and IMAGINED danger). These chemicals do many things, one being that they activate what is called the sympathetic nervous system. This prepares our body to fight, flight or freeze in response to the threat. Our sympathetic nervous system moves blood away from our limbs, and towards our large muscles (helping us run, and limiting blood flow if we are superficially cut), suppresses our appetite and sexual drive (who wants food or sex when they’re being chased by a lion?), increases our heart rate and capacity for oxygen, and increases our perspiration. As you can imagine, this takes a lot of energy and coordination! Additionally, these chemicals also suppress our more complex thinking and memory skills, so that we can react quickly, rather than contemplate. During a traumatic or stressful event, all these actions are occurring in your body. So, what happens after that? Well, you also have a parasympathetic nervous system… and this system activates after the sympathetic nervous system, to calm everything down and conserve energy. Appetite may return, blood flows back in to the limbs, breathing slows… everything starts slowing down, for what some call the ‘rest and digest’ period. During this time, a person can feel more tired and ‘foggy’ than normal as the body tries to restore order. Here is a simple (but not comprehensive list) of things that are normal physiological experiences during and after a stressful or traumatic event: During event:
After event:
Remember: you are a unique physiological & emotional being, so your responses may be varied, according to the individual differences within your own system. If you are struggling with these symptoms, remember they are normal responses, but if they continue for an extended period, you may want to consider getting additional support through your GP, counsellor, psychologist or trusted health professional. 
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