Coping and Healing From Trauma

Monique Roy, Clinical Therapist (RSW) and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

When people hear the word trauma, many think of it as a result of a big and scary event. When in fact trauma may be big or small, and based on a single event or many experiences over time.

My name is Monique Roy and I am a social worker and clinical therapist at Food to Fit. In this post I’m going to discuss what trauma is exactly, what happens in your nervous system when you experience a traumatic event, symptoms of trauma, and how to help resolve trauma.

Trauma happens when the ability to choose was taken away.

What is Trauma?

Although trauma can be defined in many different ways, in essence, trauma is a breach in a person’s nervous system (NS). Trauma happens when the ability to choose was taken away, and it can show up in the form of sudden stress from a perceived life-threat or as the end result of additive stress.

When a person experiences a traumatic event, the NS goes into either fight, flight or freeze (a NS survival response). People have the ability to make sense of their experiences by using their words and their thoughts. However, this process does not allow the NS survival response to complete itself, and this in turn causes trauma symptoms.

Symptoms of Trauma

Trauma symptoms may include:

Anxiety
Panic attacks
Depression
Frequent crying
Sleeping and eating changes/difficulties
Flashbacks
Hypervigilance (being “on guard” at all times)
Exaggerated emotional and startle responses
Hyperactivity
Extreme sensitivity to light and sound
Nightmares and night terrors
Abrupt mood swings (e.g. rage reactions or temper tantrums)
Shame
Reduced ability to deal with stress.

Overall, trauma separates the different parts in a person’s internal system, and is the inability to be in the here and now.

There are many strategies that can support someone through trauma, including connecting with others, reducing stress, meditation, movement, and therapy with a trauma specialist. One approach used by therapists is called Somatic Experiencing (SE).

Somatic Experiencing is the process of healing trauma through accessing your NS and focusing on body sensations rather that thoughts and memories. It offers a gentle approach to help control your sense of safety through your own physiology. I like to describe SE as an invitation to do something different, to slow down, and renegotiate your basic survival mechanisms by connecting to your environment through your body sensations. This can help to normalize the symptoms of trauma, and offer a natural way to resolve internal activation. In other words, you can release pent up trauma-related energy through shaking, crying, or other forms of physical release. This helps to relax and regulate the NS and move away from the fight, flight, and freeze responses.

If you are wondering how SE can help you, or if you are struggling with trauma symptoms, don’t hesitate to reach out to inquire further. Find out more about me and my approach to care here. You deserve to live a meaningful and happy life.