We have talked about some of the physical responses to trauma, but it can have huge psychological effects as well. Trauma is a complex experience that leaves a mark on individuals psychologically and physiologically. The repercussions of trauma extend far beyond the initial event, infiltrating the very core of our nervous system. An individual who has experienced trauma may sometimes not even realize how deeply they are impacted by what they’ve experienced.
Understanding Trauma
Trauma encompasses a wide array of experiences, ranging from physical injuries to emotional and psychological wounds. When confronted with a traumatic event, the body’s natural response is to initiate the fight-flight-freeze mechanism, priming it to react swiftly to perceived threats. This is your nervous system kicking in. Whether the traumatic event is a one-time, multiple, or long-lasting repetitive event, it can affect everyone differently. Those who experience trauma may also experience chronic pain.
Different Events That Can Cause Trauma
Accidents, natural disasters, combat, and interpersonal violence are all ways that trauma might manifest in an individual, but keep in mind that this is not an all-encompassing list. When one of these incidents happens, your nervous system kicks on. How it may affect you and the long-term impacts can vary.
- Accidents and Injuries: Motor vehicle accidents, falls, workplace accidents, and sports injuries can lead to physical trauma. Survivors may experience not only physical pain but also psychological distress and fear of similar incidents in the future.
- Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and floods are sudden and often uncontrollable events that can cause widespread trauma. The loss of homes, possessions, and even loved ones can leave survivors grappling with feelings of helplessness and vulnerability.
- Combat and War: Military personnel and civilians exposed to combat zones or war atrocities are at risk of experiencing trauma. Witnessing or participating in violence, death, and destruction can have enduring psychological effects, including PTSD and moral injury.
- Interpersonal Violence: Physical assault, domestic violence, and emotional abuse are forms of interpersonal trauma that can have devastating consequences. Victims may struggle with feelings of shame, guilt, and betrayal, while the trauma itself can disrupt their sense of safety and trust in others.
- Childhood Trauma: Abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction during childhood can have profound and long-lasting effects on individuals’ development and well-being. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk of mental health disorders, substance abuse, and chronic health conditions later in life.
- Sexual Assault: Sexual assault is a traumatic event that violates a person’s physical and psychological boundaries. A sexual assault lawyer from Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, a leading sexual abuse law firm, relayed that survivors may experience a range of emotions, including fear, anger, and self-blame, as well as physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences such as PTSD and sexual dysfunction.
Impact of Trauma on the Nervous System
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US) explained that while some individuals might exhibit signs of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) right away, others might appear to be resilient and unaffected or have symptoms that fall outside of the ‘typical’ reactions. No matter how any individual reacts, it is normal for traumatic stress reactions to occur in response to abnormal events.
Traumatic events push the nervous system outside its ability to regulate itself. This is known as the ‘window of tolerance’. Once someone is pushed past this point, the nervous system has difficulty regulating itself.
The Window of Tolerance
When someone is within their ‘window of tolerance’ their sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are balanced. When someone experiences stress, their nervous system will return to normal once the threat has passed because it is able to self-regulate. It is normal for people to move through this cycle daily. An example is having to complete a paper for a deadline and then relaxing once it’s submitted.
However, when your body experiences trauma, you are pushed outside of your window of tolerance. The MHS Journal explained that, for some, the system gets stuck in the “on” position, and the person is hyperaroused and unable to calm down. Anxiety, anger, restlessness, panic, and hyperactivity can all result when you stay in this ready-to-react mode. This physical state of hyperarousal is stressful for every system in the body. In other people, the nervous system is stuck in the “off” position, resulting in depression, disconnection, fatigue, and lethargy. This is known as hypoarousal. People can alternate between these highs and lows.
Hyperarousal Vs. Hypoarousal
Hyperarousal manifests as a heightened state of anxiety and vigilance. It is not uncommon to see this in individuals who have undergone a traumatic event. It typically arises from an excessive activation of the body’s stress response mechanisms.
When encountering traumatic experiences, stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol, which facilitate appropriate reactions, are released. Cortisol operates over an extended period to aid stress regulation, while epinephrine acts in the short term, inducing symptoms like rapid heart rate and dilated pupils. Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often exhibit depleted cortisol levels, yet their epinephrine levels spike when triggered. Signs of this can include having a hard time falling and staying asleep, heightened irritability or anger, panic attacks, and being startled easily.
Hyoparousal is the opposite of this. Your body will try to “shut down” to protect you from facing more trauma or pain than you can handle. How it manifests in each person is different. Some people might experience brain fog, dissociation, and sleepiness while others might experience numbness or numbness.
Your hyperarousal and hypoarousal are directly linked to your window of tolerance. Everyone’s window of tolerance is different, especially if they’ve experienced some form of trauma, so if you become more easily stressed or panicked than others in your life, it may be based on your nervous system, and having a smaller window of tolerance.
Regulating Your Nervous System
If you feel like you become more easily stressed and panicked than your friends, colleagues, and co-workers, it may be based on your nervous system and not due to something you have conscious control over.
If you have a dysregulated nervous system there are steps you can take to help regulate it. If you experienced a traumatic event, consider reaching out to a professional therapist to help work through the event and provide grounding work you can do to check in with your body to tell it that “it’s okay” and allow it to return to a normal state.