Most people encounter trauma at some point in their lives. This can look like a major life event that changed everything — such as a near-death experience, abuse, suddenly losing a loved one, being exposed to war. It can also look like things that were more pervasive but equally as impactful, such as neglect, having emotionally unavailable parents, chronic pain and health struggles, or living in poverty at any point in your life.

What any person considered traumatic is a personal experience because no two people will react to any situation exactly the same. However, there are certain things that we therapists look for when considering if someone is clinically struggling with trauma, which include:

• Intrusive symptoms: intrusive thoughts and memories, dreams and flashbacks

• Avoidance symptoms: avoiding thoughts, memories, feelings and things that that remind you of the trauma

• Arousal symptoms: angry outbursts, hypervigilance/anxiety, exaggerated startle response, sleep struggles

• Alterations in cognition and mood: struggling to remember aspects of the traumatic event, having negative thoughts and beliefs after the trauma (such as “I am bad”, “No one can be trusted” and “The world is completely dangerous”), taking on blame for the traumatic event, persistent emotional struggles (such as getting stuck in guilt, shame, anger for extended periods), losing interest in things you used to love, feeling detached and isolating from others.

Trauma symptoms do not have to permanently take over your life. Therapy is crucial to healing, making sense of your trauma, and moving forward. If you or a loved one match the symptoms listed above, I would love to help you make sense of things and to feel confident in moving forward with your life. Please contact me today.