Trauma

By | June 10, 2022

Basically, in a psychological sense, trauma is a wound in the consciousness. Due to certain circumstances that can occur in any phase of life, the person concerned perceives a certain situation completely differently in the time that follows and usually suffers considerably from it. However, the trauma can be healed with professional help.

What is trauma?

The trauma is initially a psychological wound. As a rule, it is triggered by a strong emotional experience and thus causes an injury that is still felt by the person affected many years later. For hyperphosphatemia basics, please visit theinternetfaqs.com.

A trauma usually restricts the patient in those life situations in which similar incidents are to be feared. The trauma is therefore an emotional, psychological or mental illness.

This is not always registered permanently, it can also only occur in a few exceptional situations. Nevertheless, this is precisely where the full destructive power of the trauma is shown, which in rare cases can lead to hopelessness for the person concerned. Such a trauma should therefore be treated psychologically.

Causes

All situations that are literally burned into people’s memories in negative terms can be considered triggers for the trauma. These can be accidents or spontaneous fears.

Likewise, the trauma usually goes back to a moment of shock in which the patient was no longer able to react, to think about the situation or to flee.

He looks helplessly at what is happening, often feels like a victim himself and freezes in front of the situation, which then sticks with him as a trauma.

It is also often harmless children’s games in which coercion is used unconsciously, which later leads to trauma. In this respect, the range of causes from which trauma can result is wide-ranging.

Symptoms, Ailments & Signs

A mental trauma is often not immediately recognized by those affected as a mental disorder that requires treatment, since the symptoms, especially at the beginning, can be very diffuse. For example, a typical symptom of early-stage trauma is irritability. Those affected lose patience very quickly or react disproportionately strongly to a stimulus.

This can be expressed through anger, anger and aggression, but also through self-pity and sadness. Another symptom commonly seen in trauma patients is sleep disturbances and insomnia. Patients often cannot sleep at night or keep waking up for no reason and cannot sleep through the night, which leads to severe exhaustion even in the short term.

This is often accompanied by jumpiness and tremors. The fright can be triggered by completely harmless stimuli such as a slammed door or a rattling window. It often occurs even when the patient can observe the process and is not at all surprised by the sound that frightens him.

The shock is often followed by severe shaking that affects the whole body. If a trauma remains untreated or is severe, those affected also suffer from intrusions, with nightmares and so-called flashbacks being the most common. In very severe forms, severe concentration disorders and memory lapses can also be observed.

Diagnosis & History

A trauma usually remains unnoticed by the patient for a long time. If he suffers such a trauma in early childhood as a result of a quarrel in the family, it can sometimes take years or decades before the suffering recurs in a similar incident.

It is not uncommon to note that the symptoms never break out and the trauma is therefore present in the subconscious, but the affected person never actively notices it at any time in his life.

Therefore, such exceptional situations should usually be avoided in order to recognize the trauma. On the other hand, it is far less common for the trauma to actually occur at regular intervals and then be perceived as such.

Complications

The term trauma can be used to describe both mental and physical injuries. Therefore, trauma can lead to various complications. Mental trauma can pave the way as post-traumatic stress disorders years after a traumatic experience.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a complication in processing what has happened. It needs to be treated because there is a risk of suicide. Flashbacks and anxiety disorders put those affected under so much psychological pressure that they cannot find their way out of the disorder without professional help.

A number of complications following physical trauma can result from a severe traumatic brain injury. The most common complications of such trauma can include personality changes, emotional disturbances, confusion, or disorientation. Depending on the injured area, speech and language disorders, swallowing disorders or visual field defects can occur.

Injuries to the brain can lead to paralysis, epileptic seizures or spasticity. The ability to perceive may be restricted or disturbed as a result of the trauma. In the worst case, a vegetative state can result from a craniocerebral trauma.

Complications can potentially occur after any surgery. This represents a tissue-related trauma. Postoperative consequences such as fever, sepsis, tachycardia, hypotension or hypertension, electrolyte imbalances or acrocyanosis are conceivable. Any postoperative complication must be addressed promptly.

When should you go to the doctor?

The processing of an emotionally stressful event should always be accompanied therapeutically. The help and support can be perceived after experiencing various events. Whenever there is mental suffering, a doctor should be consulted and further action discussed. An accident, a breakup, a death or a violent act are some situations where medical attention is recommended.

Abnormalities and changes in behavior can be understood as a warning signal. If they persist or increase in intensity, a doctor is needed. Sleep disorders, significant weight changes or irritability indicate a health impairment. A doctor is needed as soon as depressive onset, mood swings, or severe jumpiness are noticed. The person concerned needs help if they withdraw from social life, have trouble concentrating or have problems coping with everyday life.

A decrease in physical and mental performance, exhaustion, fatigue or exhaustion must also be presented to a doctor. Disorders of the digestive tract, headaches and inner restlessness are complaints that are characteristic after a traumatic experience. Likewise, anxiety, memory lapses, and feelings such as anger, resentment, or sadness are signs of psychological distress that should be discussed with a doctor.

Treatment & Therapy

Trauma is usually curable. In addition, the causes can be analyzed and treated in outpatient and inpatient therapies. Usually no medication is required. In exceptional cases, however, the trauma is so severe that it makes it seem impossible to carry out a job or small tasks of daily life.

Here, on the other hand, mental blockers would be used to weaken the symptoms of the trauma to such an extent that they do not represent an obstacle. However, a psychologist should decide what should be treated in individual cases. The difficulty in treating the trauma, however, lies in first finding it in the entire subconscious.

Because it is often a part of the memories that many of those affected do not perceive. Even if the trigger of the trauma can be recognized, there are usually other circumstances that also need to be uncovered.

Only when it is clearly clear what the mental injury is based on can it be remedied with talk therapy. It is not uncommon for the patient to be confronted with the condition that triggered the trauma.

Prevention

It is almost impossible to prevent trauma. Because that would mean being mentally prepared in every situation so that a shock cannot occur. However, since stress, fears, sadness and other emotions do not allow this strength, a thinking and feeling person can always be affected by trauma.

You can do that yourself

There are different types of self-help for trauma. These depend on whether the trauma is physical or mental.

In the area of ​​physical trauma, the body must be given all the rest and protection it needs for regeneration. This applies not only to the affected area of ​​the body, but often to the entire organism. A sufficient amount of sleep is particularly suitable for this. Exercise capacity can be restored gradually with light exercise such as walking, but it is important to avoid any form of overuse.

The psychological trauma also requires rest in order to be processed by the person concerned. Stress should be avoided and insomnia can be counteracted with light endurance sports, for example. Warm baths, social contacts and one of the numerous relaxation methods are often helpful in this context: Examples are progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen or autogenic training. Yoga also brings body, mind and soul back into balance through a beneficial mix of physical and breathing exercises, relaxation and meditation.

Conversations can also help to process trauma. Relatives or friends are often exactly the right contact for a trusting conversation. Exchange among like-minded people is often offered by specialized self-help groups, whose participants can offer a helpful exchange of experiences and valuable tips.

Trauma