Trauma is not always overt and many people walk around carrying the weight of their unresolved traumatic experiences without knowing it. Traumas can be due to any number of events such as childhood neglect, abusive relationships, or witnessing something highly disturbing. It could last for more years, surfacing in different areas of our lives. Left unhealed, unresolved trauma can compromise mental, emotional and physical functioning. These are five big red flags that you may indeed have unhealed trauma.
You Have Depression
DepressionOne of the most frequent telltale signs of unprocessed trauma is chronic depression. Trauma shatters emotional equilibrium and mental stability and can leave someone feeling endlessly disheartened, hopeless or pasted out. Of course trauma connected depression will always have an underlying different characteristic from other forms of depressions (hence the source). People with trauma-triggered depression can feel like they are anchored to the past, re-living traumatic events on an endless loop that haunts or terrorizes them.
Depression is often more than just feeling sad; it is about being shut off from life, people and ourselves. It suggests that there is still some deep-down work or healing to be done, if your depression seems like it drags on and is associated with memories or certain periods of life.
Linking Depression and Trauma
Traumatization suppresses, causing feelings of intense loneliness and agony in person. The mind and body continue to cling to these past experiences which create mental blocks in the way of happiness and fulfilment. Professional counseling, therapy is critical for trauma-based depression If you desire emotional support, click on All in the Family Counselling: Emotional Group Work and we will help you through this.period.
Difficulties with Emotional Regulation
Unresolved trauma will contribute to emotion regulation. Those of us with…trauma history will recognize that it either makes you numb or feel too much. At times they may be full of rage, grief, or terror; other times they may feel emotionally “dead” or detached from their surroundings. I have emotions that are all over the place and sometimes feel so tired of this emotional rollercoaster, and can only recognize this as my trauma responding.
Either they will overreact with anger to the smallest stressor, or they will have no response whatsoever when it is truly necessary to feel. This ranges from just being grumpy and snappy to depressive crash and existential dread, a symptom which is often connected with the body’s response to fight-or-flight mode getting triggered (and stayin hyped because body learnt at some point of its life that omg it needsa anticipate them danger boo-jaws!) When you feel like your emotions are out of control, it is key to see this as a clear indicator that something more profound may be happening on a subconscious level.
The Impact on Relationships
The inability to regulate emotions can create chaos in personal and professional relationships This will create a distance and they will begin to feel like you are cold or erratic in your emotional responses; you could cut someone off completely. With emotional regulation therapy and trauma-informed care, people can begin to take control of their emotions in order to maintain healthy relationships.
Social Anxiety and Fear of Social Situations
If you experience a lot of social anxiety, that is another sign of unresolved trauma. Social anxiety can be a core belief for those who have had trauma but may not know why. And, most of all, trauma can even rewire the brain to make human connection difficult because the brain believes that it will be in danger as soon as you have to meet with someone else. This is more than social anxiety; this is feeling vulnerable or unsafe in places where there is no imminent danger.
One way that this social anxiety tied to trauma might show up is in the form of —Unsafe feeling on dates
- Avoiding social events or group activities
- Thinking through every word and gesture
- Fear of judgment or rejection
- Shakes, sweats or heart palpitations in social scenarios
This fear most of the time comes from an old and well-rooted belief carried in our bodies that the world is NOT a safe place~ it is stamped by that event. It may be fear of rejection, fear of betrayal or physical harm that has him ready to bolt out of social situations altogether.
Breaking the Cycle
To get over social anxiety caused by trauma, it means you have to start facing your fears by GENTLY dipping your toes in the water again and/or with professional help to work through the fears that live behind it. Group therapy or counseling sessions might be helpful for some people by giving them a more comforting space to vocalize their fears, and get feedback from others that could also experience something similar.
Low Self-Esteem
Result is often feeling unworthy or inadequate, manifesting as low self-esteem. When people have unresolved traumas, they can turn their inner wounds into problems and see themselves as the ones who are wrong, even when the trauma has nothing to do with them. The self-blame can be destructive and only served to reinforce the negative image they already have of themselves.
Self-esteem can become an issue for people who have experienced trauma and may show as;
- Constant self-criticism
- Not Being Deserving Of Love Or Success
- Negatively Comparing Yourself to Others
- Struggling to receive a compliment.
Trauma can lead a person to conclude that they are wrong or damaged. You know that ongoing personal and professional dialogue most of us have in our heads, where we say to ourselves, “I am not enough or I can never succeed”?
Healing Self-Esteem
It takes time for self-esteem to be rebuilt after trauma. Therapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy and its offshoots, can support the discovery of thought traps and the development of a more self-compassionate discourse. I think the first thing for bodybuilders to understand (those with low self-esteem due to trauma) is we are conditioned into feeling and thinking this way, and that it is not necessarily our fault.
Feeling Empty and Numb
The last sign of unresolved trauma is to feel empty or dead inside all the time. Many trauma survivors feel disconnected not just from their emotions, but life itself. This coping mechanism is actually the numbness that the brain uses to shield anyone from the perils of feeling pain. And to my dismay, although it protects them from the pain, it also keeps them from ever business experiencing happiness, love and fulfilment.
This emotional numbness makes it difficult to:
- Share your passion for things that you used yo love doing
- Develop deeper relationships with others
- Show affection or declare love
- Create Meaning in the Monotony of Everyday Life
Has your life began to feel robotic and mechanical, an action seems like one too many,a person turned numb. This can often result in an existence of emptiness and hopelessness with no direction.
Reconnecting with Life
This emotional numbness is a result of the trauma that one has gone through and healing from this requires processing that trauma. Methods in therapy, such as trauma-informed counseling or somatic experiencing can be beneficial ways for individuals to re-engage with their emotions within the context of safety and support. With time, they can start to feel again happiness and satisfaction in their lives.
Conclusion
It may be invisible, but it worms along every aspect of a person. Understanding the Symptoms of Unresolved Trauma is the First Step to Healing. If you are going through any of these, not only do you select a dependable tem support but also ask for professional help. Don’t forget it that trauma is and never will be the whole story of your life. But healing and help is possible.
If you want start to work through your trauma :-Joining group and therapy Councelling programs from All in the Family Counselling. These spaces serve as a source of community where individuals can work through their trauma in a healthy, supportive environment. Le processsus de guérison dure, et avec le soutien voulu, il en vaut la peine.