When we talk about (psychological) trauma – also known as Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) – we’re not just talking about mental suffering or distress. Trauma has very specific characteristics.

Trauma is an emotional response to a very distressing or terrifying event or set of events. Examples might include being attacked or raped, being involved in a serious accident, or being caught up in a natural disaster such as a war or earthquake. Even simply witnessing these events, or having the knowledge that they have happened to someone close to us, can cause us to experience profound mental trauma.

Early symptoms of psychological trauma may include shock, denial and avoidance, and may persist for days or even weeks after the event which triggered it. A person may also exhibit dissociative symptoms, whereby they feel numb or emotionally detached. For some there will be a sense of physical detachment too; a sense that they are living in a dream and their environment is not quite real. They may also experience ‘dissociative amnesia’ – the inability to recall certain aspects of the event which triggered the trauma.

In addition to these symptoms, someone who has suffered trauma may experience difficulties concentrating and disturbed sleep. They may also become more ‘jumpy’, hypervigilant or irritable.

For many people, the symptoms they experience following a trauma will go away naturally on their own, as they recover their emotional wellness and build their resilience.  

For others, however, and particularly if left untreated, the acute stress may lead to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). PTSD is often characterised by flashbacks, difficult interpersonal relationships and physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. For a diagnosis of PTSD, it would be expected that the symptoms last more than a month and cause significant impairment in the person’s life.

It is not unusual for anxiety, depression and substance abuse to result from trauma.  

I’ve witnessed an horrific event, will I have PTSD?

All humans will experience distressing, upsetting and traumatic life experiences at times. Bereavement, bullying or assault, serious illness and other significant adverse experiences can take their toll and leave traces on all our lives.

However, whilst mental distress and suffering is a universal human experience, we do not all react to things in the same way. Nor with the same intensity. Not every person who witnesses or experiences a traumatic event, will go on to develop symptoms of psychological trauma, for instance.

The differentiating factors seem to be the balance of protective and risk factors. Protective factors help people deal more effectively with stressful events. They include the internal skills, strengths, attributes and coping strategies a person may have, as well as the external support they may have with respect to their family, friends and wider community. 

A person with a strong support network, a deep-rooted and positive faith or belief system, a positive outlook, and who is well practised in stress-busting techniques like yoga, meditation or exercise, would be thought of as having a strong set of protective factors and would, therefore, be more likely to be able to cope with and process stressful events.

By contrast, someone who already suffers with one or more mental health condition (including pre-existing PTSD, anxiety and depression), and/ or who has a less effective support network to lean on, and/ or who is prone to burying their head in the sand and avoiding difficulties, and/ or who has a substance abuse issue, and/ or a thinking style that limits their options, is likely to cope less well with a stressful event. Inasmuch, they will be at greater risk of going on to develop PTSD than someone who has strong protective factors.      

Can I ever fully recover from trauma?

It is not uncommon for those who experience traumatizing events to have emotional, and sometimes physical, difficulties afterwards. As mentioned above, the severity and longevity of the symptoms will depend on the person, their personal attributes and general outlook on life, the nature of the trauma in question, and the quality of emotional support they get from their support network.

If the effects of the event do not naturally resolve themselves over time, then there are therapeutic interventions that can resolve it instead.

A technique I use frequently is the BLAST® technique, which is an excellent and time-tested tool for processing trauma. However, it is also important to ensure that the individual is equipped to cope with any future adverse life experiences. It may be necessary, therefore, to work on the person’s belief systems, self-esteem, symptoms of anxiety and/ or depression and on developing resilience generally so as to ensure that they can navigate the bumps of life and cope better with stress.