Dealing with trauma is no picnic in the park. Trauma can have a lasting effect on you, no matter what stressful or distressing event caused it. Even childhood trauma can follow you well into adulthood, where it impacts your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. In response to trauma, your mind and body take action in an attempt to protect you. However, trauma responses become a challenge to contend with if they linger after the threat has passed.
Understanding how trauma impacts us and recognizing common trauma responses, such as heightened anxiety, emotional numbness, or difficulty concentrating, are crucial steps toward healing. Allow Chapin & Russell Associates to explain some common trauma responses, their effects, and actionable steps to foster recovery and resilience.
First, What is Trauma?
Trauma is the emotional and psychological response to a deeply distressing or shocking experience. Most often, trauma represents your body’s reaction to events such as severe accidents, natural disasters, physical or emotional abuse, or the death of a loved one. Think of trauma as an “alarm” that goes off in your body, instilling a fear-based response. Experiences like those listed can have a lasting impact on how a person thinks, acts, feels, or reacts to similar situations, long after the instigating event has passed.
What Are the Common Trauma Responses?
When facing a traumatic event, your body instinctively responds in the manner it believes is best for your protection. While this reaction can sometimes be combative or aggressive, it can propel someone to run away at other times. Understanding what these trauma responses are and how your body reacts is key to controlling them.
You’ve likely heard of “fight or flight,” but those aren’t the only reactions you might have to extreme distress. Other common trauma responses include freezing and fawning:
Fight
What’s that surge of energy you feel? Has your body primed itself to confront its perceived threat? You are experiencing the traumatic response of “fight.” This reaction is driven by the belief that the best way to ensure safety is through action and assertiveness, which is why your body prepares to attack. Physical manifestations of this response include an elevated heart rate, clenched fists, or muscle tension, while emotionally, you might feel anger or irritation.
Flight
When faced with a threat, are you frantically searching for an escape? Perhaps your feet react before the rest of your body can catch up? This response is the opposite of fight, being “flight.” Flight occurs when your body perceives that safety can be best achieved through escaping a threat. Physically, you may experience rapid breathing, restlessness, or an overwhelming need to move. Emotionally, feelings of anxiety, fear, or panic accompany the flight response.
Freeze
Perhaps your body can’t decide whether to act in retaliation or run away. Paralyzed by indecision, you can only stand in place and shut down completely. This is the trauma response of “freeze.” When your body perceives that neither fight nor flight is possible, it can lead to a state of immobility. Along with this response, you might feel physically numb, tense, or rigid. From the emotional side, feelings of helplessness or detachment are common.
Fawn
If your instincts assess that fight or flight isn’t possible, but you don’t freeze up, you might next seek to appease or please the perceived source of danger. This trauma response is known as “fawn.” For those who tend to be more people-pleasing or don’t put themselves first, fawning is a more likely trauma response deployed to avoid conflict or harm. Emotionally, fawning can lead to feelings of self-betrayal or a lack of identity, as you ingratiate yourself with others.
Now, What Can You Do?
Trauma is something that takes time to heal. You must be patient with yourself and your progress. After all, there will be good and bad days, but you can ultimately overcome trauma with a little effort and support from friends, family, and professionals. Here are some helpful ideas for coping with trauma and finding ways to manage trauma responses:
- Practice Grounding Techniques – It’s important to stay present and in the moment. You can cut through feelings of panic, anger, or aggression by using grounding techniques such as deep breathing or focused listening.
- Establish a Consistent Routine – If you have a routine and know what to expect, it becomes difficult for trauma responses to shake you. Maintaining a stable daily routine provides a sense of safety and allows you to regain control over your life.
- Connect with Loved Ones – Sharing your feelings with family members, close friends, or support groups builds a backbone of support. When trauma responses become overwhelming, you can lean on loved ones to dispel feelings of isolation.
- Engage in Self-Care – Chapin & Russell Associates believes in the power of self-care! Healthy diets, sufficient sleep, and regular exercise enhance your well-being and resilience to traumatic responses. Try something like yoga, meditation, or journaling.
- Limit Exposure to Stressors – One of the best solutions to triggering trauma is to avoid or limit the stressors that exacerbate it. This might include limiting your consumption of the news or avoiding environments that might feel unsafe.
- Seek Creative Outlets – Artistic pursuits like painting, drawing, writing, playing an instrument, etc., all help you process your emotions around trauma. In the moment, engaging in creative outlets can also take your mind off the lingering effects of trauma responses.
Ultimately, It’s Best to Seek Help from Trained Professionals
While all these methods of coping can help you deal with trauma, they don’t always lead towards a surefire resolution. This is where Chapin & Associates can assist. Working with one of our counselors, we can match you with a specialized trauma therapist who utilizes proven, therapeutic techniques targeting trauma, like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) or CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).
If you find yourself struggling with trauma, its associated physical and emotional responses, and the effects of each, it’s time to seek help from a trained professional. Contact Chapin & Russell Associates at 309-886-9217 to discuss trauma treatments and schedule your first session.
