What is a Trauma Response?
Nobody has a perfectly calm, easy life. Nearly everyone will experience a traumatic event in their lives, from the small to the life-changing. Our bodies respond to this trauma in a specific, primitive set of ways. It’s up to us to understand what we’re going through so we can complete our trauma response. Over time, your trauma responses can become behavioral patterns. Through therapy, you can work to understand and change them so you can healthily approach trauma.
What Exactly is Trauma?
Trauma is any kind of upsetting experience that makes you feel unsafe. Sometimes, fairly small things are traumatic. Being shut down by a pushy coworker or failing a school assignment are good examples of this. Of course, when we think of a traumatic experience, we think of life-or-death situations. Some examples of these experiences are:
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Racist attacks
- Extreme poverty
- Witnessing violence
- Death of a loved one
- Divorce or infidelity
- Natural disasters
- Car accidents
- Prolonged illness
This list is by no means complete. What’s defined as traumatic is unique from person to person. Our minds and bodies undergo several reactions when we go through a traumatic experience. These can include:
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Dissociation
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
During and after a traumatic event, we will go through one of four possible responses. Sometimes these reactions happen immediately, but other times they can be delayed.
Types of Trauma Responses
Fight
Think of a wild animal trapped in a corner. They’ll lash out at any threat in order to stay alive. Our bodies can react the same way to emotional trauma. Emotionally, this isn’t necessarily a bad response to have. In the interest of self-preservation, you addressed the conflict head-on. But over time, the flight response can lead to aggressiveness, perfectionism, controlling behaviors, and feelings of entitlement.
Flight
Usually, when wild animals choose not to fight, they flee instead. While the flight response might enable you to assess dangerous situations better, it can become a damaging emotional pattern. If flight is your go-to response, you might have a hard time forming secure attachments with people. The flight response can lead to perfectionism, overworking, and other escapist behavior.
Freeze
Instead of running or fighting, some animals choose to play dead to avoid a threat. In people, this can look like numbness, dissociation, and other ways of not addressing the issue. Freezing has a purpose, but over time it can lead to avoidance tendencies.
Fawn
Think of a dog rolling over to show its belly to its competition. Fawning is about appeasing the danger and people-pleasing. This can lead to toxic relationships and codependent bonding.
How to Complete Your Trauma Cycle
The most important thing you can do after a traumatic event is to get active. By moving your body, your mind will perceive that the threat has passed. When you consciously recognize trauma and help your body in the moment, you’re less likely to form unhealthy behaviors and coping mechanisms.
Therapy to Address Your Trauma
Many people aren’t taught how to identify and understand their trauma. As a result, their trauma responses go uncompleted. This can affect everything from mental health to interpersonal relationships and attachment styles. If you’ve experienced deeply traumatic events in your life, it’s best to talk through them with a therapist. There are several trauma-focused therapy styles that will change your pattern of thinking. With a counselor, you’ll learn how to assess danger and approach it healthily. Some trauma therapies will also walk you through your traumatic experiences to reexamine and overcome them.
To learn more about how therapy can help you understand your trauma response, please reach out to us.
