The term trauma is commonly associated with physical injuries (craniocerebral, thoracic trauma, etc.) that occurred in people as a result of suffering some type of accident. However, this post will focus on this term but from a psychological perspective, defining trauma as a wound, affectation or psychological damage, caused in the psyche of a person, thus originating; alterations in the normal functioning of said element. These psychological injuries can arise for various reasons, but are usually due to events that occur in an extraordinary way in the life of any person. Ex: wars, accidents, etc.
These types of events usually leave serious physical and psychological consequences, it should be noted that emotional injuries can be much more serious, since they are not shown so easily.
What is a trauma
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Traditionally the question, what is trauma? It is answered as the consequence derived from an event, which generates psychic or physical disorders that affect the level of quality of our lives. However, it is important to note in the concept of this term, that this does not necessarily mean being condemned for life to suffer from it.
The origin of a trauma
Psychological trauma originates from fear, terror, or the lack of ability to control a real or potential danger. It is common for it to appear when the patient witnesses an event related to the damage or death of another human being, or when he receives tragic and unexpected news related to a loved one, here is where it is appreciated what an affectation of this type is and the consequences of psychological trauma.
Beyond the different schools of psychology, there is a consensus in the definition of this term, presenting itself as an event that generates excessive anxiety, which transcends habitual experiences. For example: although it is logical to feel fear of fire, it can even be avoided that a person who suffers psychological damage from a fire does not want to light a match or approach the fire due to consequences of psychological trauma.
The meaning of trauma, regardless of its origin and its definition, is so damaging to the mental health, safety and well-being of the person, causing them to develop false and destructive beliefs about themselves and the world.
These beliefs can come in the form of thoughts such as: “I am incapable, I am afraid, I am helpless, they will attack me, I am bad, nobody loves me, nobody cares” or other thoughts such as: “I am incapable of being a good son, to fulfill my schedules, to speak in public, I am not good for writing, I cannot be successful, I have no hope ”. These beliefs interfere with daily life and hinder your behavior.
Types of trauma
Types of trauma include:
Trauma from sexual abuse
Sexual abuse generally leaves consequences for the victims, as these refer to any action that puts pressure on and forces someone to do something sexual that they do not want to do. The term can refer to wrong behavior that affects your sexual activity. This includes oral sex, rape, or preventing access to contraception and condoms. People who have been victims of sexual abuse are very afraid of any physical contact with other individuals.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Disorder Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder or psychological disease that mainly affects people who have been survivors of an attack or accident trauma, eg the effects that cause an individual a supernatural disaster (landslides, floods, hurricanes. among others), rape or physical abuse. Post-traumatic stress disorder causes a person to feel traumatized and scared after the danger has passed. It affects your life and that of the people around you.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop psychological situations such as:
- Flashbacks or the feeling that the event is happening again.
- Trouble sleeping or nightmares.
- Feeling of loneliness
- Explosions of anger.
- Feelings of worry, guilt, or sadness.
Trauma from psychological abuse or psychological violence
Psychological abuse is a form of aggression where one person exercises power over another, with repeated physical or verbal behaviors that threaten emotional stability. The victim suffers intimidation, guilt and low self-esteem, being unable to get out of the situation in which they feel imprisoned. In this case the victim is very emotionally affected, to the point of feeling guilty and deserving of all the tragedy that he is experiencing.
This type of abuse is the most difficult to identify and evaluate, so the severity is estimated according to its frequency and the psychological impact caused to the victim. Many people consider that this type of abuse is the cause of a bad romantic relationship, but it is essential to clarify that psychological abuse can occur in the family, social and work environment and can be carried out by both a man and a woman.
Childhood trauma
Childhood trauma represents a state of fear and shame. A stress that threatens the mental health of the infant, the situations that can generate an affectation of this type can be: emotional, physical or sexual abuse, abandonment, psychological and / or physical abuse, among others.
It has been shown that these types of unreported and unreported situations over time generate symptoms that cannot be included in the indicators of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is why we speak of extremely unspecified PTSD.
In infancy, the survival of the child depends on its caregivers. Any abusive or neglectful behavior can be experienced as a threat to your life and, therefore, affect psychologically.
Psychology experts found that in developed countries, a significant percentage of girls / boys are abused by their caregivers. These authors reach the following conclusions:
- Abuse is often ongoing and is a chronic situation for children.
- Parental poverty, low educational attainment, and mental illness are often associated with child abuse.
- Child abuse has long-lasting effects on girls' health, drug and alcohol problems, risky sexual behavior, obesity, and criminal behavior, from infancy to adulthood.
- Neglect is just as harmful as physical or sexual abuse.
- The problem is that the behaviors that develop in these ages are automated and are repeated in adulthood. Therefore, it has been seen that in all of us the attachment behaviors that develop in the relationship with caregivers are repeated in relationships.
Psychological trauma is a long-lasting negative emotion that puts a person's well-being at risk. The imbalance of the subject's mental system is the cause of the development of a psychologically damaging event.
The definition of trauma carries with it, a fact that generates fright, fear or fear accompanied by stress that affects the mood of the affected person.
Another example of this can be: that of a person who suffers a traffic accident, in this case it is normal that said infestation later presents a huge fear when driving or riding in the car.
In some cases, the onset of symptoms can occur years after the causal event. These are some of the most characteristic symptoms of psychological trauma:
- Memory of trauma (flashbacks), nightmares or instantaneous and involuntary memories at any time of the day.
- Hallucinations with the idea that the traumatic event is repeated.
- Extreme anxiety when coming into contact with people, places or any circumstance that recalls the event.
Characteristics of a trauma
Psychological traumas are characterized by:
- They cause depression, anxiety, and hatred towards other people.
- It is characterized by developing after living a traumatic experience (physical and sexual abuse, abandonment, robbery, accidents, among others) where psychological damage occurred.
- occurs unexpectedly and exceeds an individual's ability to handle the threat or attack.
- It alters the individual's frames of reference and other basic schemas that help him understand and deal with the world.
Metabolic response to trauma
Traumatic aggression gives rise to important metabolic processes, proportional to the intensity of the aggression suffered, and although these are more evident in the first two weeks after the event, they generally persist and require adequate nutritional support.
Reference is also made to the neuroendocrine-immune interaction in the metabolic response to trauma and the metabolic consequences after injury, which were determined through an updated review of national and international documents and journals, with the aim of deepening the study of the main metabolism. Here are the disorders that trigger trauma:
The body's ability to resist, when significant damage occurs, may be insufficient, hence the need for support, which is essential.
Understanding the elements described in the metabolic response to trauma and septic complication is considered vital, as well as the management of post-injury disorders.
