Mental trauma can be caused by a wide variety of terrible events. A successful trauma recovery is essential so that those affected can live calmly and fearlessly again. It doesn’t matter whether it’s paramedics, police officers, soldiers or similar who experience catastrophic, terrible things on the job, or private individuals who have experienced violence and abuse or who have been shaken by a bad accident, the consequences of a traumatic event can be extremely negative and long-lasting. Flashbacks, nightmares, over-excitement, nervousness, jumpiness, insomnia, irritability, impatience, extreme anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, emotional numbness, passivity, distrust, shame and guilt, or low self-esteem – the symptoms are varied and vary from person to person.
Many causes for different effects
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, addictions, extreme personality changes, etc. are common disorders resulting from traumatic experiences. How bad this turns out depends on many factors: the circumstances of the event that triggered it, personal dispositions (age, previous experiences, genetic and socio-cultural factors, previous illnesses), the living situation after the traumatic experience, etc. Dramatic situations with experienced danger of death, such as accidents, robberies , rape, war, torture or natural catastrophes, evoke strong fear, panic, helplessness, anger or even disgust in almost everyone. Sometimes these extreme negative feelings do not subside long after the traumatic event or keep coming back to consciousness. In any case, it is important that those affected undergo a thorough medical analysis in order to obtain the clearest possible psychological and/or psychiatric diagnosis.
Calm down, deal with trauma
Coping with trauma usually means hard work. A first step can be to offer the person concerned security and peace. A terrible, traumatic event means an extreme challenge for the body and mind. The human organism is put on increased alert, it reacts with great excitement. Freeing yourself from this state, finding your way back to calm and balance helps to overcome deep-seated fears. Only after we really relax and let go deep inside, our spontaneous healing powers and body’s own recovery processes come into play. On the other hand, if the excitement persists, which is a normal reaction of our body, energy reserves are used up unnecessarily.
Unnecessary because the traumatic event that required all our energy and attention is in the past and we could actually switch back to normal operations. If this does not happen, however, a state of exhaustion can arise that is not so much due to the traumatic event itself as to the time after it. The engine then continues to run at full speed, although the event is already over. It is therefore very important to gradually reduce the number of revolutions of the inner motor.
Trauma management: different methods, one goal
In coping with trauma, it can be helpful to do what has previously helped you relax. This can be sleeping, reading, going for a walk, doing sports, watching TV or engaging in other activities. However, traumatized people should not overdo it so as not to create new stress. This would be counterproductive. Working through a trauma by talking about it is also generally recommended. Traumatized people should make sure that they only talk about it with people they trust.
One should take enough time for this and the interlocutor should not be affected by the same traumatic event in order to be able to listen as well as possible and not to act in a lecturing or even reproachful manner. Otherwise there is a risk that the traumatization will intensify. Since many victims of traumatic events experience their unhappiness as a personal failure, it can help to remember past successes, write them down or talk about them with others. In this way, the depressed mood full of fears and self-reproach can be changed for the better.
Overcome trauma with professional help
It is advisable to get professional help to cope with the trauma. I am happy to help you if you are traumatized by a dramatic event of any kind and cannot cope with the consequences. Because of my education, personality and experience, I can be exactly the right person to talk to.
I offer you an open, safe space to successfully transform all your feelings, experiences and deep-seated fears. I take as much time as you need to deal with your trauma. We can gently and lovingly banish the dark shadows of your past so that you can find inner serenity, normality and joie de vivre.