Trauma (Big & Small)

Trauma is not something we consciously choose to respond to, and it is not always because of big events that occur in our lives but also the small event that reoccurs or many small events that stack up and leave us with similar symptoms and feelings in our body.

When we feel our life is being threatened, we respond with our animal brain, and our survival instincts kick in, turning on our adrenaline system and we go into fight, flight or freeze. Which of these instincts we choose is not a conscious decision, it is subconscious. I hear often from client’s “why didn’t I (fill in the blank)”, that is because your logic brain, the prefrontal cortex is offline, and our animal brain is in full survival mode.

Depending on how you were supported through these events, you may be able to move forward in life without any long-term impact. If you were not supported, people are left with intense responses that may always be activated. Leaving people with the constant feeling of being on alert or feeling in danger. In this state, the body can start to feel fatigued, a sense of exhaustion, chronic conditions can develop, stress, vulnerability, passive behaviours and inability to protect ourselves, and more of a response of feeling attacked.

Working on the trauma(s) you experienced in your life can feel overwhelming, but with the proper techniques, your mind and body can start to heal from these events. The supportive work has changed in the field of therapy, with research we have learned that we do not have to unpack the actual event(s) that has occurred but work on healing the bodies response and than the emotional response to these events.

Long-lasting responses to trauma result not simply from the experience of fear and helplessness but from how our bodies interpret those experiences.

Rachel Yehuda

If you are interested in working with a member of our team, please do not hesitate to contact us. We offer a free consultation to see if we are a good fit together.  

Author
Chrissi Stronach- Owner/Operator/Psychotherapist (she/her/hers)
MACP; RP# 14461, CCC#10007143 & RCC #18099

(Please note the above is based on the authors opinion