Reposted from Camille Styles by Lauren Zielinkski, MSN, CNM
Trauma. A short definition from the American Psychological Association describes trauma as an “emotional response to a terrible event.” The ambiguity of this definition lends insight into the widespread lack of understanding many of us have of trauma—how it impacts us emotionally, mentally, and physically—not to mention its profound implications upon many of our lives. Compound the question further and ask: how is trauma stored in the body? Today, I’m highlighting the importance of breaking down this very key part of our health. I’ll be sharing how trauma lives within our bodies long-term—and how we can begin to heal it.
Experiencing My Personal Trauma
I’ll start with a personal aside. I experienced a traumatic event in 2014 and found myself reeling from the newfound anxiety. I interpreted everything that took place around me as a perceived danger. At that point, I had no idea how absolutely devastating trauma can be in one’s life. Directly after the event, I used alcohol as a coping mechanism. I stayed busy and went out with friends to keep myself distracted. In short, I was avoiding dealing with the ways trauma was impacting my mental health.
But when I met my husband, I began to notice how not handling my trauma made our relationship more difficult. Being with him, and seeing how my unhealed trauma impacted us, I realized I needed to do something about my anxiety and fear. With the support of an amazing trauma therapist, I began to make sense of what had happened to my brain. I learned why I lived as a highly anxious and hyper-reactive person for so many years after the accident.
The Path To Healing
I’ve suffered from what I firmly believe is trauma living in my body for years. And to be clear, I’m still on the long journey to healing. I’ve learned a lot along the way and have also learned how important it is to approach life and everyone I meet with a trauma-informed lens.
Trauma Looks—And Feels—Different For Everyone
Many of us know that traumatic experiences in life can be scarring both mentally and emotionally. According to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, roughly 90% of American adults have experienced a traumatic event at least once.
It’s less commonly understood, however, that our bodies can hold unprocessed and unintegrated trauma. This leads to painful physical symptoms and even long-term disease. What’s more, everyone who experiences trauma may respond differently. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic situation (think: car accident, sexual violence, natural disaster, etc.), experiences PTSD or is left “scarred” for life.
Two people could be in the same car accident and walk away with two very different experiences of their trauma (check out this video for more information on the idea). But with focused therapy, our bodies and brains can begin to process trauma and, in turn, build resilience.
The Science of Trauma
Our bodies and our brains are experts at protecting ourselves when we sense imminent danger. This fight or flight response is likely something you’ve heard of before. Essentially, our brains release stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline in response to real or perceived danger. Our brains do this for several reasons, including to:
Heighten our senses
Increase our heart rate
Slow digestion
All of this is done to increase our ability to move quickly. Part of this response is dependent on how our nervous system interacts with what is known as the HPA axis or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. When someone is experiencing prolonged periods of stress, the HPA axis tries to sustain cortisol and other stress hormones. This gives your body a boost of energy, thinking that certain stress is something life-threatening or dangerous.
Your brain keeps stress hormones pumping to give you the energy to flee. Unfortunately for our bodies and brains nowadays, most stressful things in life (a crappy email from your boss, a car cutting you off, or a text from your ex) don’t necessitate this massive stress hormone dump. It’s definitely biological overkill—but it’s just how we tick.
How Our Brains Try to Keep Us Safe
When an individual’s brain has been impacted by a past traumatic experience, their HPA axis becomes hypersensitive and overreactive. This is our body’s attempt to protect us. While our brains are smart, a traumatized brain doesn’t understand how to differentiate between a real and perceived threat. As a result, they flood the body with stress hormones, elevating your senses to “protect you” at the slightest similar stimuli.
I’ll give an example. In 2014, just a few weeks after the terrible car accident I witnessed, I was living in LA sitting outside a coffee shop. Suddenly, a bicycle that pulled up to the shop struck a nail. The bike tire popped and a deafening noise rang through the air. Everyone sitting around me just glanced at the bike. But within seconds, I was on the ground underneath the coffee table, heart racing, wondering why I reacted that way.
I later learned in therapy that because of the trauma I had experienced, my brain and nervous system had become hypersensitive to seemingly innocuous stimuli. This idea is known as HPA dysfunction—and it doesn’t always apply to noises either. The psychological phenomenon applies to all kinds of trauma.
Trauma’s Mental and Physical Impact
Storing trauma in our bodies comes into play when the untethered release of stress hormones over and over again at higher than normal levels begins to impact our mental and physical health. Eventually, this causes damage to our bodies.
Some of the understood outcomes of unmanaged long-term HPA dysfunction are:
Irritability
Depression
Anxiety
Frequent illness (lowered immune system)
Difficulty coping with stress
Inexplicable fatigue
Feeling easily overwhelmed
Exaggerated stress response
Diabetes
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Obesity
Menstrual irregularities (due to hormonal imbalance)
Muscle weakness
Insomnia
Cardiovascular disease (heart disease)
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