Like many things in the mental health world, there are multiple types of a single commodity. For example, there are three types of stress: acute, episodic acute, and chronic. There are other mental health concerns and disorders that also come in different types. Trauma can be categorized into seven types, two types, or three types! In this case, emotional trauma is a type of trauma and a symptom of a terrible event.
What is Emotional Trauma?
Emotional trauma is the reaction and result of a terrible event occurring. According to the Sunshine Community Health Center, it is the “ result of extraordinarily frightening or distressful events that shatter your sense of security or make you feel helpless and can lead to challenges in functioning or normally coping afterward.”
When a person experiences a traumatic event, it can cause many negative emotions and physical symptoms. Emotional trauma is the feeling of negative emotions and various mental health concerns occurring after a traumatic event.
With the assistance of BetterHelp articles, you can learn more about trauma types and how to overcome the symptoms.
What Causes Emotional Trauma?
Emotional trauma is caused by some form of a traumatic or terrible event. The most common forms of trauma are events that occur violently and quickly. For example, natural disasters, sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse, death of a loved one, exposure to daily violence, war, car accidents, etc.
Some events happen once, such as a hurricane or a car accident. Other traumas may continue over time, such as war violence or child abuse. The type of trauma someone experiences can also cause a difference in the severity of their emotional trauma.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Emotional Trauma?
The signs and symptoms of emotional trauma vary for multiple reasons. Some people may feel more physical symptoms, while others live with nightmares and insomnia. On the other hand, someone may never feel any physical symptoms, but they live with depression and anxiety. It all depends on the person and how they process the terrible event in their life.
Emotional trauma can cause significant changes in a person’s life. For instance, someone may begin to experience insomnia, isolation, withdrawal, and a lack of concentration.
Physically, a person may experience a rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, eating disorder, and jumpiness.
Emotionally, someone may live with mood swings, aggression, numbness, shame, and remorse.
Those that live with emotional trauma may also experience more concerning symptoms such as depression, hallucinations, night terrors, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts.
How To Manage Emotional Trauma Symptoms
There are many techniques that you can implement on your own time to help in your recovery from trauma. Seeking support from family, friends, and support groups is a great way to talk about your trauma. By surrounding yourself with people who understand, you can feel more comfortable with the idea of recovery.
Meditation and mindful movement is also great resource for individuals that want to heal from their trauma. Both meditation and exercise allow a person to take their mind off of their past and onto the present. Most importantly, all symptoms of emotional trauma must be treated with the help of a licensed counselor or doctor.
This post is written by Marie Miguel. Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
