The Effects of Trauma on Your Wellbeing

According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, approximately 70% of Americans (over the age of 18) have experienced trauma in their lifetime. That is well over 200 million people. One could argue that this number will be even higher now that the country has lived through a pandemic.

A traumatic event can be defined as a road traffic accident, a natural disaster, the death of a loved one, prolonged abuse, violence, or serious illness. Though, this list is not exhaustive.

What exactly happens, though, when you live through a traumatic event?

Your body goes into defense mode, creating the stress response which results in a variety of symptoms, both physical and mental. You will experience your emotions more intensely and likely behave differently as a result of the trauma. The body's stress response includes physical symptoms such as a spike in blood pressure, an increase in sweating and heart rate, as well as a dip in appetite.

This is completely normal and it's down to evolution. Your body has evolved to respond this way to effectively cope with an emergency, whether it's to stand and fight or to run away as fast as humanly possible.

Following a traumatic event, you may experience denial and/or shock. You may stew in that response for days (or even longer) befo