Trauma responses are a reaction to a perceived threat. This doesn’t happen to just anyone – it specifically happens to those who have experienced a traumatic event.
Trauma can happen to anyone at any age, and it leaves a lasting impression. A recent study of Florida adolescents showed that 68.41% reported experiencing 1 or more ACEs and 23.03% reported experiencing 4 or more ACEs. When trauma happens at a young age, the trauma response is more likely to last a prolonged time.
At Clean Recovery Centers, we understand the complications trauma causes. Today, let’s answer a common question surrounding trauma: What is a trauma response?
Understanding the Many Faces of Trauma Responses
A trauma response occurs as a reaction to a fearful event or a prolonged event. Examples include:
- Living through a natural disaster
- Being involved in an accident
- Experiencing prolonged abuse, neglect, or a chaotic environment
- Having an important person in your life betray your trust
- Bullying
- Veterans who have seen combat
Experiencing a traumatic event causes the stress response to shift. The four main trauma responses are fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Depending on the type of trauma and your susceptibility to stress, it is often a key indicator of which response(s) you will favor. Let’s explore this further.
How to Spot a Trauma Response in Yourself or Others
A trauma response can vary in intensity, meaning some individuals may experience more subtle reactions while others exhibit a louder or more noticeable response. For someone who experienced abuse, they may respond outwardly in a fighting manner or become quiet and leave the situation. All trauma responses have different effects on the body and mind.
When the Body Remembers: Physical Signs of Trauma
Trauma creates an emotional response, but that doesn’t mean it is tied to the mind alone. Those who have experienced trauma experience physical symptoms that often have no medical explanation. These are not imagined – they are very real reactions to the nervous system’s ongoing distress. Common physical signs of unresolved trauma include:
- Chronic pain
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Migraines
As the body continues to operate as though it’s under threat, prolonged physical health problems can occur. Cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and heart failure can happen from the system being under constant pressure. This also increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. Also, experiencing chronic stress disrupts the immune system, leading to autoimmune conditions developing.
Rewired by Trauma: What Happens in the Brain
Trauma can cause lasting changes in how the brain processes emotions, memories, and decision-making. This is especially true if it happens during early brain development, such as childhood or adolescence. These changes often lead to increased fear responses, emotional reactivity, poor stress responses, trouble concentrating, and difficulties with memory or impulse control.
For many survivors, the nervous system becomes wired to remain on high alert, reacting to perceived danger even when no threat is present. Some individuals experience mood swings, emotional numbness, or reactions that seem disproportionate to the situation. Others internalize their feelings and shy away from the situation altogether.
Though trauma is deep-rooted, the brain and nervous system are capable of healing. Using the right therapeutic techniques and developing coping skills, new patterns can be formed within the brain.
Trauma Response or Trauma Symptom? Knowing the Difference
Differentiating between a trauma response and a trauma-related symptom is key to understanding how to treat the situation. While the terms are often used interchangeably, they refer to different aspects of the trauma experience.
A trauma response is the immediate or conditioned reaction to perceived danger. These include:
- Fight: Aggression, anger, or a need for control in a situation when faced with perceived danger.
- Flight: Attempting to escape or avoid the threat, often causing anxiety.
- Freeze: Feeling stuck or immobilized when faced with danger.
- Fawn: Appeasing the perceived threat to avoid conflict or harm.
These responses occur in the moment, such as a veteran reacting to fireworks. Trauma symptoms, however, are long-term effects of unresolved trauma. These include:
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Avoidance behaviors
- Dissociation
- Emotional dysregulation
Symptoms are the ongoing expressions of the trauma’s impact. They can happen with or without warning and continue for months or years after the event occurred.
The Healing Journey: How Therapy Supports Trauma Recovery
Therapy offers a safe and structured environment to explore, process, and heal from traumatic experiences. The type of therapy you respond best to will vary based on your needs, the nature of your trauma, and the presence of comorbid conditions like PTSD, anxiety, or depression.
Some of the most effective trauma-informed therapeutic approaches include:
- Rapid resolution therapy (RRT): A trauma-focused approach designed to help you clear the emotional impact of painful experiences without re-traumatization. RRT uses guided imagery, storytelling, and subconscious processing to shift how traumatic memories are stored and experienced.
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing(EMDR): Helps reprocess traumatic memories and reduce their emotional charge using bilateral movements.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): A talk therapy commonly used in various mental health treatments. It assists with reframing distorted and negative beliefs and creating positive coping skills.
- Narrative therapy: Encourages you to explore your story and re-author it with a sense of purpose and meaning.
Therapy for trauma goes beyond talking. The goal is to safely navigate through the traumatic event(s), identify their triggers, take away their power, and emerge empowered.
Tools for Healing: Managing and Treating Trauma Responses
Therapy is a crucial part of the treatment process, but other tools can help along the way. Having coping skills at the ready will help calm both trauma responses and trauma symptoms. Some helpful tools and interventions include:
| Tool | Technique | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Physical activity | Jogging, stretching, or dancing | Relieves pent-up energy stored from the survival response |
| Creative expression | Painting, writing, or listening to music | Expresses emotions with or without words |
| Grounding exercises | 5-4-3-2-1: name 5 things you see, 4 things you touch, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste | Brings the senses back into the moment, calming the nervous system |
| Breathwork | Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4, repeat | Managing breathing relaxes the mind and body, bringing peace to the situation |
It is important to note that trauma recovery is not a linear path. Each experience is different, and your path will not be the same as someone else’s. Following your therapy course, using the above tools as needed, and adhering to medication regimens are the keys to successfully healing from trauma.
Get Treatment for Trauma Reactions at Clean Recovery Centers
Living with the effects of trauma can make the world feel unsafe and unpredictable. You may find yourself constantly on edge, shutting down emotionally, or reacting in ways you don’t fully understand. It is not your fault – it is all part of your nervous system’s way of trying to protect you. The good news is you don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode.
Therapy for trauma offers a path toward healing, helping you process what you’ve been through and regain a sense of safety and control. With the support of a skilled care team, it’s possible to reconnect with yourself and begin building a life that feels grounded and secure.
If you or someone you love is experiencing trauma responses, Clean Recovery Centers is here to help. We specialize in trauma-informed care and have a certified rapid resolution therapist at each of our locations. Our compassionate team will meet you where you are and walk alongside you every step of the way. Call us today at (888) 330-2532 to learn more about our trauma recovery programs.
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