Hello everyone ✨
There are certain experiences we have in life that have lasting effects on us. Is it safe to call such experiences traumatic? What is this trauma everyone is talking about? I'd be discussing this and many more today so buckle up and get ready for this joy ride.
What is trauma
If you ask Wikipedia this question, it would give you this answer:
Psychological trauma, mental trauma or psychotrauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or series of events, such as accidents, rape, or natural disasters.
Source.
Trauma, for me, are those long lasting and forever panging memories we get from tragic occurrences. One of the most popular reasons for trauma that I know about is rape. I've seen how someone who was once jovial and lifely turn to a total introvert who doesn't want to talk to anyone because of her experience with rape.
You don't necessarily have to be involved in the event before you get trauma. You could just be going about your normal life and something happens that creates emotions like fear, hate, regret, guilt, shock,pain, etc. It's totally okay to feel these emotions.
One of the traumatic emotions I'd like to give the spotlight to is guilt. If you're in one way or the other around a person when something traumatic happens to that person,then guilt is inevitable. You hear people say things like "It should have been me!" Or "If I didn't ask you to go on a hike with me, this wouldn't have happened ". In such cases, the guilt hovers like a dark cloud and from there, the trauma sets in.
How To Deal With People Suffering From trauma.
First of all, the acronym PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is used to describe people that are suffering from trauma. There are certain symptoms that people with PTSD display. Some of which includes:
- They are always on guard.
- Easily frightened or startled
- Self destructive behaviours e.g drinking too much
- Trouble sleeping/ nightmares
- Angry outbursts/ aggression
- Overwhelming guilt.
- Physical sensations like pain, sweating, trembling.
It is worthy to note that people react differently to trauma. Some people create a demarcation between themselves and the world while some other people can decide to leave their house more often. It all balls down to where the traumatic experience took place and how it occured.
People that have suffered from trauma aren't always the very expressive types. They sometimes prefer not to talk about it. They should be shown empathy, compassion and concern. Let them know that you're there for them whenever they need to talk about it. Do not judge them or give negative remarks either.
It's not right to get mad at people because they don't want to talk about the traumatic event. Getting mad at them would only trigger further emotions which isn't a good thing.
A few years ago, a tragic event occurred right in front of me, yet it took me so long to realise that that event left me traumatised.
I was just sitting at the foyer of my house with my parents and my other siblings. We were watching the road and how people were going about their daily lives. All of a sudden, my eyes were fixed on this particular man. There is this ticket that public vehicle drivers use daily and this man sold those tickets. The man was filled with adrenaline, running from one side of the road to another, selling tickets and being merry. The next thing I heard was the screening of the tyres of a heavy duty truck and as the truck passed, the only thing I could see were eyeballs jumping on coltar.
Where did the man go? What just freaking happened?! People gathered around the scene and it was confirmed that the truck ran the man over. Not only did it run him over, but it reduced him to the ground level. I was so traumatised as I watched them use a shovel to scrap out the remains of a man that was filled with so much joy a few minutes earlier.
Till this very day, I get jittery, sweaty and very reluctant to cross that road. The memories from that event keep flashing and it gets worse if I see a truck approaching.
Treatment.
Some people could be like me and try to avoid their fears for the rest of their days or they could seek professional help. It's advised that you seek professional help as soon as possible. The best type of treatment for PTSD are:
Therapy: People with lingering trauma are advised to visit a therapist. Therapists know how to do their jobs well. Talking to a therapist is one of the best ways to let go of trauma or to curb the effects of the trauma.
There are different types of therapies that a trauma patient could undergo. Some of them which are strongly recommended are; Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Cognitive processing therapy (CPT), Brief eclectic psychotherapy, etc.
Medication: the effects of certain traumas are so intense that many people have to live on medication. They take drugs to help them sleep, take drugs to help them curb their physical sensations, talk drugs for pain, they basically take drugs for everything. A set of people that I've seen taking drugs for trauma are the people in the force; soldiers, police officers, navy officials and the likes. They go through a lot of traumatic events on the battlefield and they are forced to live with those memories for the rest of their lives.
A great percentage of humans today have experienced one form of traumatic event or the other. These events have a very vital role to play in the way that they behave and relate with people. That's why we shouldn't always jump to conclusions when we meet people for the first time. You may see someone and think, "why is this person acting this way?" . Do not conclude until you've gotten to know the person on a more personal level, just then, you may realise the reason(s) behind the person's actions.
"Trauma is hell on earth. Trauma resolved is a gift from the gods.” ― Peter A. Levine
Thank you so much for reading
With love, wongi ✨