Trauma and its role in mental health

a day ago

3 min read

Trauma, or difficult experiences, can play a role in later difficulties with mental health and low mood. So what is trauma? And how could therapy help?

What is trauma?

‘Trauma is when we experience very stressful, frightening or distressing events that are difficult to cope with or out of our control. It could be one incident, or an ongoing event that happens over a long period of time.’ - Mind

Not every stressful experience is traumatic - it’s about how we experience it internally. This means that several people could go through the same difficult experience, but some might be traumatised, and some not. We don’t always have control over whether we experience it as traumatic - often this is determined by our mind and body, including our unconscious feelings.

Why does trauma relate to mental health?

When we go through a traumatic event, our brains can get scared of going through it again. Our brains can react by putting certain thoughts and behaviours in place, in order to avoid it. Over time, these thoughts and behaviours can create difficulties in non-traumatic scenarios. These thoughts and behaviours can be conscious or unconscious - we may not realise we are doing them. This is how we can start to notice self-sabotage: we may not know why we are getting in our own way, but we feel compelled to do so.

Example: fear of dogs

Below is an example of how a traumatic event can impact our mental health. I have written a simple scenario, but often trauma can be more complicated and have many other traumas and relationships involved.

For example, if a person has been traumatised by being bitten by a dog, they might start avoiding parks, to avoid dogs. Over time, they might start getting scared of going onto the street, as dogs are there too. This might mean that they avoid going outside, in order to, in their minds, stay safe.

What we notice from this build up of behaviour and thinking, is that it traps the person in patterns that don’t allow them to flourish. When they are avoiding leaving the house, they are no longer able to participate in things they enjoy, they are less able to make human connections, and they are less confident in their ability to manage. This can lead to low mood, anxiety, and feelings of fear.

In this way, we can see that a traumatic event can lead to a significant mental health impact.

What can therapy do?

Often, exploring the memory of the event can help us process and release the trauma. This can involve reviewing the feelings we had and now have, and the way that we feel about ourselves and the world. In addition, we can start to work on more realistic thought patterns: most dogs are safe, and it is usually safe to go to the park.

When we are ready, we can work on building up to going back outside, through small, controlled choices. This allows us to feel more confident in our abilities, until we can build up to returning to the places we are most nervous about. Over time, we build our confidence and use calming techniques, feeling more comfortable. In this way, we can return to a full range of behaviours and resume our flourishing.

Everything would go at your pace, and although you might challenge yourself, you wouldn’t be pushed to do something that you’re not ready for. It’s about slowly and carefully working through the trauma, until you are feeling more comfortable and confident in changing your behaviour. I work gently to help you feel safe while you process things, and I have several ways to help you return to your day after a session.

If you're not sure if your experience was traumatic or not, that's okay! I use your way of seeing things, to understand an experience. Some clients may not describe 'trauma', but may use words like 'challenge' or 'stressful', or 'weird'! I'll work with your language as you see fit. It's your story, and your experience is what matters.