Understanding and Treating Trauma & PTSD

Trauma can be caused by any overwhelming experience that threatens or causes harm, either physical or emotional. This may be from a single event like a car crash, natural disaster, or violent assault. This may also be from a prolonged period of time, where the victim does not even know is happening to them. People react in diverse ways. Our expert, Gita Chaudhuri, explains: “Trauma is not the incident, it’s the reaction. It’s how people experience the incident.” Not everyone that experiences trauma will develop long-term psychological effects. But understanding the potential impact is crucial.

When faced with immediate danger, the nervous system will go into fight, flight, or freeze mode. This response is crucial for survival in the short term, but can cause harmful long-term effects if the body remains in this heightened state. If the trauma is re-experienced, it can result in significant changes in the brains, particularly in areas responsible for memory, emotion, and executive function.

An individual can be triggered by little things that reactivate this response. “When someone is triggered, the nervous system switches to a different mode. Then stress hormones will release. It’s as if there was a bear in front of you – it’s the same physical reaction.”  She goes on: “This causes a person to become dysregulated, dysfunctional, do things they normally would not do. This is why we often see substance abuse in conjunction to trauma. It’s a stress reaction, to try to escape from emotional reactions and sensations.” When the trauma continues to come up, this is when an individual may develop PTSD.