What is trauma?
Trauma is an experience that happens too soon, too much, or too fast for us to handle, or when there was an absence of what should have been provided. As a result, our systems are overwhelmed and we can’t find resolution. Trauma is very common!
We may experience trauma because of having had a challenging experience, or because we’ve grown up in a challenging environment. Trauma can affect multiple generations in a family or culture. We talk about complex trauma when we’ve experienced abuse or neglect usually throughout our childhood.
Complex trauma is relational trauma, meaning it results through our relationships more so than events. Sometimes it’s the ‘little t’s traumas’, the small ongoing things that happened to us and make it less visible than the ‘big T traumas’ such as overwhelming or life threatening events.
Read more about Complex trauma in my blog
How do I know if I’m experiencing trauma symptoms?
Working with complex trauma may unfold when people struggle with specific issues such as addiction, anxiety, depression, chronic shame and low self-esteem and it turns out that these symptoms can be traced back to unresolved childhood experiences. This often occurs in my work with people. We work on addictions and often our addictive behaviours trace back to childhood experiences. Trauma is a common human experience!
Trauma can affect us in many different ways, including physically, emotionally, mentally.
You may be experiencing symptoms such as:
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Feeling on edge, hypervigilant, unable to relax and be at ease.
• Uncomfortable around people.
• Struggling with nightmares or flashbacks.
• Frequently feeling emotionally distressed, overwhelmed, anxious or depressed.
• Struggling with chronic body tension, digestive issues or similar physical ailments.
• Recurring intrusive and unwanted memories.
• The desire to withdraw from life and from others, never feeling quite safe in the world.
• Difficulty regulating our emotions.
• Needing to find extreme ways (such as addictions) to cope with emotions.
• Feelings of chronic shame, worthlessness and low self-esteem.
• Difficulty sustaining healthy relationships or unable to feel close to others.
• A sense of numbness, shut down-ness, or of not being connected to our body.
Healing from complex trauma
Everyone’s journey to healing is different…
Trauma recovery is very individual depending on a person’s experience. Everyone has unique life experiences and also unique preferences so there is no one size fits all approach.
Read my blog about my personal trauma recovery journey as only one illustration of what a recovery journey might entail.
Recovery is possible...
Compassion, trust, safety and no judgment…
Learning new skills…
"It's Not uNusual to ExpeRience a sense of Resilience, Meaning, stRength and Motivation on your jouRney to RecoveRy."
Acknowledgement of Country
I recognise the history, culture, diversity and value of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and acknowledge their Elders past and present.
I acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded, and support reconciliation, justice and the recognition of the ongoing living culture of all First Nations people by providing welcoming and culturally informed services.
Embracing inclusivity and diversity, I also support a culture of inclusion, respect, choice, voice and diversity and am committed to supporting all people to be mentally well and engaged in their communities.