Healing from Trauma: Why It's So Important

It's been said that there are two types of people in the world – those who have experienced trauma and those who know someone who has experienced trauma in their lifetimes. We are all indirectly or directly influenced by trauma, whether our own or the people we love. Unfortunately, many people never heal from their trauma and often allow it to affect their lives negatively. However, healing from trauma can be incredibly beneficial and one of the most important things you can do to improve your quality of life and overall sense of well-being. Whether you have been suffering from trauma symptoms or know someone else who has, here are some reasons why healing from trauma is so important.

Trauma is relatively common. In fact, "70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives. That's 223.4 million people." (1) The severity of trauma ranges but can have devastating effects on your life no matter how much you try to cope with it. Whether through self-care or seeking therapy, learning how to handle the inevitable trauma in life is vital.

Although trauma is often associated with veterans, it can happen to anyone, regardless of occupation, class, gender, race, or ethnicity. Trauma also does not discriminate with age. It can happen to young toddlers and elders. These facts require us to be vigilant in removing prejudice in assessing who trauma touches. 

No matter what kind of trauma you have experienced, it is essential to heal from the event. When you experience a traumatic event, your brain releases certain chemicals, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which increase arousal, affect your sleep, make you feel more irritable and less connected to others. The emotions that stem from trauma may cause lasting damage if not properly processed.

We get so caught up in day-to-day life that it's easy to miss or suppress trauma symptoms. But it's important to know when something isn't right and how to do something about it. Dealing with trauma can be challenging, but it is so important that we don't ignore or run away from this part of ourselves or our history. Without healing, trauma will weigh on us and continue to take its toll as time goes on.

When you don't address trauma, it can affect your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Stress and trauma accumulate in the body and create substances that adversely influence you until you find a way to "detox." Furthermore, it can negatively impact how well you do your job or maintain your relationships.

Trauma can cause other problems in the long run. Experiencing trauma can keep you from doing things that you would love to do, like traveling, riding a roller coaster, or sharing deep love with a soulmate. Limiting your life after trauma is hardly ever worth it, and healing from trauma is fundamental for living a fulfilling life.

Proper treatment can help reduce traumatic symptoms, even years after experiencing the event. Many therapeutic interventions aim to reduce your symptoms and increase your ability to function in daily life and thrive. Find a technique that works for you; many exist. A few include talk therapy, Emotional freedom technique (EFT), art therapy, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), and mindfulness meditation.  

Know that there are many ways to heal from trauma; everyone with a trauma history deserves a rewarding life. Consider a healing strategy that speaks to you.

Source:

1)      National Council for Behavioral Health. (4 Feb 2022) How to manage trauma. Retrieved 11 Sept 2022 from: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Trauma-infographic.pdf