Signs that a Loved One is Struggling With Trauma
It could be a shock to realize that many close to us may have been suffering in silence. Of course, this is in no way meant to shame anyone living alongside these individuals, but merely a way to inform and assist us in noticing the signs that someone you love might be struggling. Trauma is mostly categorized into three main types, acute, chronic, and complex. Acute trauma results from a single incident, chronic trauma relates to repeated and prolonged exposure to the abuse or event.
Complex trauma is when an individual is exposed to multiple, varied traumatic events of an interpersonal nature. When the symptoms following the traumatic event persist for a few months after the event, the diagnosis of PTSD might be considered. Complex PTSD refers to some symptoms of PTSD alongside additional symptoms. For this article, let’s look at symptoms and signs relating to Post Traumatic Stress disorder that could be lingering well after the traumatic event has occurred.
Dissociation
Trauma sufferers are more likely to want to escape reality, whether consciously or unconsciously. Cognitive symptoms of PTSD include distraction, memory problems, indecision, and overall attention problems. In other words, does it feel like they are miles away and not aware of their surroundings? This could be the body’s way of shutting down to make sense of or deal with the incident or avoid the discomfort relating to the trauma.
On a behavioral level, they might be trying to dissociate through substance misuse, eating disorders, isolation, avoidance, withdrawal, being hostile or argumentative, sexual disruption, impulsivity, and other self-destructive behavior.
Shame and Guilt
As if it isn’t bad enough to go through a traumatic event, trauma survivors mostly end up blaming themselves in one way or another. Sometimes these events are individualized but could happen collectively, and that’s where the ‘I should have’ or ‘Why didn’t I’ phrases of regret, shame, and guilt come in.
Emotional Dysregulation
It might be a red flag if an individual that normally self-regulated fairly well, struggles with managing and identifying their emotions. Are they quick to anger and more irritable than usual? Are they experiencing other emotional symptoms such as depression, panic, anxiety, fear, or numbness? It’s always important to consider the ‘baseline’ of the person and things now differ from what you are used to regarding their behavior.
Somatic Symptoms
The person that you suspect might be suffering from PTSD could be complaining about physical symptoms such as sleeplessness or insomnia, they might be hypervigilant regarding their environment, present with fatigue and low energy, experience sudden increases in heart rate and breathing as well as other unexplained sensations that weren’t previously present. Keep in mind that your loved one could be re-experiencing the symptoms relating to the incident, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
These symptoms and signs vary from person to person, so if you’re not sure whether someone you love might be struggling with trauma, you could also book a counseling session at Sun Point Wellness in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for guidance on how you can support your loved one.
