Trauma can affect anyone, at any age. Trauma can change our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. It also has the potential to affect our concentration, relationships, work performance, and daily functioning. For example, trauma can change the way you feel, by eliciting too much or too little emotion. It may prompt depression, anger, or anxiety.

As another example, trauma can change how you view the world. For instance, you may develop a distrust of others or view the world as unsafe or corrupt.

Further, trauma can change your physical health and daily functioning. For instance, you may avoid places, people, or objects that remind you of the trauma; you may have nightmares or disrupted sleep; or you may have difficulty leaving the house. Similarly, you may notice changes in appetite or bodily complaints (e.g., fatigue, muscle tension, headaches, digestive problems).

How we respond to, and cope with, trauma depends on age, the severity and frequency of the injury/event, and whether it occurred directly or indirectly (i.e., happened to you, happened to someone else, or heard about it).

While the above-mentioned symptoms are normal and usually resolve over time, sometimes individuals experience trauma-related difficulties over extended periods of time (i.e., months) on a regular basis, to the point where it impairs their daily functioning. In these cases, our internal “alarm” becomes activated in the absence of actual danger. As such, we try to suppress this warning to the best of our ability, often using unhealthy strategies such as acting out aggressively, scanning our environment, avoiding people/places, or abusing substances. While there may be temporary relief, this does not alleviate our trauma symptom on a long-term basis.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder causes intrusive symptoms such as flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, or memories of the event that seem to come from nowhere. Individuals subsequently tend to avoid people, places, and objects that may trigger intrusive symptoms. Many people also experience negative changes to their mood, behaviour, and thoughts, such as irritability, guilt, concentration difficulties, numbness, feeling “jumpy”, feeling disconnected from their body, or having an increased state of alertness. Notably, symptoms may not always appear immediately following the traumatic event.

Commonly, individuals also experience other mental health issues in addition to their PTSD symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, suicidality, and/or substance abuse.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is caused by a combination of factors, including genetic predisposition, prior life experiences, history of trauma, chemical changes in the brain, and temperament.

Protective factors that may decrease one’s risk of developing PTSD include adequate social support, seeking therapeutic intervention after the event, having adequate coping strategies for dealing with stress/trauma, and being able to act effectively/efficiently in traumatic situations despite feelings of fear or anxiety.

Treatment for PTSD often includes both medication and trauma-focused psychotherapy. In terms of medication, some specific SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) and SNRI’s (Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors) used for depression and anxiety also work for PTSD.

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy also utilizes the Triphasic Model of Trauma. It states that trauma recovery can be addressed in three stages:

1. Safety and Stabilization: determining what areas of life require stabilization and implementing a plan for this (e.g., learning how to regulate emotions or feel safe in relationships).
2. Remembrance and Mourning: processing trauma in a way that does not involve an escalation of emotions and exploring the losses associated with the trauma.
3. Reconnection and Integration: taking steps towards empowerment and recovery.

Mindfulness is another effective coping strategy for addressing trauma symptoms, which includes bringing focused, non-judgemental awareness to our thoughts and emotions. Over time, mindfulness practice can increase emotional regulation and bodily awareness. Similarly, spending time in nature and building a support system can also be beneficial. Many individuals opt to have a “therapy pet” that allows them to manage their trauma symptoms, particularly in the community.

People can have various trauma triggers. However, a common trigger is the anniversary date of the traumatic event. During this time, trauma symptoms often become worse. To feel better, some individuals give back to their community, visit a grave, find ways of commemorating individuals involved, or spend time with family.

Trauma can affect children and adolescents in different ways. For instance, children in elementary school may have separation anxiety, sleep difficulties, digestive issues, temper tantrums, nightmares, school avoidance, or social withdrawal. They may fall behind in school or act out the trauma through play, drawings, or stories. They may also avoid people, places or objects that remind them of the trauma. Sometimes, they may not remember all details involved in the traumatic event. In addition, they may experience regression in their behaviours (e.g., returning to thumb sucking or wetting the bed).

Adolescents may have trauma symptoms that are more similar to adults, such as changes in mood, anxiety, sleep difficulties, anger/aggression, impulsivity, concentration difficulties, self-harm, intrusive memories/thoughts of the trauma, or substance abuse. They also experience avoidance behaviours and changes in mood and thoughts associated with the event.

Sometimes, children and adolescents hesitate to disclose the trauma to parents or other trusted adults initially. They may require time and/or gentle prompting to do so. In the meantime, parents and caregivers have to make sense of the changes they notice in their child’s behaviour, mood, and play.

Youth who have experienced trauma require solid social support and increased time with their parent or caregivers following the event. They perform best in a structured and predicable environment with many activities that can provide distraction. Bedtime routines and proper sleep hygiene are important as well. Parents and caregivers can listen and validate the child’s experiences; they can also encourage the child to gradually address any avoidance behaviours. Parents and caregivers can also model appropriate coping strategies for dealing with large emotions and calming the body when escalated. Lastly, trauma-focused psychotherapy and/or medication may be warranted depending on the child’s age and severity of symptoms.