Trauma is something unexpected that causes a great deal of distress and that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. What matters most when it comes to the impact of trauma is the person’s interpretation of the event, rather than the nature of the event itself. Trauma can be a single event (for example, a road traffic accident) or a series of events (for example, domestic abuse). Trauma affects people in different ways. People who have survived trauma often perceive the world and other people as dangerous, feel unsafe, become avoidant and experience high levels of anxiety. Trauma can also have a negative effect on people’s relationships, their mood, sleep and self-worth. Making sense of trauma can take time, however recovery is possible.
Trauma is something unexpected that causes a great deal of distress and that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. What matters most when it comes to the impact of trauma is the person’s interpretation of the event, rather than the nature of the event itself. Trauma can be a single event (for example, a road traffic accident) or a series of events (for example, domestic abuse). Trauma affects people in different ways. People who have survived trauma often perceive the world and other people as dangerous, feel unsafe, become avoidant and experience high levels of anxiety. Trauma can also have a negative effect on people’s relationships, their mood, sleep and self-worth. Making sense of trauma can take time, however recovery is possible.
If you have experienced a traumatic event, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, trauma is prevalent in our society. An estimated 1 in 5 adults have experienced physical or sexual abuse during childhood.
It’s common to experience a range of different emotions following a trauma event
Avoiding things that relate to or remind you of a traumatic event is a common way of managing the impact of trauma
The way that you see yourself, other people and the world can change after a trauma
Some people increase their use of alcohol or substances following a trauma. This is often an attempt to block out painful memories, thoughts or feelings related to the trauma
Unwanted thoughts, nightmares and vivid images that intrude into your mind uninvited are all common responses to trauma.
Feeling on edge or on high alert is also a common response to trauma. This can include feeling jumpy, jittery, shaky, easily startled, or having trouble concentrating or sleeping
When a loved one goes through a traumatic event, it can be hard to know what you can do or how you can help. It’s important to know that everyone responds and makes sense of trauma differently, and can have different needs
Following a traumatic event, your brain can stay in survival mode and the alarm can keep on ringing. This can make it difficult to use the thinking part of your brain to make sense of trauma.
Recovering from the impact of trauma takes time. Everybody heals at their own pace and in their own way. But if months have passed since the events and your trauma reaction is getting in the way of your everyday life, you may need to get professional help.
This video was designed to be relevant to the Scottish workforce in understanding how trauma affects people and how we can all work together to make a positive difference to people affected by trauma and adversity.
We all experience changes in our lives. Learn about how change can affect our wellbeing.
Traumatic events are common and can happen at any time, in both childhood and adulthood. The way you experience a traumatic event will be unique to you and will vary from the experiences of other people.
Examples of traumatic events include:
It’s normal to be distressed by traumatic events, and to need time and support to adjust to what you’ve experienced. If you’ve been through something traumatic, you’ll probably have strong memories about it. It’s important to note, however, that having memories about distressing experiences doesn’t mean that you have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD.
Everyone responds differently to trauma. Some of the more common experiences are described below:
How your body might feel
Thoughts you might have
Feelings you might have
Things you might do
If these experiences look very familiar to you, you can find out more about trauma in the ‘Learn’ section of this website.
Here’s a self-help guide prepared by NHS Inform. It aims to help you understand the experience of trauma, make sense of it, manage reactions to traumatic experiences and decide if you need further help.
Parenting with trauma Dr Kathy Weston’s podcast ‘Get a grip’ is aimed at parents to help them get to grips with parenting questions. Episode 44 is on ‘Parenting with Post-traumatic stress disorder’ You can access…
It’s normal to be distressed following a traumatic event(s) and to need time to make sense of what’s happened. As you process the event, trauma reactions will gradually fade, but even when you’re feeling a…
We all have to cope and manage with change in our lives for lots of reasons. Here are some tips and thoughts on navigating through a period of change.
If you feel tense a lot of the time, you can try learning some relaxation skills, as these should be helpful.
With support from the people in your life and maybe with a little help from other sources, such as the resources on this website, you’ll most likely find ways to cope with your traumatic experiences.
However, making sense of trauma takes time - usually much longer than you expect and certainly longer than many of the people around you expect. If you’re worried about the way that you’re coping, or if you have concerns about your mental health more generally and think you may need further support, please get in touch with your GP in the first instance.
Here are some other sources of support you might want to consider:
The Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership websites are a good place to look for locally available support:
The following National organisations focus specifically on trauma and may also be helpful:
Childhood sexual abuse
Domestic abuse
If you, or someone you know, is in crisis and in imminent danger of causing harm to themselves or others, call 999 immediately