Symptoms of Trauma
Symptoms of trauma can be stable, always present, or unstable, coming and going. Symptoms can also hide for decades and mysteriously appear or be triggered by an event. It is important to know that symptoms are the body's way of managing and containing undischarged energy in the nervous system. The nervous system is dysregulated, unbalanced or over activated.
SYMPATHETIC OVERACTIVATION
Includes such symptoms as hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, panic attacks, rage, and insomnia, always on the go, excessive habits (drugs, alcohol, gambling).
PARASYMPATHETIC OVERACTIVATION
Includes such things as depression, disconnection, deadness, numbness, exhaustion, alexythymia (inability to express feelings with words). Symptoms may alternate between sympathetic and parasympathetic overactivation because the nervous system is dysregulated.
Early Symptoms
- Hypervigilance or being on guard
- Intrusive imagery or flashbacks
- Extreme sensitivity to light and sound
- Hyperactivity
- Exaggerated emotional and startle responses
- Nightmares and night terrors
- Abrupt mood swings (rage reactions, temper tantrums, shame)
- Reduced ability to deal with stress (easily and frequently stressed out)
- Difficulty sleeping
Other Symptoms
- Panic attacks, anxiety, phobias
- Mental blankness or spaciness
- Avoidance behaviour
- Attraction to dangerous situations
- Frequent crying
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and TMJ
- Exaggerated or diminished sexual activity
- Amnesia and forgetfulness
- Inability to love, nurture or bond with others
- Fear of dying, going crazy or having shortened life
Longer Term Symptoms
- Excessive shyness
- Muted or diminished emotional responses
- Inability to make commitments
- Difficulty formulating plans
- Chronic fatigue or very low physical energy
- Immune system problems and certain endocrine problems (such as thyroid dysfunction)
- Psychosomatic illnesses
- Headaches, migraines, neck and back problems, asthma, digestive problems, spastic colon, PMS
- Depression, feelings of doom
- Feelings of detachment, alienation, isolation
- Diminished interest in life
- Feelings and behaviours of helplessness