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Trauma Repair
Most typically, trauma is a core issue that underlies most conditions including compulsive sexual behavior, depression, and anxiety. Trauma can actually occur from single events as well as from events that occur over time. It can occur both in childhood, teenage years, or when one is an adult. Trauma can occur through verbal, physical, or emotional experiences that happen to us directly. It can also occur do to witnessing these experiences happen to others or simply hearing about these events. Untreated trauma from the past can make it impossible for a person to embrace a fulfilled life in the present.
Although there are too many different types of events that can cause trauma to list them all, some common sources of trauma that frequently occur can be seen when one experiences bullying, abandonment, abuse, life-threatening events, sexual violence, military combat, or complicated grief due to witnessing or having knowledge of someone’s violent, untimely, or unexpected death. There is also a form of trauma that happens after betrayal by a loved one which is called betrayal trauma.
While it is important to have symptoms of trauma evaluated by a qualified mental health professional to determine the true severity of symptoms, there are characteristic symptoms that many traumatized individuals experience which are helpful to review to help you recognize that the symptoms you may be experiencing are frequently experienced by many people who have experienced a trauma. Please note that a person does not have to have all of the symptoms listed below to have significant issues as a result of the trauma they have experienced and to need help with resolving these issues.
Common Symptoms of All Types of Trauma:
1. Exposure Symptoms which involve directly experiencing the traumatic event or learning that the event happened to a close family member or friend
2. Intrusive Symptoms which involve recurrent distressing memories or dreams of the traumatic event. The person may also have physical feelings in their body of distress when remembering the event or when being triggered to think of the event by seeing people, objects or places that remind them of the event
3. Persistent avoidance of memories, thoughts or feelings or external reminders associated with the traumatic event, beginning after the traumatic event occurred.
4. Negative changes in thoughts and mood associated with the traumatic event beginning or worsening after the traumatic event occurred.
5. Blaming oneself for the traumatic event
6. Decreased interest in participating in previously enjoyed activities
7. Inability to experience positive emotions
8. Irritable behavior
9. Hypervigilance
10. Sleep problems
11. Self-destructive behavior
12. Problems concentrating
If the traumatic event involved actual death of someone else or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, this person most likely will qualify for having a diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
There is also a form of trauma called BETRAYAL TRAUMA.
Examples of Betrayal Trauma:
1. Childhood sexual abuse from a caregiver the individual should have been able to trust
2. Childhood verbal or physical abuse
3. Childhood abandonment or neglect
4. The disclosure of sensitive and embarrassing information to others by people one thought they could trust
5. Hazing in fraternities or sororities by people who were called brothers or sisters
6. Public shaming by religious clergy who the congregant thought they could trust with a secret
7. Physical infidelity by a spouse or partner
8. Learning of a partner or spouse having a pattern of viewing pornography online or interacting sexually with people virtually
9. Emotional infidelity by a spouse or partner involving the development of intimate emotional attachments to people outside the monogamous relationship with one’s spouse or partner
Factors That Make Betrayal Trauma Different from Other Traumas:
1. The trauma involves the loss of trust in someone the person should have been able to feel safe with given the closeness of the biological relationship, marriage, partnership, or friendship
2. The victim often will inappropriately blame oneself for not having recognized the betrayal earlier
3. The victim’s self-esteem is often negatively affected due to feeling like they have been treated like they are worthless by a person they thought they loved
4. The victim’s trauma will become greater over time as the victim is progressively lied to and discovers additional attempts the perpetrator made to deceive them
Additional Symptoms of Betrayal Trauma:
Partners of sex addicts have symptoms that typically include trouble recognizing, expressing, and managing their emotions; anxiety, depression, and other mental health symptoms; nightmares, difficulty falling to sleep or remaining asleep; a lack of mental clarity in their thinking due to stress and lack of sleep, abdominal pain or stomach distress, panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, difficulty trusting others, attachment issues, dissociation, hypervigilance, and flashbacks. They also often develop physical symptoms including fatigue, headaches, hypertension, muscle tension, weight gain, loss of appetite, gaining weight due to turning to food to self-medicate distress, abdominal pain or stomach distress, and decreased immunity leading to easily acquiring colds and flus and other stress-related physical illnesses.
As a clinical psychologist specializing in helping individuals and couples heal from betrayal trauma, Dr. Braun has seen firsthand that betrayal trauma is a genuine problem. The trauma associated with betrayal is devastating and can last many years. Betrayed partners’ lives are shattered as they feel overwhelmed with shame and grief while wrongfully blaming themselves for not recognizing betrayal earlier. Questions arise such as why the betrayal happened and how their partner could you have lived two separate lives without them having awareness of this. They find themselves confused as to how their partner could have lied to their face and acted loving to them and their children while also at the same cheating behind the scenes. The betrayed spouse or partner begins to no longer trust their own judgment because they did not see the deception when it was happening. They feel as if their lives are spinning out of control. However, these feelings are all normal. This is probably the most startling and confusing tragedy they have ever experienced. Most spouses or partners will state that learning of the betrayal was the most earth-shattering experience of their lives
Types of Treatment for Trauma:
Research has shown Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Experiential therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment to be the most effective, evidence-based forms of therapy for treating trauma.
While I cannot promise results since individual factors in each case will determine the outcome of counseling, I have helped hundreds of people find freedom from their difficulties. This fact makes me confident that I can help you and invite you to contact me today for a free consultation or make an appointment by calling Dr. Jane Braun directly: (708) DR-BRAUN or (708) 372-7286
View other Trauma Resources on the Resource Page of this website