What is trauma and how does it influence our lives?

Trauma is a reality in our lives, something much more frequent and common than it may seem. Its etymological root comes from the Greek, and means "wound".

Traditionally it is considered as the consequence derived from an event, which generates psychic or physical disorders that affect the level of quality of our lives. However, trauma is not a life sentence.

• Related article: "What are trauma and stressor-related disorders?"

What is a trauma?

Emotional trauma is a "psychological wound" that can be caused by diverse situations, generally extraordinary, disturbing, overwhelming and disturbing, that go beyond the usual experiences.

These highly stressful situations range from major natural disasters, wars, accidents, abuses..., “Serious threats to life or physical integrity, real threats or harm to children, spouse, relatives, friends; sudden destruction of the home, of the community; witness the death or serious injury of another person as a result of an accident or an act of physical violence ”(DSM-5).

Also it can encompass seemingly minor experiences, such as: an operation, a fall, a punishment, serious illnesses, lack of protection, humiliation, change roles in the family, migration to another city or country... which can also be experienced in a traumatic.

In fact, it is not so much the dimension of the event itself that determines the damage produced, but its effects will also depend on each person, their history and their affective environment, the evolutionary moment in which it occurred and the reiteration of it throughout the weather.

On the other hand, it must be taken into account that the appearance of trauma can also be favored by the consumption of substances with psychoactive effects. However, in the event that the consumption of these products is due to the follow-up of a pharmacological treatment supervised by doctors, the The chances of this happening are very low, and in addition, in these cases, professional help is available that can prevent the development of complications of early way.

• Related article: "10 essential tips to reduce stress"

The effects of trauma

Trauma, regardless of its origin, affects the health, safety and well-being of the person in such a way that it can lead to develop false and destructive beliefs about herself and the world around her.

In general, it is considered normal that to certain events we react with sadness, anxiety, anger, irritability, behavioral alteration, substance use... for a short time (Reijneveld, Crone, Verlhust and Verloove-Vanhorick, 2003, Dyregrow and Yule, 2006). However, sometimes these difficulties become so intense and long-lasting that they serious problems in personal functioning and psychosocial adaptation.

To account for these more intense and damaging phenomena, the WHO classification (ICD-10, 1992), proposes a category of disorders caused by stress and trauma, in which includes the Acute and Chronic PTSD, Adjustment Disorders and Lasting Personality Changes after a catastrophic situation.

In these different psychological disorders the trauma is expressed in different ways, but in all They are usually involved to a greater or lesser extent, episodes of extreme stress and dissociation.

Memories locked

Keep in mind that we are not always able to remember everything that has happened to us Throughout our lives, memories of traumatic events are sometimes forgotten or fragmented.

According to the psychological current born with psychoanalysis, these are dissociative phenomena that make it impossible to remember what happened, that arise as a defense mechanism elaborated by our psyche, that we it provides a natural protective response to the overwhelming traumatic experience, allowing us to move forward to survive (Kisiel & Lyons, 2001). According to these hypotheses, the memory would not be lost, but remains in the memory in a latent and inaccessible way, until, thanks to a therapeutic process or to some event in the life of the subject, these recover spontaneously partially or totally (A.L. Manzanero and M. Recio, 2012).

The consideration that such a strong impact is produced that it causes changes in the personality is of great importance for the study of the person and of their emotional development, since that adverse situations, close and everyday, can not only determine symptoms and psychological alterations, but also compromise the full development of the personality.

• Related article: "Psychic trauma: concept, realities... and some myths"

When they appear during childhood and adolescence

Post-traumatic reactions in childhood and adolescence can be expressed in different psychopathological forms (Copeland, Keeller, Angold and Costello et al., 2007).

Various studies on situations of abuse in childhood determined that the main psychological consequences of the trauma were: depression, anxiety, self-hatred, difficulty modulating anger, dissociation, dullness, difficulties in attention and concentration, difficulty in impulse control, substance abuse, self-injurious and risky behaviors, submission and dependence, strong feelings of vulnerability and danger (Herman, 1992); revictimization, interpersonal and intimate relationship problems, somatizations and medical problems, loss of confidence towards other people, feelings of helplessness and helplessness, traumatic sexualization, feelings of shame and guilt (Finkelhor, 1988).

These people present great hopelessness about the world and the futureThey believe that they will not find anyone who understands them or who understands their suffering, maintaining a great internal conflict, with high levels of anguish. The positive comes when they try to find someone to help them recover from their anguish, their somatic worries and their feeling of despair or hopelessness. (Amor, Echeburúa, Corral, Sarasua and Zubizarreta, 2001).

Characteristics of psychic wounds

Scientific research on trauma states that expressing one's feelings and intense emotional states in a cathartic way allows facing difficult situations, reducing the likelihood of obsessive rumination and the physiological activity is increased (Penneba and Susman, 1988).

In addition, it has been seen that social support, such as talking to a family member or friend about a problem, It is one of the most highly valued mechanisms for coping with difficult emotional situations (Folkman et al., 1986; Vázquez and Ring, 1992, 1996), in addition to cushioning one's own stress (Barrera, 1988). In fact, the lack of close people to trust in difficult circumstances raises radically the risk of depressive episodes in vulnerable people (Brown and Harris, 1978).

The importance of attitude and mindset

People with an optimistic attitude seem to better manage the symptoms of physical diseases such as cancer, chronic diseases, heart surgery... (Scheier and Carver, 1992), which seems to be due to the fact that the strategies used by these people are usually focused more on the problem, seeking social support and finding the positive sides of the experience stressful.

On the contrary, pessimistic people are characterized by the use of denial and distancing from the stressor, focusing more on the negative feelings produced by that situation (Avía and Vázquez, 1998). In this way, a personality pattern is drawn more clearly with a tendency to good health characterized by optimism, a sense of control and a good capacity for adaptation (Taylor, 1991).

The treatment

Perform activities from Art Therapy, as a space for the elaboration of the traumatic event, favors recovery, facilitates social reintegration and therapeutic rehabilitation through a creative process.

This type of technique promotes the expression of one's own feeling from a different language that allows channeling sensations, emotions and memories. without pushing to catharsis or emotional overflow, offering a new expressive way that escapes resistance and verbal blocking, favoring the memory and the construction of a coherent story that makes it possible to understand what happened. This will allow the victim to integrate her experience, from a safe and free environment. trials ("Art therapy and artistic education papers for social inclusion", Mónica Cury Abril, 2007).

Thus, trauma does not have to be a life sentence. During the healing process, a renewing evolution can be generated, capable of improving our quality of life, becoming an experience of transformation and metamorphosis (Peter A. Levine, 1997).

The ability that human beings have to forgive, to compose ourselves, to move on, to prosper, to enlighten ourselves, to overcome trials and events, to get up and resurface with a triumphant smile when we meet again with our identity, with love... it is spectacular and simply admirable.

• You may be interested: "Art therapy: psychological therapy through art"

Bibliographic references:

• Neria, Y.; Nandi, A. & Galea, S. (2008). Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: a systematic review. Psychological medicine, 38 (4): pp. 467 - 480.
• Seligman, M.E.P. & Maier, S.F. (1967). Failure to escape traumatic shock. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74: pp. 1 - 9.
• Steele K.; van der Hart O.; Nijenhuis, E.R. (2005). Phase-oriented treatment of structural dissociation in complex traumatization: overcoming trauma-related phobias. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. 6 (3): pp. 11 - 53.
• Whitfield, C. (2010). Psychiatric drugs as agents of Trauma. The International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, 22 (4): pp. 195 - 207.