Many people think of trauma or traumatic stress as something one gets from being in combat. After suffering a major injury. Or, surviving a horrible accident or attack.  Those things are traumatic but that is not the end of the list.  At its most basic level Trauma is the point where we are no longer able to cope with our stress and distress.  That can come in the form of a single terrifying event, but it does not have to.  It can also come from the accumulation of smaller events that eventually add up and overwhelm us. This can be hard to identify though. No single thing seems to be a big enough problem to be the cause of our struggle. And, so it is easy to overlook, and easy to think the problem is within us.

 

The effects of stress and trauma on our mind and body include:

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• low self-esteem

• paranoia

• sleep disturbance

• disrupted eating

• compromised immune systems

• lethargy

• fixated thoughts

• inability to concentrate 

• depression

• anxiety

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Do we really know where our trauma or PTSD lives?

 

We also often misattribute where the problem is. Often, these are thought of as problems within ourselves. You may find yourself thinking:  “there is something wrong with me” or, "I am broken” with limited ability to function.  But this is backward.  You are not a problem.  These trauma symptoms are what happen when your body is flooded with stress hormones. Sometimes, Adrenaline, Noradrenaline, and Cortisol work together to keep us stuck. This is the correct reaction your mind and body are having to out-of-control situations.

 

Trauma Therapy or PTSD Treatment in Madison, Wi Can Help

 

There are ways to help work through this. Finding ways to limit exposure to contributing stressors is one thing that we can do. Another is to reach out to our support systems, trauma therapists, friends, and family for help. Getting the stress hormones out of our system is important though and will help us to recover faster.  Learning to regulate and relax the physical body is the key. First, identify where in the body you carry the stress. Tight chest, sore muscles, headache, upset stomach, find it wherever you feel it. Once you know where stress affects you focus on relaxing and regulating those areas. Loosen the muscles, control the breathing, and slow the heart rate.  As you do, the stress hormones will begin to process out of your body. And, you will regain more levels of functioning to help deal with the problem more directly.

 

Stress Hormones, PTSD, and Trauma

 

Helping and connecting with others is another great way to help combat stress hormones. When we spend time with other people, we feel more connected. Physically, we might hold hands, hug, or make eye contact. Even just doing nice things for each other can help increase connection. When we feel more connected, we introduce the hormones that produce feelings of wellness and togetherness. Serotonin and Oxytocin are magical. Not only do they help make us and others feel better, but they also help to combat the stress hormones. Spending time with each other, and helping each other, helps ourselves.

 

​The Golden Vibes Counseling Approach to Trauma Therapy or PTSD Treatment in Madison, WI

 

No matter the source, we are faced with daily stress, pressure, and the feelings of being under threat.  Our connectedness increases our feelings of vulnerability. The availability of every negative experience being splashed across our media affects us every day. Often, this means we are witness to and experience trauma over and over.  These are pressures that happen around us and to us.  None of it is because you are a flawed human being.  Finding ways to daily regulate your body, get relaxed, and connect with others in a positive and meaningful way will help us to overcome our trauma.

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At Golden Vibes Counseling in Madison, WI, we are going to help you heal and move forward. You don't have to be trapped by what happened to you in the past.  Our trauma therapists use evidence-based PTSD treatment that can help you find healing and move forward. This can include EMDR therapy, Yoga Therapy, Mindfulness, Brainspotting, Art Therapy, EFT (tapping), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and more. But, the most important thing to know is that you are going to be met as an individual the whole way.