Trauma

People can suffer from emotional or psychological trauma because of various traumatic events, such as rape, war, accidents, abuse and natural disasters.

Trauma Can Cause a Wide Variety of Issues

Trauma can prevent people from enjoying their lives, can cause physical ailments, and often leads to problems at home, at work, or at school. Relationships can also be negatively affected by trauma. Trauma can also endanger people’s safety and well-being.

While only about 10% of people who are exposed to a traumatic event go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), many people who are exposed to traumatic events are affected in the immediate aftermath with problems such as reliving the event, being preoccupied with thoughts of the event, nightmares, insomnia, feeling anxious and keyed up, feeling depressed, and always being on the lookout for something else bad to happen.

Trauma Can Be Treated

For people who have gone through traumatic situations, steps can be taken to prevent trauma from having a long-term negative impact. Evidence-based treatment for trauma includes trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR). The benefits of therapy can be enhanced with medication, herbal supplements, exercise, and mindfulness mediations.