Symptoms of Unresolved Trauma & and Stress
Unresolved trauma ...
... can manifest in a variety of problems and symptoms in your life. Somatic Psychotherapies release stress and trauma that gets “stuck” in the body. Standing on the shoulders of Wilhelm Reich and his concept of "body armor," somatic psychotherapies utilize the latest research on the connection between the brain and the body. When we become stressed by an overwhelming life event, a traumatic incident, or a mentally tough situation, our brains tell our bodies to either run, fight, or freeze.
Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing®, authored the ground-breaking book, Awakening the Tiger, and helped us to understand we are not biologically designed to live in today's stress-filled society. In many ways, our brains have not evolved since prehistoric times, so our nervous systems react to overwhelming situations as if we were being chased by a saber-toothed tiger.
During the stress of a traumatic event such as a car accident or physical or mental abuse, our brains tell our bodies to run, fight, or freeze. Even in the stress of a big test, sleeplessness, or just friends who are not being nice, our bodies go through a stress response similar to being chased in the wild.
When the brain sends a message to run or fight, all the blood rushes from our brains to our extremities so we can escape danger. But since running or fighting doesn’t make logical sense to us, we stifle all of that energy, and it gets trapped inside the body. We know that trauma is physiological energy, a sort of cloud of trapped energy inside of us, that can cause all kinds of symptoms.
While these symptoms vary from one individual to the next, they may include:
Psychological Symptoms
• Startled response
• Night terrors or nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Panic attacks
• Sleep problems
• Deep feelings of shame
• Emotional numbness / Difficulty showing emotion / Emotional overreaction
• Anxiety and fear / Excessive worry
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Low stress tolerance
• Feeling isolated or detached
• Hypervigilance
• Perfectionism
• Obsessive fears
• Compulsive behaviors
• Shame
• Guilt (especially survivor guilt)
• Temper tantrums in children
• Mood swings
• Apathy
• Crying spells
• Sadness that’s difficult to shake
• Depressed mood
• Irritability
• Anger outbursts / rage
• Addictive behaviors
• Difficulties with concentration
• Promiscuity
• Procrastination
• Perfectionism
• Difficulties making decisions
• Avoidant behavior (particularly with anything related to the trauma)
• Self-harm behavior
• Suicidal thoughts or behaviors
• Impulsivity
• Recklessness
• Attraction to danger
• Feeling easily overwhelmed
• Sense of a foreshortened future
• Feelings of emptiness
• Accident proneness
Somatic and Physiological Symptoms
• Low energy
• Chronic fatigue
• Psychosomatic illness
• Headaches, including migraines
• Muscle tension
• Neck and back pain
• Joint problems
• Cold sweaty hands
• Low libido and other sexual problems
• Chronic pain
• Allergies
• Asthma and other breathing problems
• Compromised immune functioning
• Weight problems (including being underweight)
• Digestive problems
• Infertility
• Menstrual problems
Disorders and Conditions That Can Benefit From Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing can be very beneficial for any condition or disorder that stems from trauma. These include (but aren’t limited to):
• PTSD
• Depression
• Specific phobias
• Social phobia
• Panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• ADHD / ADD
• Childhood trauma
• Grief and loss
• Sleep disorders
• Chronic fatigue
• Asthma and other types of breathing problems
• Digestive problems, such as IBS
• Muscle tension
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