Hidden trauma may not have an apparent target or pinpointed event that we easily identify on the surface. Rather, the symptoms we exhibit, such as feeling anxious in a relationship or feeling hypervigilant in social settings can be indicators of hidden traumas beneath the surface.
Rather than viewing trauma as something that happens to us, like an external event, we can think about trauma as something that happens within us.
Trauma is what happens when an event is too overwhelming for our brains to process.
The event itself does not dictate whether something is traumatic; it is what happens in our minds and bodies that matters.
Sometimes when the word ‘trauma’ is mentioned, people think of life-threatening catastrophes like war or sexual assault. These are not the only types of situations that can cause trauma in a person.
If we consider our brains as computers, trauma can be thought of as a break or interruption in the processing system (you know that circle that pops up when your computer is being overloaded and you can’t click on anything?).
If those ‘breaks’ or ‘interruptions’ are not processed in a healthy way, they can act as live wires in your day to day life.
A trigger is anything that results in an intense or overwhelming emotional response, behaviour, or unhelpful thought about yourself or the world around you. That live wire that was not neutralized causes us to feel or think something extreme.
We may not understand our reaction, but what is happening is that we are activating an unhealed wound.
Trauma manifests in different ways. People may feel symptoms in their bodies, experience a range of intense emotions and thoughts, which can affect not only the person suffering, but also their relationships with others.
You might notice:
Feeling heightened anxiety and being on edge
Nightmares or restless sleep
Difficulty trusting yourself or others
Fearing being alone
Finding it hard to focus and concentrate
Experiencing physical symptoms such as pain or tension in certain areas of your body
Fatigue and low energy
Feeling emotions such as anger, confusion, numbness, fear, and helplessness
Expecting danger, betrayal, or harm from others
Trauma can be hidden, invisible, and not so obvious to detect.
Triggers are not always direct, apparent, and do not necessarily happen in the exact same context that they originally happened. This is the reason why we can feel confused and helpless.
Some examples where trauma may be not so apparent are:
Experiences when you have been embarrassed, shamed, or criticized
Situations that have resulted in a loss or break in a relationship
Stressful situations involving financial worries
Experiences when you have felt rejected, alone, neglected, or betrayed
Situations in which you have felt unimportant, less than, or unvalued
Seen from this perspective, it is easier to understand how we can all, to some extent, have hidden traumas.
It is not enough to be aware of your symptoms and learn to manage them.
Healing takes place when you can change the way you feel, think, and behave from within. Triggers that had once activated emotional wounds that used to make you feel panic, dread, fear, or anger no longer hold the same power over you. It is not positive self-talk that feels inauthentic, forced, and fake. Instead, it is essential to ‘neutralize the live wire’ so that they are no longer triggers in our lives.
Therapeutic approaches that transform how we feel and allow us to heal from both apparent traumas and hidden traumas integrate the body and the mind in treatment.
At Open Door Therapist, we understand trauma and take a holistic approach to healing so that treatment results in awareness and authentic transformation from the inside out.
Evidence-based approaches that we use at Open Door Therapist to help people heal from trauma are:
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Parts Work Therapy
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness based approaches
Somatic based interventions
When apparent or hidden trauma no longer holds power over you, you can feel a reconnection to yourself, live with ease in the present, and look forward to the future.
Healing from trauma can look like:
Feeling safe, comfortable, and relaxed in your body and mind
Being able to trust yourself and others
Building and strengthening relationships
Improving your self-confidence
Understanding and embracing your self-worth
Feeling self-compassion
Although you cannot change the past, you can make choices in the present that allow you to accept support and move towards healing and restoration.
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