Unresolved Trauma

Each individual has a starting point, whether it be growing up in a broken family, a wealthy or impoverished family. Certainly, every family has different environmental factors that a child adopts and grows up with. During childhood, it is fortunate for those who have not experienced any traumatic events because did you know that unresolved trauma significantly impacts mental health and shapes who you are today? It is not solely from family and child experiences but also from our life past experiences. 

In the journey of life, some of us carry heavy burdens from our past experiences. Unresolved trauma, like a haunting shadow, silently shapes who we are today. It's time to shed light on this often overlooked aspect of mental health. In this blog, we will explore the impact of unresolved trauma and the empowering journey of healing and recovery.

Unresolved trauma has a profound impact on mental health and plays a formative role in shaping an individual's present-day identity. The effects of unresolved trauma can permeate various aspects of a person's life, influencing their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. The experiences and memories associated with trauma can shape one's worldview, self-perception, and overall psychological well-being.

On the technical side, trauma refers to an event or experience that is emotionally distressing, overwhelming, and often accompanied by a sense of helplessness or fear. It can result from various situations such as physical or sexual abuse, neglect, accidents, natural disasters, combat, or witnessing violence.

When trauma remains unresolved, meaning it has not been effectively processed or healed, it can have long-lasting effects on an individual's mental health. Some key points about unresolved trauma include:

1. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Unresolved trauma is closely associated with the development of PTSD. Individuals with PTSD may experience intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance of triggers related to the traumatic event. These symptoms can significantly impact their daily functioning and overall well-being.
2. Emotional and Psychological Impact: Unresolved trauma can lead to a range of emotional and psychological difficulties. These may include anxiety disorders, depression, mood swings, irritability, anger issues, difficulty trusting others, low self-esteem, feelings of guilt or shame, and difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships.
3. Physical Health Consequences: Unresolved trauma can also have physical health consequences. It can contribute to chronic pain, somatic symptoms, sleep disturbances, headaches, digestive issues, and compromised immune system functioning. Trauma can have a profound impact on the mind-body connection.
4. Interference with Daily Life: Unresolved trauma can interfere with various aspects of an individual's life. It may affect their ability to work, concentrate, make decisions, and engage in healthy coping strategies. It can also lead to self-destructive behaviors such as substance abuse, self-harm, or risky behaviors as a way to cope with overwhelming emotions.

Addressing unresolved trauma often requires professional help from therapists or counselors experienced in trauma therapy. Therapeutic approaches like trauma-focused therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and somatic experiencing can assist individuals in processing and healing from trauma, reducing its impact on their mental health, and promoting overall well-being.

Moreover, some say there is no such thing as “resolved childhood trauma”, because you learn to live with it. The results are depression, alcoholism and drug use, PTSD which includes flashbacks and intrusive memories of the abuse, dissociative episodes, social phobias, inability to form lasting relationships due to inability to trust. Individuals from broken families may encounter various behavioral challenges, ranging from both positive and negative conduct, to diminished levels of self-worth, rebellious tendencies, antisocial behavior, loudness, attention seeker, and even laziness.

Therapy can help the person to learn coping skills but nothing changes the fact that the trauma occurred and there will always be triggers that bring the past into the present. Even therapy likes to think that they are able to help but no one can change the past or undo abuse and trauma.