If you haven’t checked out the previous post in this 3 part series, check it out here.
Effects of Untreated Trauma
Many individuals go for years living with the symptoms of emotional and psychological trauma as their world grows steadily smaller.
Why?
Great question! The most common reason reported to me…
“It is just a fact of life.”
Unfortunately, we are led to believe that we must deal with negative emotions by bottling them up and hoping that they will just disappear. If we were meant to just have these emotions disappear, why do they hang around for so long?
Our emotions are meant to tell us something. These are not meant to be a “woe is me party” per se, however, our emotions indicate something deeper. In the Bible, we know that Moses experienced frustration with the children of Israel, David suffered depression, Jesus wept.
The effects of untreated trauma can be devastating and infiltrate nearly every aspect of an individual’s life. Some of the most common effects of untreated trauma include:
- Substance abuse
- Alcoholism
- Sexual problems
- Inability to maintain healthy close relationships or choose appropriate people to be friends with
- Hostility
- Constant arguments with loved ones
- Social withdrawal
- Constant feelings of being threatened
- Self-destructive behaviors
- Impulsive behaviors
- Uncontrollable reactive thoughts
- Inability to make healthy occupational or lifestyle choices
- Dissociative symptoms
- Feelings of depression, shame, hopelessness, or despair
- Feeling ineffective
- Feeling as though one is permanently damaged
- Loss of former belief systems
- Compulsive behavioral patterns
- and so much more…
This is not a message to indulge in sinful behavior, such as, alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, or focus on social isolation. It is important, even imperative, that we understand the nature of trauma, the symptoms of trauma, and the effects of trauma before we can begin to understand the solutions and hope of trauma.
Yes, there are solutions to move through trauma.
And even better…there is HOPE through and after trauma!
As always, at PeerCheck360, our goal is to demonstrate brotherly love to the healthcare community. In an upcoming blog post, we are going to begin sharing about solutions and HOPE!