Impact of Trauma
Defining Trauma:
• A bodily or mental injury usually caused by an external agent
• Often involves actual or feared death or serious physical or emotional injury to self or others
• The same event that is traumatic for one person may not have the same impact for another
• Can occur in a one-time brief event, a prolonged event, or a series of events that build up over time—called cumulative trauma or compassion fatigue from witnessing or hearing about the trauma others have gone through on a regular basis.
Impact of Trauma on the Individual:
Damage to sense of self, the trust of others in relationships and spiritual damage to our trust and belief in God
Nightmares and insomnia
Flashbacks—as if the event is occurring now. Can occur emotionally only, or in a movie-type ‘rerun’ experience in one’s mind or hallucination form.
Fear/Anxiety/Anger/Sadness
Seeing yourself as weak or inadequate
Easily startled/hypervigilant—always watchful & on guard
Avoidance of anything that triggers an association with the trauma
Self-Blame or guilt that others were killed or injured when you were not—‘Survivor’s Guilt’
Inability to connect with others & withdrawing from close relationships
Over identification with a group that shared the experience—feeling no one else can possibly understand
Loss of ability to function at levels achieved in the past—socially, academically or occupationally
Impact of Trauma on Family Relationships:
Parents often feel unsure how to help their children after a crisis & vice versa.
Communication breaks down as each family member struggles in their own way to come to terms with what happened.
Children may not want to go to school.
Parents may not want to go to work.
Household schedules tend to collapse–chores are missed, regular mealtimes and other routines or traditions are disrupted.
The usual household responsibilities change. Children may cook meals, parents may feel unable to do tasks, or children may regress to younger behavior patterns.
Chaotic home environment
Unpredictable acting out
Feeling unsafe
Relationships on the rocks—marriages, teen runaways, generational disputes
Impact of Trauma in the Workplace:
Loss of motivation
Lack of interest in the work
Withdrawal from the team
Tardiness & absenteeism
Over-identification with the team
Overwork to avoid feelings or going home where your mind isn’t distracted enough from thoughts of the trauma
Conflict in work relationships
Decreased productivity
When multiple people in a workplace experience trauma, the culture can rapidly deteriorate
