Trauma can cause a psychological wound because of the way we react when something nasty happens to us. As a volunteer Samaritan, I listen to many people who talk about their suffering and depression. It is nearly always as a result of some terrible thing that has happened to them, often when young. Typically they have bottled it up inside and they don't talk about it.  And even though they are the victim, they usually blame themselves for what has happened to them.

It seems we have an inbuilt tendency or a survival mechanism to suppress our emotional reaction to trauma and to bury it. We hold it deep inside us along with a bundle of thoughts such as ”I'm not good enough” and “I'm useless". This causes pain and suffering which often leads to self-medication and addiction to things like alcohol and drugs.

Fortunately, it does not have to be like this. By talking about the trauma it is possible to dis-identify with the issue that caused the trauma. Becoming aware of what happened and our reaction to it, it is possible to get to acceptance recognizing that it's not our fault and we are not to blame. This helps alleviate the pain over time. It is possible to loosen the strings that tie us to the trauma and this gives us the ability to overcome and eventually thrive. 

I would love to hear your experiences with trauma and how you have handled it.

Adrian x

The Moodscope team