Your Experiences are your own and develop who you are as a person, some are positive, some are not. All your experiences influence your life in one way or another. One of the experiences to be aware of is a traumatic experience.
These types of experiences can make people feel unsafe and make them feel like there is nothing that they can do to prevent them from occurring; they can make people feel powerless. These types of experiences could be from abuse, witnessing a natural disaster, experiencing a shocking or violent event. When these experiences happen, they may produce a trauma response.
This response can be seen at the time of the event or later when there is a trigger that reminds the person of the event. If this is something that you are struggling with, it is important to turn to a trusted adult to help you to move forward.
When talking to a trusted adult, include the following details:
- What Happened = the cause of an emotional reaction
- The Reaction = the response you had
- The Factors = what led up to your reaction
- The Impacts = how this is changing your ability to cope
Use this tool to start the conversation: Please Help.
It can be difficult to understand the natural responses that happen in your body when you are exposed to a traumatic event. These responses might include Fight, Flight or Freeze. These types of strong responses often seem to occur automatically and can be surprising if you have not experienced them before.
- Fight – uncontrolled feelings of rage, anger, and aggression
- Flight – paralyzing feelings of anxiety, fear and panic
- Freeze – overwhelming feelings of being stuck which may cause you to disassociate or zone out
Your body reacts this way because it is trying to protect you. It is sensing a type of danger and engaging your nervous system to react. To understand this response further check out Fight/Flight/Freeze Response.
All of your feelings are okay, even the feelings that are associated with Fight, Flight, or Freeze. Your feelings are neither good nor bad, however, the effects that may occur as a result of your experience may be harmful to yourself or others. This is why it is important to let a trusted adult know about your feelings and experiences so they can help you to find safety and assurance.
