Have you or someone you know experienced a trauma and feel emotionally or energetically stuck in life as a result? Survivors of traumatic experiences often have resiliency and coping strategies to manage such adverse events, and the presence of more positive experiences in their lives can counterbalance the more difficult times. Although there are some forms of trauma that can be overwhelming the body and mind, cause recurrent reminders of the event, and leave the person feeling as though all experiences after the incident are overshadowed by the traumatic event. In fact, lingering trauma effects can create a sense of tunnel vision in which the individual interprets all experiences through a lens of the unique traumatic experience. When the trauma is not properly or effectively processed, it essentially rewires the brain and influences behavioral and thought patterns, and can even cause an individual to somewhat regress in their emotional functioning.
Additionally, the presence of unresolved trauma may manifest as a part of your identity, it can disrupt emotional growth, and can result in the individual resorting to old or ineffective coping methods that cause problems with relationships, mood, work/school efforts, and sense of self. Particularly when the trauma occurs early in life, the individual may experience halts and delays in emotional development. In other words, the emotional maturity of an individual exposed to a traumatic experience can be affected, they may demonstrate arrested psychological development, or become “stuck” in the state and emotional response that was present at the time of the trauma. In a real-life scenario, a young adult with exposure to physical abuse by a family member during childhood could, in turn, engage in volatile and toxic relationships made up of manipulation and unfair treatment toward others because of underlying insecurities, low self-esteem, feelings of unworthiness, and cognitive distortions about feeling as though they are deserving of pain, suffering, and chaotic interpersonal relationships. Based on this example, the young adult exhibits childlike behaviors in approaching relationships perhaps because their emotional maturity was halted to the time of the traumatic experiences, and the trauma remained integrated into their sense of self without resolve or further processing. It is important to acknowledge that any significant experience that a person deems as traumatic can impact the ability to manage emotions, cope with stressors, and interact with other people. Another example often observed in our daily lives is witnessing an individual who is chronically agitated, irritable, easily frustrated, pessimistic, sarcastic, and does not easily warm up to or trust other people. This can be a sign of an individual who has chronically struggled with the effects of a traumatic experience, and such effects have infiltrated their mood, perspectives, and views of self.
On a positive note, an individual can work through the trauma with proper treatment and support, gain insight into the rationales of their behaviors and emotional responses, and find resolutions to cope with grief, loss, and other significant stressors that are interpreted by the body and mind as traumas. With time, practice, and readiness to process these complex thoughts and feelings, traumatic experiences and your reactions to the event can be reestablished as a less daunting and disturbing process. Therefore, it is highly beneficial to address the difficult life experiences safely with support and professional help as needed, and you can learn to become “unstuck” from a life overshadowed by trauma.