Breaking the Bonds Created By Trauma With Christian Counseling Help

There is an array of symptoms that follow traumatic events. In her book, Trauma and Recovery, Judith Herman explains these symptoms can be divided into three categories of post-traumatic stress:

1. Hyperarousal – the persistent expectation of danger.
2. Intrusion – the unforgettable memory/imprint of the trauma.
3. Constriction – the numbing response of surrender.

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these.

Hyperarousal

Hyperarousal is usually the first sign of post-traumatic stress. It is natural for our brain to go on high alert after a traumatic experience. Although the situation might have been unique, there is a real fear of having to live through the trauma again. Herman points out that people who experience hyperarousal often:

• Startle easy.
• React irritably to even small provocations.
• Sleep poorly.

Those who suffer from post-traumatic stress experience changes in their psychophysiology. This means that there are significant changes in the way their mind, behavior, and bodily mechanisms correlate to each other. For example, a normal baseline of alertness is relaxed attention; people with post-traumatic stress have a baseline of alertness of elevated arousal, where their bodies are always alert for danger.

Herman confirms that these changes are extensive and enduring, often bringing on generalized anxiety symptoms, as well as specific fears.

In Trauma and Recovery, Herman mentions different signs that suggest people function under hyperarousal, including:

• An extreme startle response to unexpected stimuli.
• An intense reaction to specific stimuli associated with the traumatic event.
• Cannot ignore repetitive stimuli that other people would find merely annoying, responding as if it was a new and dangerous surprise.
• More sensitive to noise.
• Increased arousal persists during sleep, resulting in different sleeping disturbances.
• Take a longer time to fall asleep.
• Awaken more frequently during the night.
• Intrusion

Judith Herman, in taking about intrusion says, “The traumatic moment becomes encoded in an abnormal form of memory, which breaks spontaneously into consciousness, both as flashbacks during waking states and as traumatic nightmares during sleep.”

While some people might refer to a past traumatic moment as a memory, traumatic events have a different quality that distinguishes them from other “memories.” Some might call it an “imprint” rather than a memory. Memories have a timeline quality to themselves – this means that we remember when the memory took place upon recalling those memories, they belong in the past. In contrast, traumatic imprints seem to ignore time and are recalled as if they were present moments. Some might even refer to these imprints as “active memories.”

As Herman explains, “Traumatic memories lack verbal narrative and context; rather, they are encoded in the form of vivid sensations and images.”

Why does this happen? When large amounts of adrenaline and other stress hormones run through our body, it is as if they created deep grooves in our brain, forming a memory that becomes imprinted.

A person that has experienced trauma has such imprinted grooves, that they might find themselves reliving the moment of trauma not only in their dreams and thoughts, but also in their actions. Some people, like Freud for instance, believed that this happened as an unconscious attempt to master the traumatic event or find healing.

Simply stated, intrusion reflects that traumatic imprints are not simply a part of the past, but active in the present moment.

Constriction

Constriction refers to a form of dissociation because the person was powerless to prevent the traumatic event, or any efforts to stop them were unsuccessful. This surrender to the trauma could almost be described as if living in a “dream” state.

Herman lists several examples of what constriction might feel like:

• A sense of slow motion where time is altered so it lacks an ordinary reality.
• As if observing from outside the body (the trauma did not happen to me).
• A bad dream from which the person will shortly awaken.

Like Herman states, “These perceptual changes combine with the feeling of indifference, emotional detachment, and profound passivity in which a person relinquishes all initiative and struggle.” Some people consider this a coping mechanism, in which one can detach oneself from the trauma in order to move on and function.

Psychiatrist David Spiegel says that, “Traumatic events serve as powerful activators of the capacity for trance.” What Spiegel means, is that the trauma is so intense, it naturally throws the victim into a trance, therefore, providing a type of shield from the trauma.

Some professionals believe that for some people who are not able to dissociate in this manner, the attempt to produce similar numbing effects results in using alcohol or drugs.

Herman stresses caution with these coping mechanisms, “Although dissociative alternations in consciousness, or even intoxication, may be adaptive at the moment of total helplessness, they become maladaptive once the danger is past. Because these altered states keep the traumatic experience walled off from ordinary consciousness, they prevent the integration necessary for healing.”

One of the maladaptive behaviors commonly seen is avoidance of situations that could remind one of the trauma, therefore depriving the person of new and fulfilling opportunities. So while these protective symptoms might be good for a time, in the long run, the person pays a high price in their quality of life, perpetuating the effects of the trauma.

Have you experienced post-traumatic stress? Do you find yourself stuck in hyperarousal, intrusion, or constriction? Is it possible that you are suffering from your past trauma and this is affecting the quality of your life? There is hope for you. Christian counseling is a great tool that can help you break the bonds of trauma and find a place of healing. With the help of a professional and trained counselor, you can face the trauma and move on. You can learn new and healthy ways of coping with life, and discover the truth about the value of your life. As a Christian counselor, it is always an honor and privilege to walk this journey toward healing with you.

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