Do you have difficulties falling asleep at night? Extra anxious about little things? Mood Swings? Memory difficulties? Fearful thoughts? Sensitive to light and sounds so much that you can’t listen to the radio or T.V.? You may have symptoms of trauma like I did.

Do you have difficulties falling asleep at night? Extra anxious about little things? Memory difficulties? Fearful thoughts?  Sensitive to light and sounds so much that you can’t listen to the radio or T.V.?  You may have symptoms of trauma. 

 

So, what is trauma? In Peter Levine’s book, ‘Healing Trauma; A Pioneering Program for restoring the Wisdom of your Body’, he writes about how trauma can be different things to different people.  What may be exciting to one person may be traumatizing to another. It doesn’t have to be a major catastrophe; we may just “feel not right with the world, disconnected or not at peace with ourselves in our life”. Levine identifies trauma as being a “loss of connection-to ourselves, to our bodies, to our families, and to the world around us”.  I certainly felt disconnected with myself after the car accident I was in and I had a sense of hopelessness of ever getting me back.  I also had almost all of the symptoms Levine lists at one time or another.  Thank goodness I have such an amazing, understanding and patient partner!

Levine explains that when our bodies are feeling discomfort, they are sending us messages.  The messages tell us that something doesn’t feel right and our body needs our attention. If the messages are ignored these messages turn into the symptoms of trauma. Not all people who have traumatic symptoms have been traumatized.  People who have the flu may have similar symptoms, but the symptoms from flu go away.  When a person has traumatic symptoms, they don’t just go away on their own. Immediate symptoms that may occur after an overwhelming event include hyper arousal, constriction, dissociation and denial as well as feelings of helplessness, immobility and freezing. 

 

Below is a list of some of possible symptoms of trauma:

Ø  Being on guard at all times

Ø  Intrusive flashbacks

Ø  Extreme sensitivity to the light and sound

Ø  Hyperactivity

Ø  Exaggerated emotions and startle

Ø  Nightmares and night terrors

Ø  Abrupt mood swings

Ø  Shame or lack of self-worth

Ø  Reduced ability to deal with stress

Ø  Difficulty sleeping

Here is a list of symptoms that show up later, even years later;

Ø  Panic attacks, anxiety and phobias

Ø  Mental blankness or spaced out feelings

Ø  Avoidance behaviour (avoiding places, memories, movements or people)

Ø  Attraction to dangerous situations

Ø  Addictive behaviour (overeating, drinking smoking etc.)

Ø  Exaggerated or diminished sexual activity

Ø  Amnesia and forgetfulness

Ø  Inability to love, nurture, or bond with others

Ø  Fear of dying or having shortened life

Ø  Self-mutilation

Ø  Loss of sustaining beliefs (spiritual, religious, interpersonal)

 Here is a list of other symptoms that may show much later;

Ø  Excessive shyness

Ø  Diminished emotional responses

Ø  Inability to make commitments

Ø  Chronic fatigue or very low physical energy

Ø  Immune system problems, thyroid malfunctions, environmental  sensitivities (light and sounds)

Ø  Psychosomatic illness, like headaches, migrains, neck and back problems

Ø  Chronic pain

Ø  Fibromyalgia

Ø  Asthma

Ø  Skin disorders

Ø  Digestive problems

Ø  Severe PMS

Ø  Depression and feelings of impending doom

Ø  Feelings of detachment, alienation and isolation

Ø  Reduced ability to formulate plans

Levine says that these symptoms can stay permanently or they can come and go.  He talks about the symptoms as being ‘internal wake-up calls’.  He believes that if we learn how to listen to the wake-up calls, increase our body awareness, and how to respond to the calls, we can begin to heal our traumas. 

Levine adds that we should be grateful our bodies are sending messages that healing needs to happen.

After I read ‘Healing Trauma’, I learned what ‘trauma’ is, why the car accident with Soleil was traumatic for me when other car accidents I was in weren’t, and I was able to identify the symptoms I was having. I also learned a few simple exercises that helped me get back in touch with my body.  I had only done a few of Levine’s exercises at this point, but after almost 2 years since the car accident, a huge shift had finally happened. I believe reading his book contributed to me switching chiropractors, Dr. Letitia Russell (955-5888), seeing our regular homeopath, Dr. Hoe(382-4507) and having the idea of going to a BodyTalk practitioner, Kristen Petersen (291-8552), all of whom have snapped me out of the awful traumatized-state time warp I was in.   

If you or someone you know are in a traumatic experience, I would highly recommend reading, ‘Healing Trauma; A Pioneering Program for restoring the Wisdom of your Body’, by Peter Levine.  The easy to ready, hard cover book can be found at the library.  I purchased a soft cover from Amazon and although it’s not as visually pleasing, it is certainly well worth it.  I have also since purchased ‘Trauma-Proofing your Kids: A Parents' Guide for Instilling Confidence, Joy and Resilience’ also by Peter Levine and I am currently reading it.

If you or somebody you know have symptoms of trauma, but are not interested in reading about it, at the very least I would definitely recommend seeing Kristen Petersen to ‘reset your breaker box’! I plan on taking a short class to learn the basics of BodyTalk and will write a more in depth blog of what it is after the class.  In short, you lay on a massage table fully clothed.  She holds your wrist as she asks your body a series of questions. Based on your body’s response, she does massages or tapping on certain areas.  She also has her RMT certificate so a session can be deducted for massage therapy.  

No one deserves to live with any of the symptoms from being in a traumatic experience.  I still can’t believe that something that simple can make such a significant difference!  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

 

I am still am seeing the following excellent practitioners and would highly recommend them for healing of trauma and/or ongoing body work;

 

Bodytalk/RMT: Kristen Petersen/14^th St.E (291-8552) More info on body talk and Kristen Petersen can be found at http://www.bodytalksystem.com/learn/bodytalk/principles.cfm

SRT (Self Regulation Therapy): Irma Robson 2^nd Ave N (306-280-1950), although Heather Brenneman (306-343-1502) or Judy Pope (934-6454) Theresa Driedger (306-637-1763) are supposed to be excellent as well and they are Psychologist so it would be reimbursable for insurance. More information about SRT and the practitioners can be found at; http://www.cftre.com/
Chiropractor:  Dr. Cam Olson (955-5888)
Acupuncture: Wei Ping Wang/315 20^th ST.  (933-4164)
Homeopath: Dr. Hoe Mark/315 20^th ST. E.  (382-4507)
Myofacial Massage Therapy:  Jody Braun (249-4099), Aaron Johnston (249-4099), or Dan Oullette (715-2354)
Cranial Sacral/ Visceral Therapist: Marie Laniece (384-3531), Linda Fisher  (665-2424)
Sho-Tai: Terry Bell http://www.sho-tai.ca/practitioner/terry-bell

Other readings on how the body tries to deal with trauma
 http://traumahealing.com/news-views-videos-events/beyond-sandy-hook/