Physical trauma is obvious to anyone who can see it. Broken bones, bruises, and lacerations can’t really be denied. Then there is the area of trauma in which I deal, emotional. Emotional trauma is harder to see for those who don’t know where to look. A common misconception happens often in the court system. Survivors are not believed when they recount their trauma in a nonemotionally, monotone voice. This is normal for some survivors of trauma as dissociation disconnects the emotional memory from the picture in our minds.
Trauma is not something that is often shared, and for good reason at times. Trauma can be vicariously traumatizing. It can cause traumatic effects in the people who merely hear about the trauma. Not sharing is also an artifact in the development of the trauma. What makes trauma traumatic? The simple answer is that the survivor had no one to tell about their experience. Imagine if we had no doctors to reset broken bones. Some people would develop injuries that would not heal right and affect their daily lives. Some survivors have no one they can trust to share their pain with, others feel silenced at home, and some are event not believed or blamed for the events.
Trauma is traumatic when we have to deal with it alone. It leaves lasting impressions on us that stamp on everyday events through our lives. But it doesn’t have to be permanent. Neuroplasticity allows us to rewire the brain’s physical anatomy through talk therapy with changes in our perceptions and behaviors. Trauma is healed through connection that can be provided in the therapeutic relationship if no other healthy relationships exist or are sustainable due to the symptoms of the trauma.