Trauma Response: a Mother of anxiety, depression and overwhelm - and how EFT can help you heal
If, like me 10 years ago, you hear the word ‘trauma symptoms’ and think ‘Trauma is something you have after a car accident, or going to war right?’ then I have some news for you... Trauma symptoms are surprisingly common and may be at the root of the anxiety, depression and overwhelm you are experiencing.
Learning about trauma symptoms was a significant discovery for me during my healing journey. In fact, I would say it was a turning point in my life - as the knowledge ultimately drove me to seek a healing modality that could clear the root cause, which for me was EFT.
At that time, in my early 30’s I was in a desperate place (one of many times!). I experienced daily panic attacks, my body was on constant high alert, I was easily triggered by seemingly nothing into high stress and my body was shaking in states of terror. I felt helpless, everything felt hopeless, I would crash into depression feeling despair and my rage, which I silenced, felt out of my control. I felt terrified to be in my own body and mind. I was desperate for the cycle to end.
Luckily in my search to heal the pain, I came across Peter Levine's book ‘Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma’. It became a life changing read for me as he explained the overwhelming intensity of my experience - on a mental, emotional and physical level. The underlying root cause of this anxiety, depression and overwhelm I learnt was trauma response, which may be the case for you too.
So what causes a trauma response?
Trauma response can be created by ANY situation where we felt fearful, alone, helpless and overwhelmed. ANY. It is not the event or experience that is labelled ‘traumatic’ it's how you felt in response to it that makes it traumatic for you.
For example: to a 2 year - old a parent in a rage could be terrifying and potentially life threatening. They may feel helpless, afraid, overwhelmed and alone (or unsupported). This could trigger the trauma response in the body.
Experiences such as feeling threatened by a controlling parent (emotionally or physically), being bullied at school, experiencing a serious illness etc are other common examples, amongst many, that have the potential to trigger a trauma response.
So what is trauma response?
In response to the perceived threat we are experiencing, the primal part of our brain kicks in to keep us safe by triggering one of the following responses: Fight, flight, freeze, fawn.
After the threat is over, it would be natural, as mammals, to involuntarily shake to release the intense hormonal charge, frozen energy and physical tension we just experienced to recover. However as humans we can consciously override or inhibit this natural response and the intense charge remains unprocessed in the body and mind creating trauma symptoms.
What are Trauma Symptoms?
There are a wide variety of trauma symptoms, these are some:
Emotional: Chronic anxiety - hopelessness - helplessness - terror - despair - depression - rage - heightened anxiety - night terrors - panic attacks - phobias - frequent crying - mood swings
Physical: Panic attacks - exhaustion - Hypertension - numbing - migraines - shaking - shooting pains - Chronic health conditions - constriction - extreme sensitivity
Mental: Blankness - shock - foggy mind - confusion - spaciness - hyperactivity - nightmares
So what is trauma and what does it have to do with anxiety, depression and overwhelm?
Over time, after a single or multiple emotionally traumatic experiences accumulate and compound without discharge or resolution in your subconscious, you can be left with chronic high stress response, feelings of emotional overwhelm and depression.
Your perception of the world and your beliefs will also be altered by these experiences, leaving you in a fearful or depressive state of mind; ‘I’m helpless’, ‘I’m not safe in the world’, ‘what's the point’ etc.
Therefore the foundation of chronic anxiety, depression and panic attacks can often be found to be emotionally traumatic, challenging or overwhelming experiences from childhood, or adulthood.
Anxiety and depression can be symptoms of trauma from unresolved experiences that remain in the subconscious mind.
Working with Trauma symptoms in EFT Sessions
A focus of one to one EFT sessions is to safely release the heightened emotions and charge in the mind-body from emotionally traumatic experiences through Tapping. Working with the foundation of the problem then breaks the cycle of overwhelm, anxiety and depression by safely working both directly and indirectly with challenging memories.
Sometimes in session, but not always, strong physical or emotional reactions may arise as part of the clearing; such as constriction in the chest, feeling sick, feeling faint or dizzy or blank, intense tension in the muscles of the body, feeling unable to speak…ALL of which we safely Tap through and release it for good. The memory then fades and no longer has any power leaving you in a state of ease.
The Result
Once you have released the unprocessed emotions stuck in the subconscious mind relating to traumatic events through Tapping - you can become freed or significantly reduce the symptoms you were left with. It's in the name EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique. Your anxiety and depression levels can drop significantly through the process to a natural window of tolerance and the overwhelm can stop.
‘I believe not only that trauma is curable, but that the healing process can be a catalyst for profound awakening—a portal opening to emotional and genuine spiritual transformation’ Peter Levine
By taking the brave steps to truly process your past, you free yourself of your symptoms and can experience life anew. Stressful situations will arise in life but you won’t be coping with a backlog of trapped overwhelm and distress from your younger years, but from a new perceptive, a place of empowerment and greater ease.
Learn more about Trauma
Over the last 20 years due to the pioneering research and education of a variety of Trauma experts - Dr Peter Levine, Dr Gabe Mate, Dr Bessell van der Kolk, Dr Stephen Porges to name a few - the knowledge and understanding of trauma, trauma symptoms and how commonplace they are has entered popular consciousness. Not only that but various therapies have emerged to help resolve trauma symptoms such as EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, TRE, of which EFT is one.
Further links for your interest:
EFT and Trauma research article
The Embody Lab - Hub for embodied education
Somatic Experiencing - learn more
Further Reading
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