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  1. Home /
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  3. Trauma Reactions: How Body and Mind Change

Trauma Reactions: How Body and Mind Change

Trauma's impact on mind & body explained! Learn about PTSD, fight-or-flight response & how to heal with therapy & self-care

  • General Physicians
By Kaustubh Jagtap 30th Oct '24 30th Oct '24
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Vincenzo Sinisi - Psychoanalyst, Clinical Psychologist. Cape Town. After working as a clinical psychologist in South Africa for over 20 years, He has seen more than a fair share of trauma and its aftermath. Yet one thing still manages to surprise him: how many people underestimate its impact.
Trauma is a complex and often invisible force that reshapes lives in ways people don’t fully appreciate. It affects how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and even how we feel as we cross the street or walk the dog.

Trauma is a complex and often invisible force that reshapes lives in ways people don’t fully appreciate. It affects how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and even how we feel as we cross the street or walk the dog.

The Mind – Psychological Reactions to Trauma

If you have ever experienced trauma and were unfortunate enough to have trauma reactions follow, you know how little control or ability to predict we have over how we respond, both at the event and after.
Trauma can deeply affect your mind, throwing you into cycles of hypervigilance, feeling constantly on edge as though danger could strike at any moment. This state of constant alertness impacts relationships is exhausting, and turns everyday events, like walking to the park, into high-stress activities.
Paradoxically, trauma can also cause sensations of emotional numbness or dissociation—feeling disconnected from yourself, your emotions, or even the world, especially at the moment of initial impact.
But it doesn’t stop there. Intrusive thoughts and flashbacks can drag on well beyond the immediate aftermath. Innocuous things—like a smell, a sound, a color, or even a passing image—can spark intense emotions and vivid memories of the event.
At their worst, you feel as if the trauma is happening now, ripping you from the present into an eternally present past.
Fortunately, for most people, these very normal reactions (Acute Stress Disorder) to abnormal events pass within days or weeks. But in 20 – 50% of cases, they endure into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severely disrupt day-to-day living and relationships (Ehlers et al., 2013; Foa & Rothbaum, 1998).
But healing is possible, and we will get to this in a bit.

Physiological Reactions to Trauma

Traumatic experiences aren’t only felt on a psychological level; they leave observable changes in the brain. The lasting changes people experience after trauma are, with the right scanners (MRI, PET), visible as changes in the body (hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex) too.
During intense trauma, the body’s natural fight-or-flight response floods your system with stress hormones like cortisol. This protects you by making you more alert and ready to respond to danger, but it also disrupts normal processes like memory function.
Afterward, your body can remain stuck in a state of stress, unable to return to calm, and prone to ongoing physical symptoms like headaches, muscle pain, and digestive issues (Cusack et al., 2016; Powers et al., 2010).

Common Trauma Response Patterns

Extreme situations drive individuals into automatic survival patterns. Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—these are ingrained mechanisms meant to protect you from immediate danger.
However, if they become habitual, they interfere with daily life, relationships, and even your sense of self.

Recognizing these as trauma responses, no longer relevant or useful for survival, is the first step to healing and can help you break free from their grip. They no longer serve you; the immediate danger has passed.

Healing from Trauma: What Can You Do?

Trauma’s effects can be intense and pervasive; however, healing from PTSD through therapy and self-care is possible.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are widely used treatments to reduce trauma symptoms.
CBT works by helping individuals identify and challenge distorted thoughts about the trauma, while EMDR assists in unblocking and reprocessing traumatic memories so they feel like the past and hold less emotional power (Foa & Rothbaum, 1998; Cusack et al., 2016).
Contemporary psychoanalytic therapy can also be helpful, not with immediate symptoms but in cases where trauma is rooted in early life experiences or deep-seated unconscious conflicts.
Psychoanalysis remains scientifically relevant, particularly for those with complex trauma histories or relational issues (Solms, 2018), helping survivors explore hidden layers of their experience.
Beyond professional therapy, reconnecting with your body through mindfulness or grounding techniques is invaluable. These practices help calm the nervous system, bring you back into the present moment, and allow you to regain a sense of safety in your own body.
Last, but certainly not least, building a strong support system of trusted individuals is vital. Trauma often isolates people, so actively seeking a network where you feel safe and supported is a powerful and important step in the healing process (Powers et al., 2010).

Key Takeaways:

  1. Trauma deeply affects both mind and body.
  2. Psychological symptoms include hypervigilance, dissociation, and PTSD.
  3. Physical symptoms often manifest as chronic stress, pain, and fatigue.
  4. Trauma can trap individuals in survival-mode responses like fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.
  5. Healing is possible with professional support through CBT, EMDR, and self-care practices.

Vincenzo Sinisi | Psychoanalyst, Clinical Psychologist. Cape Town.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincenzo-sinisi/

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Question and Answers

Hello I am feeling Unwell today and also feeling dizzy. All the body is paining and also getting some weird feeings.

Male | 24

Feeling dizzy, experiencing body aches, and unusual sensations might have different causes. It possibly is a viral infection, dehydration, or stress. Drink enough water, rest, and try to eat light and clean food. If the condition lasts or gets worse, it is necessary to consult a health professional. 

Answered on 19th Nov '24

Dr. Babita Goel

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I am 20 years male, i am losing my weight more. I don't know what to do

Male | 20

Losing weight without any effort can be due to different reasons. One of the ruminations you've got to delve into is adequate food intake, and also if there are preclinical horrifying conditions like hyperthyroidism. Try to maintain a healthy diet, exercise, and consult your doctor for a medical check-up to the cause of the problem to be determined.

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I take ebastine and hyphoral (ketacolozole) together 2times is it dangerous

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Combining ebastine and hyphoral (ketoconazole) twice can be risky. The sum of those two drugs might lead to dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and stomach issues. Refrain from using them together as it can be dangerous. You should consult a general physician before taking any new medications. You should adhere to the instructions of your medications and you should also inform your doctor about all the drugs you are taking.

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I am 23 year old female studying in abroad in Latvia. I have been doing the part time job which requires standing for 9 hours straight. In here I'm not having any sunlight, and now I have been here for one year,and the winter is coming...there is no sunlight in here, food is not proper, and I have been eating fast foods....and getting fat day by day, even if I'm not eating anything fat is increasing,I cannot walk,getting tired easily, and there is issue while climbing the stairs...and there is pain in my legs everyday for the standing...I don't have any energy...feeling dizzy. And I'm not even able to tie my shoe lace...feeling suffocated while doing this...can you please recommend any solution for this....and can you please recommend supplements to take and what all needs to be take care when we are taking the supplements??

Female | 23

These symptoms, such as fatigue, weight gain, leg pain, and dizziness, could be caused by healthy foods that your diet lacks, like Vitamin D and proper nutrition. This means that junk foods that you eat do not guarantee the demand for adequate vitamins and minerals required by our bodies. To get rid of it, switch to a meal plan that contains ultra-low vegetables, more fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. Moreover, take a Vitamin D supplement because sunshine is lacking in your area. Make sure to take the correct dosage from the package and ask your doctor if needed when taking supplements. Drink water and exercise to increase your energy and overall health. 

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Fever 103.9 what do i do now

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A fever of 103.9 is no joke. Your body is struggling to handle some kinds of infections. Apart from infections such as the flu or a bacterial illness, these are also common causes. You can reduce the fever by taking over-the-counter antipyretics such as acetaminophen, drinking lots of clear fluids and taking a rest. Then, you have no choice but to go to the doctor.

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