Common Symptoms of Trauma

Written By Karen Jolly

Trauma happens. In the therapy world, you might have heard professionals use words phrases like, “big T trauma,” and “little t trauma.” Often therapists use these phrases to differentiate between different kinds of events: you could think about “big T trauma” as the sudden death of a loved one or surviving war, or “little t trauma” as smaller events that build up over time that produce similar symptoms. Either way, trauma is trauma. As a therapist, I define trauma based on the symptoms you display. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter whether or not your trauma was a big event or a series of small ones, it only matters what you’re experiencing today.

While some individuals can recover over time from trauma with the love and support of family and friends and bounce back with resiliency, it is not the case for everyone. Some discover the effects of lasting trauma, which can cause a person to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or post-traumatic stress long after the event has passed.

It is not important to remember every detail of the event or even the event itself (whether one or many). For healing, the key is to realize how the event or events left you - the way they made you feel and how it show up in your life now.

Trauma Symptoms

  • Avoidance

  • Avoiding specific locations, sights, situations, and sounds that serve as reminders of the event

  • Anxiety, depression, numbness, or guilt

  • Re-experiencing

  • Intrusive thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks

  • Hyperarousal

  • Anger, irritability, and hypervigilance

  • Aggressive, reckless behavior, including self-harm

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Negative Mood and Cognition

  • Loss of interest in activities that were once considered enjoyable

  • Difficulty remembering details of the distressing event

  • Change in habits or behavior since the trauma

If you or someone you know matches the trauma symptoms listed above, I can help. I’ve not only been trained to support you finding healing, I am someone who has experienced every one of these symptoms myself. I can meet you where you are at, because I know from experience this process is different for everyone.

Have a question, or ready to get started? Contact me today.

Karen Jolly
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