With trauma becoming "trendy" on social media comes the question is it really on the increase and if so, are we really talking about trauma? It seems that people from Generation Z are the first generation not to be ashamed of talking about their mental health and with that comes a greater openness around talking about trauma symptoms. As therapists the past few years has led us to remark upon "an uptick on social media" of people talking about their own past trauma - and it has become "a trend". Now it is more common to see people opening up about their traumas on platforms like TikTok - and "owning" their trauma responses. This is a good thing as long as the word isn't being used casually as it can mean that more people come forward to get support and resolution.
Trauma looks different for everyone and some people will not realise that the symptoms they are experiencing are due to trauma responses, so if you really want to know if you would benefit from trauma treatment check out the list below.
Top Ten Symptoms of Trauma
1. Reliving events as if they are still going on.
2. Avoidance behaviours to push away memories of what happened.
3. Hypervigilance so you are always ‘on guard’ with respect to your surroundings.
4. Tendency to disassociate and feel emotionally numb.
5. Tendency to over-react to small irritations.
6. Impaired sense of self-worth, as if you don’t deserve things to go right.
7. Lack of trust, fear of betrayal.
8. Disturbance to ability to self-care eg) not sleeping or over-eating.
9. Tendency to want to be in control eg) working all the time.
10. Denial that something is wrong until you literally cannot go on.
The good news is that it is possible to recover from trauma and help your body and mind let go of the impact the experience or experiences have had on you. Common treatments include talking therapy, eye movement and desensitisation reprocessing therapy (EMDR) and rewind therapy. So be like Gen Z, talk about what you have been through and go get help , you don’t have to suffer alone and think that your life is ruined ! However, don’t rely on TikTok for advice, find a registered and insured therapist instead !
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