Psychological trauma is a common side effect of several unfortunate life experiences, from childbirth, childhood, workplaces or an experience that could happen during your commute to Tesco. Especially as a woman, you are more susceptible and targeted for mental and physical harm. The common crimes are often different compared to ones committed by
There is no one textbook way to explain how psychological trauma occurs, as it’s also common for the effects of psychological trauma to occur after a period of time from the event that caused it.
In this guide, we will talk about how women can seek help after suffering from a psychological trauma. Continue reading to find out more.
Responding To a Traumatic Event
As mentioned above, there is no textbook answer to how and when a traumatic event will have a psychological impact. For example, you may witness an event in your childhood that you were only able to understand and process in adulthood, as with the innocence of a child,
you are still learning what is right, wrong and so forth. Therefore, psychological trauma may be responded to with suppression and then later develop into panic disorders, anxiety in specific social situations and many other responses.
Fear and anxiety are a natural part of our fight or flight responses, and while some people can recover from trauma with time and self-help, for others it’s not as straightforward and may lead to a diagnosis of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Seeking Help After Psychological Trauma
There are many avenues to take for the road to healing, but it can be overwhelming; the first step always is recognition.
Acknowledgment
Understanding that you are going through something is the first step forward for healing. It’s a big step as we are all guilty of suppressing and dismissing issues, whether it’s because you don’t want to appear as a burden or a million other reasons we might push ourselves into denial. It takes a lot of strength to acknowledge there is a problem that needs to be confronted and addressed.
It’s said that 1 in 4 people in low and middle-income countries report seeking any form of treatment, which could be due to stigma or lack of support to help them through this. Overall, once the acknowledgement is there, you can decide what kind of support you might need for your psychological trauma.
Tell Someone
Support can come in many forms and taking small steps might be the best route for you to go down. This could be through telling someone close to you or contacting someone through a helpline. Saying out loud what is affecting you is extremely powerful and can break down another internal barrier for getting the help you need.
For example, I have had the same internal battle of not accepting the reality of a situation, but when I told my sister about it, she listened with no judgment and provided support in that moment and throughout my healing journey.
As a woman surrounded by other women, I found it much easier to be able to speak about my mental struggles. I found that women tend to be more empathetic and understanding of internal struggles.
Process
Processing everything leading up to this moment can be overwhelming as a whole, but it can help you come to the reality of the situation and see how far you’ve come. It also allows you to take steps forward with a clear mindset and intention of overcoming your trauma.
There is no right or wrong way to process things, whether it’s going on a healing retreat or taking time away from work. These actions can be extremely powerful in letting you come to terms with it all internally.
Seek Professional Help
There are so many women therapists out there, or free sources of support that can help you through your journey. You also don’t need to stick with the first professional you speak to, and you can speak to multiple people until you find someone who makes you feel comfortable, unjudged and safe to share and challenge your traumas.
Professional help asks the tough questions that your family and friends can’t, but also allow yourself to speak freely about tricky situations.
Seek Compensation
You shouldn’t have to suffer in silence or have to protect others if you don’t want to. While a part of growing and healing can involve forgiveness, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t affected your life financially or emotionally. It can be worth considering a psychological injury claim or pressing charges if you want to protect other women and people from the same psychological trauma.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to the road of seeking help after psychological trauma, it’s not easy or a straight line for anyone, but necessary in the goal of healing. It’s all a choice at the end of the day and for this journey to begin, you have to want to do it for yourself, and that can unfortunately force you to confront your demons and unboxed suppressed moments, but there is a power to it and it can leave you so much stronger.
Author
Darcy
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