Trauma is a huge area of mental health that we are still trying to understand. Most professionals agree that trauma is an underlying factor for many mental health concerns that may have been previously undetected.

Two major areas of trauma are acute trauma and complex trauma. Although both categories of trauma may result in mental health symptoms, acute trauma is often easier to pinpoint than complex trauma. Let’s explore why:  

What is Acute Trauma?

Acute trauma refers to the effects of an event or series of events that were disturbing. Acute trauma may be short-lived or may result in PTSD. This depends on how your brain processes and makes sense of the disturbing event(s).

Symptoms of Acute Trauma/PTSD may include:

• Distressing thoughts from the past
• Persistent negative mood
• Having hard time with concentration and focus
• Having nightmares, flashbacks or reliving traumatic events
• Avoiding thoughts about the trauma
• Loss of sleep, appetite, interest in things I usually enjoy
• Being hypervigilant or defensive
• Loss of control when I think of difficult memories

What is Complex Trauma?

Complex Trauma mostly involves relational trauma. This often occurs over extended time periods, largely during childhood and adolescence.

Complex trauma may involve family issues such as abandonment, attachment, extended abuse, inferiority/shame/lack of attention, sibling rivalry, parental neglect, unhealthy communication patterns. It may also result from external oppression related to gender, race, sexual orientation, ageism, generational injustices such as mistreatment of indigenous peoples, rigid religious expectations, and so on.

Fundamentally, complex trauma occurs when an external pressure continues to erode a person’s sense of self. The trauma degrades a person’s feelings of wholeness and worthiness. Complex trauma may be so deeply rooted in a person’s sense of being that they aren’t able to recognize how those patterns have harmed them.

Symptoms of Complex Trauma

Complex trauma is often much harder to detect or diagnose than acute trauma. According to Healthline you may experience the following symptoms

• Reduced emotional regulation—Overwhelming feelings may result in outbursts or bottling emotions.
• Disassociation—Feeling detached from your sense of self, emotions or physical being.
• Negative self-perception—Feelings of shame and unworthiness may be persistent.
• Difficulty with relationships—It may be difficult to connect or communicate with others, or to begin or continue relationships with others.
• Distorted perception of abuser—Perhaps making excuses for the abuser, or seeking out abusive relationships that provide familiarity
• Loss of systems of meanings—Individuals may feel purposelessness, or may reject beliefs or values that were previously important to them.

If you think you are suffering from acute or complex trauma, we are here to help. Please reach out to book a session through our online booking system or by calling 705-300-0077.

Photo by Ian Dooley on Unsplash