The nervous system has an incredible ability to defend itself from stress and trauma. This powerful defense mechanism can delay the processing of an event until we are safe and comfortable. An everyday example of this is not fully realizing the emotional impact of a stressful day until you're comfy in bed later that night. In more severe circumstances, such as surviving a traumatic event, dissociation and memory blocking can occur.
Many people are aware of the fight or flight responses to stressors, but less are aware of the potential for freeze response (i.e. playing dead until the threat passes, emotional numbing).
Our brains have a window of tolerance and once we've reached that threshold, it can cause a delayed trauma response. The brain can go into shock, in the same way the body can go into shock after a car accident or a broken bone.
You may have felt fine immediately after the trauma occurred. It may take months or even years before it comes to realization. There's no exact timeline when it comes to trauma responses, especially if the trauma is more severe. However, research suggests it typically takes 4-6 weeks to get over the initial shock of a traumatic event before the emotional impact sinks in (SAHMSA, 2014). Commonly experienced reactions to trauma are listed here.
*Image retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207201/
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms in response to trauma, I encourage you to reach out to a mental health professional near you.
I'll leave you with this quote from Dr. Doyle - "Sometimes we don't get how much something impacted us until later - sometimes much later. 'But I was fine when it happened!' Eh. Maybe not. Maybe your nervous system prioritized getting through it and now the realizations and feelings are catching up. Easy does it. Breathe."
References
Cafasso, J. (2021). Traumatic Events- Responses to Trauma. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/traumatic-events#responses-to-trauma.
SAMHSA (2014). Trauma Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207201/
Comments