Growth from Darkness

In this episode we'll delve into the world of emotions, specifically focusing on mood swings and their surprising connection to trauma. We'll explore how past experiences can influence our present emotional state, and how seemingly erratic mood shifts might be a response to unresolved trauma.

How is guilt and shame related to trauma? The roots run deep. Grab your journal and prepare to learn something new.

The inability to sleep (when it's caused by a trauma reaction can have long lasting effects. In this episode we'll cover what some of the symptoms might be, and toward the end I promise to leave a series of questions that a professional looking to help you might ask.

How long have you been struggling with sleep?

Describe your typical sleep pattern. How easily do you fall asleep? Do you wake up often during the night? How rested do you feel in the morning?

Have you noticed any changes in your sleep habits recently?

Do you have any nightmares or disturbing dreams? If so, can you describe them?

Are there any specific thoughts, feelings, or situations that seem to make it harder to sleep?

Have you ever experienced any traumatic events in your life? This could include anything from a major accident or injury to emotional abuse or neglect.

If so, how did those events affect you at the time? How do they affect you now?

Have you ever felt unsafe or threatened in any way?

Do you have any history of mental health concerns, such as anxiety or depression?

Are you experiencing any significant stressors in your life right now? This could include things like work, school, relationships, or finances.

How are you coping with these stressors?

Do you feel safe and supported in your current environment?

Do you have any substance abuse issues?

Additionally, the therapist might ask you to complete a sleep diary to track your sleep patterns over time.

Use specific assessment tools designed to screen for trauma symptoms.

A trauma-related nightmare is different from normal nightmares in that it is directly linked to a traumatic event or experience. Trauma-related nightmares are often recurring, distressing, and vivid dreams that involve reliving or symbolically representing aspects of the traumatic event. We've both experienced these, have you? We do NOT get paid for the podcast. As always you can support the podcast through a variety of ways: - [ ] PayPal ⁠authoramandablackwood@gmail.com⁠ - [ ] Venmo @DetailedPieces- [ ] Purchase Amanda’s books at Barnes and Noble Onlinehttps://books2read.com/ap/xej5pN/Amanda-Blackwood- [ ] Find Hrisanthi’s book on Amazon https://a.co/d/5VxRSyB⁠- [ ] Shop my Etsy for books, art, cards and more! https://www.etsy.com/shop/LadyBlackwoodShopCatch previous episodes and more podcasts by Amanda Blackwood:https://growthfromdarkness.com/podcasts

Depression is a common reaction to trauma. It can occur immediately after a traumatic event, or it can develop weeks, months, or even years later. In this episode we're going to explore more about what it is, what the long term consequences are of not facing it down, and how to fight back against it. 

The trauma reaction of depression can vary from person to person. Some common symptoms include:

• Feeling sad, hopeless, or empty
• Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy
• Having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Feeling tired or having low energy
• Having trouble concentrating or making decisions
• Feeling worthless or guilty
• Thinking about death or suicide
• Changes in appetite or weight

One way that trauma can lead to anxiety is by altering the way the brain processes fear. When we experience a traumatic event, our brain's fear center, the amygdala, becomes more sensitive. This means that we are more likely to experience fear and anxiety in response to even minor threats.

Another way that trauma can lead to anxiety is by creating a sense of hypervigilance. People who have experienced trauma may be constantly on the lookout for danger, even when there is no real threat. This can lead to chronic anxiety and worry.

Anxiety as a trauma response can manifest in a variety of ways.

One of them showed up in me during this episode when I suddenly realized the episode would air AFTER. Thanksgiving, and not on the holiday itself.

Deep breathing exercises: 

• Sit down somewhere you can be comfortable, or lie down. 
• Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. 
• To the count of five, breathe in deeply and slowly through your nose
• Feel your stomach expand as you breathe in. If you’re breathing from the stomach, the hand on your chest should remain still. 
• Fill your lungs completely, count to two.
• To the count of five, let the breath out through your mouth. 
• Feel your stomach fall as you breathe out. 
• Repeat this for one full minute to start.
• If you begin to feel lightheaded, return to your normal breathing patterns. 

A panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that comes on quickly and reaches its peak within minutes. During a panic attack, people may experience a variety of physical symptoms.

Heart palpitations are a common trauma response. They occur when your heart beats faster or harder than usual. This can feel like your heart is racing, pounding, or fluttering in your chest. So how can you control that?

Hypervigilance is a trauma reaction that is characterized by a heightened state of alertness and awareness. People who are hypervigilant are constantly scanning their surroundings for potential threats, even when there is no real danger present.

Emotional Sensitiviy

Emotional avoidance is a coping mechanism in which a person attempts to avoid or suppress difficult emotions. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as:

• Distraction: Engaging in activities that take your mind off of your emotions, such as watching TV, listening to music, or using drugs or alcohol.
• Rationalization: Trying to make sense of your emotions and convince yourself that they are not valid or important.
• Suppression: Trying to push your emotions down and not think about them.
• Denial: Refusing to acknowledge that you are feeling any negative emotions.

Emotional avoidance can be helpful in the short-term, as it can provide temporary relief from difficult emotions. However, in the long-term, it can lead to a number of problems.

The inability to ask for help is a common trauma response. It can be caused by a number of factors, including:

• Feeling like you don't deserve help: Trauma can make you feel like you're not worthy of being helped. You may believe that you're weak or that you should be able to handle things on your own.
• Fear of being rejected: If you've been hurt in the past by people who were supposed to help you, you may be afraid to ask for help again. You may worry that people will judge you, abandon you, or make things worse.
• Feeling like you're a burden: Trauma can make you feel like you're a burden to others. You may believe that your problems are too much for anyone else to handle.
• Not knowing how to ask for help: If you've never asked for help before, you may not know how to do it. You may be afraid of saying the wrong thing or of being turned down.

The inability to ask for help is a common trauma response. It can be caused by a number of factors, including:

• Fear of being rejected or abandoned. People who have experienced trauma often have a deep-seated fear of being rejected or abandoned. They may worry that if they ask for help, others will not be there for them or will judge them.
• Feeling like they don't deserve help. People who have experienced trauma may also feel like they don't deserve help. They may believe that they are to blame for what happened to them, or that they are not worthy of being cared for.
• A belief that they can handle things on their own. Some people who have experienced trauma may develop a strong sense of independence. They may believe that they are the only ones who can take care of themselves, and that asking for help is a sign of weakness.

In this episode we will cover:

• What is it
• What are the long term consequences
• How do we fight back

Learn more:

⁠GrowthfromDarkness.com⁠

https://www.facebook.com/growthfromdarkness/

https://www.instagram.com/growthfromdarkness/

https://twitter.com/growthfromdark

⁠Get the BOOK!⁠

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stages-of-trauma-amanda-blackwood/1143130819?ean=9798215485415

Abandonment issues are a type of trauma response that can develop in people who have experienced a significant loss or separation from a loved one. This can happen at any age, but it is most common in childhood.

People with abandonment issues may have a number of different symptoms, including:

• Fear of being alone.
• Feelings of worthlessness or unlovability.
• Intense anxiety or panic attacks when separation is threatened.
• Recurrent thoughts or nightmares about being abandoned.
• Substance abuse or self-destructive behaviors.
• Difficulty trusting others.
• Avoidant or clingy behavior in relationships.
• Low self-esteem.
• Depression.

In this episode we will cover:

• What is it
• What are the long term consequences
• How do we fight back

Learn more:

⁠GrowthfromDarkness.com⁠

https://www.facebook.com/growthfromdarkness/

https://www.instagram.com/growthfromdarkness/

https://twitter.com/growthfromdark

⁠Get the BOOK!⁠

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stages-of-trauma-amanda-blackwood/1143130819?ean=9798215485415

The trauma response need for control is a coping mechanism that people develop in response to trauma. It is a way of trying to feel safe and secure by having a sense of control over their environment. People who have experienced trauma often feel powerless and out of control, so they may try to regain that sense of control by controlling other aspects of their lives.

In this episode we will cover:

• What is it
• What are the long term consequences
• How do we fight back

Learn more:

• ⁠GrowthfromDarkness.com⁠
• https://www.facebook.com/growthfromdarkness/
• https://www.instagram.com/growthfromdarkness/
• https://twitter.com/growthfromdark

⁠Get the BOOK!⁠

• https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stages-of-trauma-amanda-blackwood/1143130819?ean=9798215485415

Aggressive behavior is any behavior that is intended to harm or injure another person or animal. It can take many forms, including physical violence, verbal abuse, and emotional manipulation. Aggressive behavior is often motivated by anger, frustration, or a desire to control others.

• What is it
• What are the long term consequences?
• How do we fight back

Acceptance is that moment when you’re finally in a position to move forward with your healing. At this point you’ve reached a place where you have processed and acknowledged what happened to you and you're in a better mindset to deal with the emotions and consequences of having gone through something so traumatic. Many people believe that “acceptance” means forgiving the person who hurt you or even accepting what happened to you as being okay, but that’s not the case at all. What it actually means is that you’ve come to terms with the fact that it happened at all and you understand that it’s changed your life. It has nothing to do with forgiveness. Acceptance doesn’t mean  you don’t get angry or depressed about it anymore, either. 

It’s been a roller coaster. Your emotions have been all over the map and you’ve struggled to focus on what ‘real life’ might look like after having experienced the trauma you’ve survived. You’ve been distracted and focused on everything under the sun except what you’ve needed to focus on. Now, emotions are starting to even out, and the quiet stage of depression moves in like an unwelcome roommate. NOW WHAT?!

To learn more on how to take control of your own trauma recovery journey, just go to www.GrowthFromDarkness.com

After we somehow manage to work through denial and learn to start coping with the anger, all of the underlying emotions connected to the trauma we survived start to become much more clear. It can be so overwhelming that the intensity is often too much and we don’t know how to cope with it all. You’re finally getting a first look at the real magnitude of what you’ve lost or what you’ve been through. At this point it’s an overwhelmingly natural response to want to gain control of your situation. The only way the brain can conceive of to get that control is through bargaining, though often through irrational means.

Moving past the denial of a traumatic event can take time, but once you’re past that one, the rest of the world sort of opens up for you - and it’s scarier than you might have imagined. The reality of what you survived starts smacking you upside the head like a brick being thrown from a fifth floor window. Being bombarded by that emotional overload starts to bring up all sorts of emotions you might not be ready for. The key emotion that will seem to take over everything is anger. Reality screams at you, and in turn, you want to scream right back.

Denial is considered the first stage of trauma and grief because it’s a type of defense mechanism. It helps to reduce the impact of what you’ve experienced so that you might have more time to evaluate what happened to you when you might be more ready to do so. The initial blow can be devastating, and our brains do what they can to protect us.

While denial is a protective measure, it won’t last forever. As much as we want to ignore what happened to us, eventually we will need to face the new reality.

Welcome to the first ever full episode of the Growth from Darkness podcast! This week the hosts Hrisanthi Dokos and Amanda Blackwood dig into what a trauma reaction is. But to fully understand a trauma reaction, it's important to understand what 'trauma' is and where it comes from. Listen in as they talk about personal experiences with trauma reactions, the different forms of trauma, and everything in between. There's even an unexpected visit from a possible ice cream man? 

One's in Australia,
One's in America,
From near and far, coast to coast, they're out to change the world. 

www.hrisanthidokos.com.au
www.detailedpieces.com

Together we are
www.GrowthfromDarkness.com