Trauma Prevention
Preventing the symptoms of trauma involves increasing the capacity of a person's autonomic nervous system*. When you increase nervous system capacity, a traumatised person experiences themselves as more resilient than they felt in the past. One way I do this is by creating repeated successful 'experiments' for the body in sessions. Repeated experiences of 'success' helps the brain and the unconscious mind 'learn' they have a better chance of surviving 'well' than in the past. Although the person survived their trauma, from the perspective of the person's nervous system, they felt overwhelmed. So you can also say that 'trauma' is the nervous system's attempt to re-experience the traumatic event more successfully than just pure physiological survival.
Traumatic symptoms can include:
Hyper-sensitivity - especially to light, sound and chemicals
Exhaustion, chronic fatigue (CFS), or very low physical energy
Feeling stuck
Worrying about being persecuted, judged, or attacked if you become more visible and express yourself/your 'truth'
Panic attacks, anxiety and phobias
Trying to manage and manipulate the environment to avoid overwhelm
Mental blankness or spaciness, losing track of time
Attraction to dangerous situations
Abrupt mood swings; e.g., rage reactions or temper tantrums, shame
Exaggerated or diminished sexual activity
Inability to love, nurture, or bond with other individuals
Hypervigilance
Inability to settle, feeling 'on' all the time
Hyperactivity, bursts of energy to get things done in unrealistic time periods
Forgetfulness, feeling like your brain is full
Exaggerated emotional and startle responses
Sleep disturbances, including insomnia
Depression, feelings of impending doom
Diminished interest in life
Reduced ability to deal with stress and to formulate plans
Immune system problems and endocrine problems such as thyroid dysfunction
Fibromyalgia
IBS, colitis, and digestive issues
Migraines, neck problems and persistent headaches
Severe premenstrual syndrome
*the autonomic nervous system is comprised of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, and involves the brain, brain stem, spine, and all the nerves in this system which ennervate the entire physical body, including the gut.