Trauma Work

In every moment our nervous system is tracking our body, our relationships and our environment for signs that it is ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe.’ This happens as a “pre-perceptual” function in our bodies – before we are even aware of it consciously, we are constantly aware of signs of being welcome or signs of warning. This is a function that Stephen Porges called “Neuroception.”
Neuroception is what triggers the response patterns in our nervous system when we need to either mobilise to fight or flee or whether we need to become immobilised to freeze or surrender. These response patterns are designed for our survival in the face of threat. 

Over the course of our lifeline, all humans experience events that impact our nervous system. 
Having a healthy nervous system is when our responses make sense to what we are facing in each moment AND when our nervous system can move coherently and respond appropriately to each moment without getting “stuck” in any response pattern. When we aren’t “always on” nor “always off.”

When stressful events occur in life they create activation in the brain and body at the time. Whether or not a stressful event leaves a lasting impression on the individual is dependent on how that person has perceived that experience and the meaning they made as a result of it and how their body responded at the time. This is why different individuals experiencing the same or similar events, may be impacted differently by it. 

Often when we think about trauma, we consider only the “big T” traumas such as road accidents, significant losses and injury, witnessing or experiencing abuse/horror, traumatic birth and the like.  

Trauma however, also includes “little t” traumas. 
These don’t make the headlines, but they have a significant impact on our functioning too. Little t’ traumas include moments that have also had an effect on our nervous system but while they are stressful at the time, they may not flood the nervous system in the way we would assume a ‘big T’ trauma may. These small ‘t’ traumas that can accumulate and end up causing symptoms of unprocessed trauma across time.
Kind of like a “death by a thousand cuts.”

“Little t” traumas could include experiences causing actual or perceived humiliation, embarrassment, shame or judgement. They could include actual or perceived social or emotional rejection: Being left out, not chosen, not included, a sense of not belonging. Little ‘t’ traumas could develop as a result of environments too. A chronic feeling of not being safe even though no “major event” has occurred. 

When an experience has created an unprocessed trauma, it may cause a reaction in the moment but it also leaves an “emotional charge” behind long after the event/experience has ended. Sometimes when we think back to the event it may feel “like it was just yesterday” or there are parts of the experience that “stay with me” or that you “can’t un-see.” There is still an emotional charge even when a lot of time has passed. That feeling, is a clue that we have unprocessed trauma we are holding.

Another clue that we may be experiencing unprocessed trauma is when our reaction to a circumstance is disproportionate to what the circumstance requires. This can be a clue that our reaction is coming from “trauma time” and not the moment we are in. We are reacting from a trauma informed place. 

Experiences that have created a trauma response can influence our belief system about ourselves, our relationships and our environment.