Lesson 3: How Are Ya Feeling?

Having difficulty understanding what you’re feeling? That’s not surprising.  We can carry multiple post-traumatic emotions that can happen jointly, separately, and can ebb and flow.

Our emotions’ dynamic ability can leave us frustrated, confused, and on the edge of tears. Luckily, we can parse out these different emotions, and as G.I. Joe says, “Knowing is half the battle.”

Let’s look at some of the more common responses:

• Guilt and/or shame: Many people may blame themselves for being in the “wrong place at the wrong time,” even if the situation was completely out of their control and not their fault. Blaming ourselves can slow or halt our healing. It can also reinforce negative thoughts and perceptions.

• Feeling misunderstood: Trauma can make us feel alone. It can feel like our friends and family—those closest to us—fail to see trauma’s effects as we see them. This can push us to isolate further.

• Suspicious: Trauma puts our brains into a fight/flight/freeze response that many not quickly go away. This survival mode leaves us on edge and exhausted. It also can leave us feeling distrustful of others. This might lead us to delay or refuse opportunities for support.

• Depressed: Trauma can leave us feeling like we’re in a never-ending loop where we feel frozen and numb—and there’s no way out. Obviously, this influences our mental outlook.

• Frustrated: Our post-trauma healing can feel like it isn’t moving fast enough. We may experience stalls or regressions, too. When weeks become months, and months become years, it gets incredibly defeating.

This is not an exhaustive list of emotions a trauma survivor might experience. We are individuals and experience trauma differently. Rather, these are some of the more common emotions that can be signs that trauma is rearing its ugly head after the fact.