11 Common Trauma Responses Among Women

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We’ve all been through trauma and it affects everyone very differently. Trauma stems from childhood to adulthood experiences but it is important that we learn to heal from them. I’ve listed a few common trauma responses that we may think are normal but are stress reactions, stemming from trauma.

Studies show that women with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and substance abuse disorders have more frequently experienced rape or witnessed a killing or injury; men with both disorders typically witnessed a killing or injury or were the victim of sudden injury or accident (Cottler, Nishith, & Compton, 2001).

Some people react to trauma with PTSD, while others might show mild responses that are not quite large enough to be diagnosed.

Now, just because you may suffer from these things does not automatically mean you suffer from trauma, these are just some common behaviors as a result of a traumatic experience.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a trained mental health counselor or a licensed therapist.

• Self-medication
• Irregular sleep schedule
• Excessive alcohol use
• Difficulty expressing oneself
• Racing thoughts
• Memory Problems
• Numbness and attachment
• Hyper-independence
• Loss of purpose
• Argumentative behavior
• Self-Harm

Self-Medication

Self-medication is one of the most widespread trauma responses in today’s society. According to VeryWellMind.com, self-medication is a way to cope with specific types of emotional pain in the absence of a more adequate solution and the lack of social relationships. Almost the same idea as “comfort food”. When you’re in such a negative mental state, some people want to escape it as soon as possible. Some people choose food, and some self-medicate for the temporary feeling.

Irregular Sleep Schedule

Staying up really late or not being able to get any sleep at all is also one of the very common trauma responses. According to Sleep Foundation, individuals with PTSD frequently have trouble falling asleep and awakening easily, or even waking up many times throughout the night. Numerous people with PTSD also have nightmares. These issues result in disrupted, non-refreshing sleep.

Excessive Alcohol Use

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Along with self-medication, Alcohol use is another substance abuse tactic people use to avoid dealing with difficult emotions associated with traumatic experiences. While it is only temporary, it also helps individuals avoid the pain their feeling for the time being.

Difficulty Expressing Oneself

Everything eventually results back to childhood trauma. Women who have experienced trauma end up having difficulty openly communicating. This can be caused by not wanting to relive the same outcome or feel the same way it felt when previously expressing how they once felt. They normally have a negative connotation when it comes to expressing how they feel.

Intrusive Thoughts

Constantly thinking about the traumatic event over and over again, is classified as flashbacks. It can increase heart rate and cause anxiety. Sometimes when people experience intrusive thoughts, it is so intense they feel like they’re reliving the trauma again.

Memory Problems

Having trouble remembering important things or trying to avoid the traumatic event, can result in more permanent memory problems. When you try your best not to remember certain things, it becomes a habit. One of the common trauma responses that people don’t realize they suffer from.

Numbness and Attachment

Traumatic stress tends to evoke two emotional extremes: feeling either too much (overwhelmed) or too little (numb) emotion. Numbness is the process of detaching from feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Which normally results in difficulty forming attachments or relationships with people.

Hyper-Independence

Hyper-independence is a stress response when you want to take care of everything on your own without the help of others. This could derive from being let down consistently or never having anyone there to help in the first place. So it may be hard to accept help, or you may feel you’re not worthy of any help.

Loss of Purpose

After trauma, a lot of women lose a sense of purpose. You normally find it when you are going through a healing journey. Versus when you go through trauma, you tend to lose your purpose or sense of self. You lose yourself, and when the trauma passes you don’t recognize yourself anymore.

Argumentative Behavior

Individuals who may be suffering from PTSD, tend to form more aggressive behaviors. A lot of irritability and angry outbursts tend to occur.

Self-Harm

Self-harm is any type of intentionally self-inflicted harm, regardless of the severity of the injury or whether suicide is intended. Often, self-harm is an attempt to cope with emotional or physical distress that seems overwhelming or to cope with a deep sense of dissociation or being trapped, helpless, and “damaged”. (Herman, 1997; Santa Mina & Gallop, 1998).

What I recommend if you are suffering from any of these things is therapy. There are plenty of affordable and free resources if you cannot afford therapy, but I believe it is the most significant thing you can do for your own mental health and healing. Thanks for reading!