Studies in the US have shown that 1 in 5 Americans suffered sexual abuse as a child; 1 in 4 was physically abused by one of their parents; and 1 in 3 couples resort to physical violence. A quarter of the population grew up with alcoholic relatives, and 1 in 8 have witnessed their mother being beaten. There are no statistics on this in Latin America, but probably the situation is even worse.
Traumatic experiences leave their mark, both on a grand scale (in our histories and cultures) and close to home, in our families, with dark secrets passed imperceptibly from generation to generation. They also leave their mark on our minds and emotions, on our ability to enjoy and maintain intimate relationships, and even on our biology and immune system.
TRAUMA AFFECTS NOT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE DIRECTLY EXPOSED TO IT, BUT ALSO THOSE AROUND THEM. Soldiers who come home from combat can frighten their families with their rages and emotional emptiness. Wives of men with PTSD often suffer from depression, and children of depressed mothers risk growing up insecure and anxious. Having been exposed to violence in childhood often makes it difficult to establish stable and trusting relationships in adulthood.
He trauma, also called bioshock, engram, DHS, it is by definition unbearable and intolerable. Most rape victims, children who have been sexually abused, people who have experienced abuse or other types of violence, suffer so much when they think about what they have experienced that they try to put it out of their minds, they try to act as if nothing would have happened to move on. It takes a lot of energy to keep going, carrying on your shoulders the memory of terror and guilt over utter weakness and vulnerability.
Although we all want to move on and put the trauma behind us, the part of our brain that ensures our survival (beneath our rational brain) doesn’t respond well to denial. Long after the traumatic experience, this part can reactivate at the slightest hint of danger, mobilizing disrupted brain circuits and secreting enormous amounts of stress hormones. This precipitates unpleasant emotions, intense physical sensations, and impulsive and aggressive actions. These post-traumatic reactions seem incomprehensible and overwhelming. Feeling out of control, trauma survivors begin to fear that they are deeply damaged beyond healing.
But we know that healing is possible… and necessary. It only takes your commitment and an efficient professional accompaniment.