The Impact of Trauma: Disconnection from Emotions
Those who have endured a traumatic experience, that is, an experience that is deeply painful and overwhelming, are then faced with strong and distressing emotions that naturally result from such an experience. As a way of protecting itself, the brain may attempt to disconnect from these emotions, shutting them out in an attempt to stop the pain. This may be done subconsciously, as the brain works behind the scenes to rid itself of the emotions and shut out memories of the traumatic experience. It may also be a conscious process that occurs as the traumatized person implements strategies for blocking out unpleasant emotions. As we will discuss, this pushing away of emotions can paradoxically result in prolonged emotional suffering.
Why not just push these painful emotions away?
In the aftermath of trauma, the survivor will naturally experience stress related to the traumatic event. In some cases, the stress may be so severe and overwhelming that it causes the person to develop an adversarial relationship with their emotions. In an effort to avoid pain, the survivor will start to shut out, numb away, or ignore their emotions. Unfortunately, emotions cannot be turned off by flipping a switch, and they cannot be blocked out selectively. As the person works to shut off the undesirable emotions, they will find that other emotions also become less accessible. As this pattern of avoidance continues, the survivor’s emotional range becomes increasingly narrow, and the threshold required for emotions to be noticed gradually increases. For this reason, many who experience trauma and go on to develop PTSD may feel like their emotions are “out of control.” In reality, the massive emotional swings experienced by many trauma survivors are the result of an accumulation of emotions that were undetected until they finally reached sufficient strength to be noticed. By that time, the emotion may have built up to a significant degree, so the survivor feels as if the sudden and overwhelming emotion came out of nowhere. When it comes to emotions, the common saying, “what you resist will persist” is slightly misleading. For many, the reality is that emotions that are resisted tend to not only persist, but intensify. To make matters worse, many of the strategies that are used to avoid emotions (e.g. substance use, social isolation/withdrawal, avoidance of reminders, etc.) come with their own set of adverse mental health impacts. (for more on this dynamic, see The Avoidance Trap).
Trauma Therapy: Reconnecting with Emotions
Understanding that much of the post-traumatic emotional turmoil is caused by disconnection from emotions, the task of healing requires explicit focus on developing the capacity to identify, acknowledge, and reconnect with emotions. Building awareness of emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations, behaviors, and the relationship between all of these is essential to expanding the emotional range and regaining access to a wider emotional experience. As the emotional range broadens, the survivor is then able to recognize emotions with increased sensitivity and awareness, opening up the possibility of meaningfully interacting with emotions before they intensify. Psychotherapy facilitates post-traumatic growth by offering a safe and supportive space to gently and compassionately explore internal experiences and cultivate awareness and attunement to these experiences.
If you would like to learn more about how psychotherapy can fit with your healing process, I would be glad to connect.
