5 Harmful Behaviors That Are Actually Your Trauma Response

do you sometimes do things that you know are bad for you but feel like you can't help yourself or you don't know why you're acting this way according to clinical social worker Katie Gillis sometimes harmful Behavior patterns develop as a response to psychological trauma we may learn to react and behave in ways that help us overcome a traumatic experience but that ultimately harm us in the long run for example some people become more aggressive towards others as a trauma response but end up struggling with their relationships and emotional regulation as a result with that said here are five more examples of harmful behaviors you may engage in that are actually a trauma response social withdrawal according to psychologist Katie Gillis social withdrawal is a common trauma response for two reasons first trauma harms its victim's self-esteem and second it negatively impacts their world view victims often see the world as a dangerous and unsafe place other people as malicious and untrustworthy and themselves as damaged and unworthy social withdrawal as a trauma response may manifest as spending less time with loved ones making less of an effort to stay in touch not wanting to go out or have people over getting nervous when someone gets too close to us lashing out aside from withdrawing socially trauma victims also tend to push other people away by lashing out at them anger is a common reaction to trauma explained psychologist Dr Seth J gillahan and it can persist long after the traumatic event ends you may feel anger at yourself for what happened at others for not seeing it or helping you sooner or at the world in general when you're unable to make sense of it all this anger is often accompanied by sadness fear and anxiety all of which can make a person incredibly emotionally volatile so if you've been wondering why you tend to hurt the people you love without meaning to or find yourself lashing out for no good reason this may be why overworking yourself do you feel a strong need to constantly keep yourself busy and have difficulty relaxing or enjoying yourself when you're not do you feel anxious when you have nothing to do according to psych ologist Dr Brad CLA people like this use their work as a way to keep themselves occupied and avoid difficult thoughts or emotions like those related to unhealed trauma so it's possible you may be overworking yourself to avoid thinking about what happened or confronting how you feel which is harmful to your mental health not only because it keeps your psychological wounds from healing but also because having a poor work life balance can be emotionally and mentally draining freezing up according to an article by life STS Health freezing is a common trauma response especially when the nature of the trauma has led the victim to believe that they're better off making themselves as non-threatening as possible some examples of how an unhealthy freeze response can manifest include dissociating frequently zoning out or having brain fog becoming emotionally numb difficulty making decisions are taking action and a paralyzing fear of trying new things clinical psychologist Dr Nathan green says that a long-term freeze response can become a mask you use to protect yourself when you can't identify any means of fighting back or escaping people with this trauma response may use fantasy or imagination to escape hide their true feelings and mentally check out from stressful or painful situations fawning finally we have fawning an often overlooked trauma response fawning refers to behaviors that aim to please appease or pacify others in an effort to avoid conflict harm or stress this phenomenon was first studied by a therapist Pete Walker who often observed that survivors of childhood abuse and Trauma would often learn to please the person threatening them and keep them happy as a way of making themselves feel safe some signs that you may have a fawning response include doing things for others you don't want to over apologizing struggling to say no having difficulty expressing your own needs and feelings and feeling guilty about receiving help from others so what are your thoughts on this video do any of the things we've talked about here resonate with you as Katie Gillis said understanding how our maladaptive behaviors are rooted in our past trauma can help us to develop a more compassionate understanding of ourselves and take the first step towards healing trauma-informed care can help us live happier and more fulfilling lives unconstrained by the traumatic past so don't hesitate to talk to someone about it or reach out to a mental health care professional today if you got a lot out of this video please share it with friends and family and remember you matter here's the next chapter in our ongoing psych too Story series that we've been putting our hearts into our stories are more than just entertainment there are journey into the Realms of mental health and relationships be a 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