How Trauma Shows Up in the Body

Physical signs people often notice

After a car crash, an assault, a sudden loss or another overwhelming event, people often expect to feel sad or afraid. The physical side can come as more of a surprise. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists these physical responses to trauma:

• Headaches
• Stomach pain and digestive issues
• A racing heart and sweating
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Being very jumpy and easily startled

Why the body reacts this way

NIMH explains that it is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation, and that fear is part of the body's fight-or-flight response. MedlinePlus describes stress as how your brain and body respond to a challenge or demand. In that response the body releases hormones that can raise your blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar.

In a real emergency, this is useful. It gets you moving quickly. The trouble starts when the alarm keeps sounding after the danger has passed. NIMH notes that people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may relive the event with physical symptoms such as a racing heart or sweating, and may feel tense, on guard or on edge.

So a pounding heart at a sudden noise, or a stomach that knots near a reminder, is not weakness and it is not imagined. It is a protective system doing its job a little too well.

Sleep, startle and tension

Sleep is often the first thing to suffer. The VA National Center for PTSD explains that it is difficult to have restful sleep when you feel the need to be always alert, or when noise startles you easily. Nightmares can replay the event, and some people begin to avoid going to bed because sleep itself feels unsafe.

Being easily startled and feeling on edge belong to the same picture. NIMH groups them with trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping and irritability as arousal and reactivity symptoms.

Tension is common too. NIMH says both stress and anxiety can bring tension, headaches or body pain, and loss of sleep. Many people describe it as tight shoulders, a clenched jaw or a body that never quite relaxes.

When stress lasts a long time

A little short-term stress can sometimes be helpful. Stress that goes on for weeks, months or longer is different. MedlinePlus says long-lasting stress can harm your health, and that its signs can include getting sick more often than usual, stomach problems, trouble sleeping, headaches, and feeling sad, angry or easily upset.

Physical symptoms can have many causes, so they are worth raising with a doctor too. Getting a medical checkup and getting emotional support are not either-or choices. Many people do both.

What can help your body settle

NIMH says most people recover from these symptoms and that their reactions lessen over time. Healthy ways of coping can lower stress in the meantime. Suggestions from NIMH and MedlinePlus include:

• Keep routines for meals, exercise and sleep as steady as you can.
• Move your body regularly. A daily walk counts.
• Try relaxation practices such as breathing exercises, meditation or muscle relaxation.
• Spend time with trusted friends and relatives who are supportive.
• Get enough sleep, and limit caffeine.
• Set realistic goals and focus on what you can manage.

When to seek help, and how we can help

NIMH advises seeking professional help if symptoms do not improve over time or begin to interfere with daily life. Signs include frightening thoughts or flashbacks, nightmares or difficulty sleeping, avoiding places or people that bring back disturbing memories, and becoming isolated from family and friends.

Therapy can work with both the memory and the body's reaction to it. Cognitive behavioral therapy for PTSD can include gradually and safely approaching what happened so fear becomes more manageable, and making sense of the event. Our trauma and PTSD therapy page describes how therapists on our team approach this. If worry and tension are the main struggle, see anxiety therapy, and if low mood has settled in, see depression therapy.

Sessions at Locascio Wellness are online by secure video, and you must be physically located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Arizona during a session. You can start with a free 15-minute consultation on our booking page.

If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911. Locascio Wellness does not provide emergency services. Our crisis resources page lists more options.