Emotional and Psychological Trauma – What It Is, Symptoms to Watch For, and How to Heal
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 5
- 5 min read
April Wazny specializes in trauma-informed, evidence-based therapy. Passionate about helping others heal, she works alongside individuals and families to process generational trauma and build lasting emotional resilience.
Emotional and psychological trauma refers to the deeply distressing or disturbing experiences that overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope, leaving lasting effects on their mental, emotional, and sometimes even physical well-being. These experiences can severely disrupt your sense of identity, safety, and ability to trust others. Trauma doesn’t only arise from physical danger; it often stems from emotional injuries that shake your worldview and fragment your sense of control or self-worth.
Psychologically, trauma represents a breach in the brain's natural ability to process and integrate overwhelming events. Traumatic experiences are often encoded in the brain in fragmented, non-verbal memory rather than linear narrative memory. This can lead to vivid emotional flashbacks, somatic sensations, or intrusive imagery that feel disconnected from time and space.
Trauma is subjective
One of the defining features of trauma is its subjective nature. Two people may experience the same event, such as a car accident or job loss, with drastically different outcomes. While one person may be shaken but recover quickly, another may experience lingering symptoms of trauma. The difference often lies in individual factors such as:
Previous trauma history
Developmental stage at the time of the event
Support systems
Attachment style
Neurobiological sensitivity (e.g., heightened amygdala response)
As trauma therapist Bessel van der Kolk notes, “Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then. It’s the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside people.”
Types of emotional and psychological trauma
Experts generally categorize trauma into the following types:
Acute trauma: Results from a single overwhelming incident, such as a violent assault, a car accident, or a natural disaster. Even a brief experience can leave deep imprints if it evokes intense helplessness or horror.
Chronic trauma: Stems from repeated and prolonged exposure to distressing events, such as ongoing domestic abuse, childhood neglect, systemic racism, or living in war zones. Chronic trauma often leads to hypervigilance, emotional dysregulation, and changes in personality structure.
Complex trauma: Involves exposure to multiple traumatic events over time, often interpersonal in nature (e.g., emotional abuse by caregivers). Complex trauma is particularly damaging when it occurs during formative years and affects the development of attachment, identity, and emotional regulation. It is associated with conditions like Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) and dissociative disorders.
Common symptoms of trauma
Trauma symptoms occur on emotional, psychological, cognitive, and physical levels. They can be acute or chronic, overt or subtle.
Emotional and psychological symptoms
Persistent fear, anxiety, or panic
Difficulty trusting others
Irritability or emotional volatility
Feelings of detachment or being "numb"
Emotional flashbacks, reliving emotions from past trauma without specific memories
Deep shame or guilt, especially if the trauma was interpersonal
A diminished sense of self-worth or existential meaning
Physical and somatic symptoms
Trauma affects the nervous system, particularly the autonomic nervous system, triggering fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses. Physical signs may include:
Hyperarousal (e.g., startle response, increased heart rate)
Chronic muscle tension or pain (e.g., jaw clenching, back pain)
Gastrointestinal issues (e.g., IBS, nausea)
Sleep disturbances or nightmares
Psychosomatic symptoms (e.g., fainting, dizziness, "body memories")
Autoimmune flare-ups or chronic fatigue.
Cognitive responses to trauma
Trauma often reshapes the way we think, interpret reality, and relate to ourselves and others. These cognitive shifts serve as adaptive mechanisms during or after trauma but can become maladaptive over time.
Cognitive distortions: Black-and-white thinking (“I can’t trust anyone”), catastrophizing, or overgeneralization (“Nothing ever goes right for me”)
Trauma-associated triggers: Seemingly benign cues (a smell, voice, or place) may provoke intense distress
Disrupted sense of time: Individuals may experience “time collapse,” where past events feel like they're happening now
Fragmented memory: Traumatic events may be remembered in disjointed pieces, or may not be remembered consciously at all (known as dissociative amnesia)
Hypervigilance and paranoia: A constant feeling of being in danger, even in safe environments
These cognitive distortions are rooted in alterations to brain function, especially within the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala, which manage fear responses, memory, and executive functioning.
The role of dissociation in trauma
Dissociation is a common but often misunderstood trauma response. It involves a disconnection between thoughts, identity, memory, or bodily sensations, and can serve as a protective mechanism during overwhelming experiences.
Depersonalization: Feeling detached from your body or thoughts
Derealization: The world feels unreal, distant, or dreamlike
Identity fragmentation: Often seen in survivors of severe or chronic trauma (e.g., in Dissociative Identity Disorder)
Time loss or memory gaps: Especially in survivors of childhood trauma
Expert perspectives on trauma
Judith Herman (1997): “Psychological trauma is an affliction of the powerless. It produces profound and lasting changes in physiological arousal, emotion regulation, consciousness, self-perception, and perception of the perpetrator.”
Peter Levine (1997): “The paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect.”
Bessel van der Kolk (2014): “Trauma is stored in the body. Until it’s processed, your body continues to react as if the danger is still present.”
A neurobiological and psychological process in healing from trauma
Healing from trauma involves restoring safety in both the body and the mind. Recovery is not linear, and healing methods must be individualized.
Key components of healing
Therapeutic support: Trauma-informed therapies like EMDR, somatic experiencing, internal family systems (IFS), or trauma-focused CBT
Body-based practices: Yoga, breathwork, dance, and other somatic therapies help regulate the nervous system
Rebuilding connections: Safe relationships and community support are essential to healing interpersonal trauma
Psychoeducation: Understanding how trauma affects the brain can reduce shame and promote empowerment
Self-compassion: Recognizing that symptoms are adaptive responses, not personal failings
Final thoughts
Emotional and psychological trauma may alter how you feel, think, and relate to the world, but it does not define your future. Trauma imprints can be softened, rewired, and integrated. Healing is not about forgetting what happened but learning how to reclaim your life from it—bit by bit, with support, compassion, and time.
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Read more from April Wazny LCPC
April Wazny LCPC, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
April Wazny is a trauma-informed therapist and founder of Winora’s Hope Counseling. She’s passionate about walking alongside those who are hurting, helping individuals and families heal from generational trauma and reclaim their wholeness. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Psychology at Liberty University, April’s work explores the lasting impact of inherited trauma and the power of safe, compassionate connection in the healing process. Through both her writing and clinical work, she creates space for people to feel seen, supported, and empowered in their journey.
References:
Help Guide. (n.d.). Emotional and psychological trauma.
Herman, J. L. (1997). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.
Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
Courtois, C. A., & Ford, J. D. (2009). Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders: An Evidence-Based Guide. Guilford Press.
