REPROCESSING OF TRAUMA

What do we understand by trauma? Pierre Janet (1894, 1919), a visionary of trauma, defined it as “the result of exposure to an unavoidable stressful event that overwhelms the person’s coping mechanisms”.”.

Although the first idea that comes to mind when we talk about trauma is associated with major catastrophe events such as wars, tsunamis or earthquakes, there are everyday situations in our day-to-day lives in which we can also experience it. If an incident threatens our life or bodily integrity, even if it is only perceived as such, then we are facing a traumatic event. An unexpected death, harassment, bullying, a traffic accident, mistreatment, witnessing acts of violence towards others, any of these and similar situations can cause recurrent and profound symptoms. We have the idea that time heals everything and it is not so, if these problems are not taken care of, they can precisely worsen over time.

The importance or degree of the trauma do not determine the extent of the damage and the outcome it can produce. It depends on each person, on how they have created their identity throughout their lives, their belief system, the emotional environment, the moment in which the trauma occurred and whether there is successive reiteration. A common denominator of trauma is an effect of fear, overwhelming anguish, helplessness, loss of control and feeling threatened. Traumatic events fragment the normal protective systems that provide people with a sense of control, connection, and meaning. The nervous system can be affected by developing anxiety disorders, stress, phobias, learning difficulties and problems relating to others.

Some traumatized people are not aware of it, the original trauma blocks a part of them and they deny its importance, the impact and the effects it causes them. It is an undeniable fact that a traumatic event can completely change a person’s view of themselves and the world as they see it. In the words of Bessel van der Kolk, trauma by definition is unbearable and intolerable.

During the reprocessing stage we address the person’s history of trauma, as well as the history of resilience so they can find their own healing resources. Traumatic scenes and events are processed, not only the experienced ones, but also imagined, since not only what is experienced in person traumatize us, but also what is heard, experienced as a witness or even imagined. The idea is to create a safe space, and through therapy, reprocess and integrate the traumatic experience.