Psychotrauma is a situation that has traumatized the mental state of an individual, disrupting its stability. At the same time, psychotrauma is not always a particularly serious incident or situation; its relevance is measured for each specific individual.
In fact, the full name of psychotrauma, since this word is an abbreviation, is a situation that traumatizes the psyche. Psychotrauma cannot be called a mental pathology - it is a situation that causes a defensive reaction of the psyche. This condition affects the individual depending on his personal structure, leading to various consequences.
Psychotraumatologist services
offers the services of an experienced psychotraumatologist who conducts individual work to overcome conditions associated with one or another type of mental disorder.
Treatment of psychotrauma is carried out by our specialists, taking into account the characteristics of the psychotype and the complexity of the specific situation. We practice gentle and at the same time effective techniques that have actually proven their effectiveness in European countries and have been adapted by us for the Russian conditions of providing psychological assistance.
Specialists from the Psychometrics Center will help you get out of a state caused by psychological disorders of any etymology. Our psychologists have extensive experience in this field and own proprietary methods that have proven their effectiveness. European techniques and methods of working with mental disorders were adapted to Russian reality and gradually introduced into work.
When selecting treatment, psychotraumatologists focus not only on the problem itself and the resulting circumstances, but also take into account the client’s psychotype - this is where the individuality of the approach is manifested.
Psychoanalysis will allow you to see the clinical picture of the situation on a full scale. The supervisors who provide services in our center have diplomas from leading European universities, conduct practical psychological activities and are engaged in scientific activities in the field of psychoanalysis and psychotraumatology.
Causes of mental trauma
Psychological trauma is accompanied by a stress disorder, which in any person can occur as a result of events that go beyond the norm in a particular case. The causes of psychological trauma can be anything, but the most common are considered to be:
- Loss of loved ones due to death or relationship breakdown, including divorce. Moreover, divorce can become a problem not only for spouses, but also for children.
- A serious illness of the person himself or his relatives with a disappointing diagnosis.
- Physical or psychological impact from third parties as part of a military operation or terrorist act.
- Loss of the usual way of life due to relocation or relocation.
- Even a threat to the lives of strangers can cause psychological trauma if a person is emotional and impressionable, and unusual events unfold before his eyes.
How psychological trauma manifests itself in works of culture and in the media
The description of the development and manifestation of mental trauma takes its rightful place in numerous action films that describe the behavior of people at war in a peaceful environment. The main plot is that a man has returned from the war, but seems to continue to fight. Such a person has nightmares. Such a person continues to “take revenge” on himself and others. The work corresponding to psychologically traumatized people involves inflicting pain on other people, work in law enforcement agencies, in the repressive bodies of states. Punish the “bad guys.”
It happens that experiencing psychological trauma leads a person to success in creative activities. Since a person has survived, experienced traumatic events, he gains significant experience of functioning in difficult circumstances, in peaceful struggle. So such people can be successful in peacetime in business and in managing teams.
An essential resource for overcoming traumatic consequences is creativity. From the mass media, from widely disseminated and popular films, songs, and proverbs, one can judge the traumatic experience of a certain society. In addition, by referring to our own experience of choosing works of film and literature, we can make assumptions about our own traumatic experiences. As I mentioned above, the content of traumatic events “falls” into the unconscious. Cultural objects allow one to access experiences in a safe environment. It is also important which cultural works you avoid, which ones cause rejection and rejection.
Consequences of mental trauma
The situation that provoked the psychotrauma ended, but the person’s psychological state did not return to normal. The consequences of psychological trauma come into play, which must be combated. The consequences of psychotrauma can be considered an internally oppressive state, intrusive negative memories, irritability, lack of interest, emptiness and causeless sadness. As a result of psychological trauma, a person may lose confidence in his abilities and the stability of the future. Even if the events of “that very day” are forgotten, on an emotional level they still make themselves felt when a reason for memories or a new conflict situation arises. Such suppression of emotions can affect not only mental balance, but also the physical condition of the body: decreased immunity and illness, lack of proper appetite and insomnia. It is precisely these manifestations of psychotrauma that need to be fought.
Consequences of psychotrauma
Psychotraumatic influences always leave their significant mark on an individual’s life path; this is associated with changes in mental perception of reality. Psychotraumatic influences have an existential meaning and always cause suffering. Lack of finding the meaning of life can be considered one of the most severe psychological traumas; this is due to the importance of the individual to find it for himself. Without the meaning of life, motivation disappears, which is simply the trigger of life and a stimulant for any activity. An individual without motivation resembles a soulless zombie robot who is not interested in anything and does not enjoy anything. Sometimes the consequences can be alcoholism and drug addiction. This is formed as a result of the severe consequences of psychotrauma, when an individual tries to avoid it and forget himself in the world created through psychotropics. In addition to such a serious consequence, there is a possible loss of pleasure - anhedonia, which does not lead to anything other than a decrease in all volitional needs and drives. It is impossible to prevent this in such an individual and it is very difficult to restore it later.
Such individuals may be in a paranoid position of perception of the world, which can lead to very severe reactions to familiar things. Sometimes, from a depressed position, they may perceive the world as gray, and also blame themselves for many things, especially regarding their condition or family discord. There may also be difficulty in any rapprochement, which will subsequently lead to loneliness and suicidal tendencies.
Unbearable situations can plunge you into a stupor, lead to neurosis and even PTSD; these are serious and long-term pathologies. Often a certain hysterical radical may turn on, which will lead to serious amnesia, astasia, abasia, and sometimes paralysis with paresis. Sometimes in childhood this globally destroys the structure of the personality. And the personality structure is a basic mental component; if it is disrupted, the formation of psychotic symptoms is possible and, in general, the individual is formed as a psychotic, and not as a healthy, functional neurotic, capable of accepting himself. This is very dangerous in terms of the formation of psychopathy, which can lead to complete failure in terms of social adaptation.
Somatic pathologies can also develop as a result of psychotrauma. There is even a list of emotions that should not be experienced so as not to provoke incurable diseases: anger, hatred, greed, malice, envy. In general, it is possible to form somatoform disorders, which are manifested by pain in various organs, signaling mental problems. These are psaudogastrointestinal disorders, pseudopulmonary, pseudocardial, pseudoalgic, disorders with insomnia, and disorders of the genitourinary system.
The information presented in this article is intended for informational purposes only and cannot replace professional advice and qualified medical care. If you have the slightest suspicion that you have this disease, be sure to consult your doctor!
Types of mental trauma
Psychological trauma can be different; experts distinguish three main types of this phenomenon: acute, shock and chronic. The first two forms are characterized by short duration. The difference between shock psychological trauma and acute trauma is most often its causes, which are often associated with the death of loved ones or the impression of what they saw. The chronic form is protracted, since in this case there is a long-term impact of negative phenomena on the human psyche, an example could be domestic violence, humiliation at work or in the environment, as well as fear for the well-being of one’s loved ones.
In addition, psychological trauma can be divided visually according to the cause of its occurrence. In this case, the classification includes four types of psychotrauma:
- trauma of loss,
- traumas of one's own mistakes,
- existential traumas,
- relationship trauma.
Symptoms of mental trauma
Due to the fact that psychological trauma can be considered a pathology, it has its own symptoms of an emotional and physical nature. Sudden changes in mood, excessive irritability, and uncontrollable attacks of aggression can be signs of psychological trauma. Fears and anxieties that turn into phobias are common for patients with this diagnosis. A person under the influence of stress can withdraw into himself and feel loneliness, and his attention is often scattered, which negatively affects work or educational activities.
If we talk about physical symptoms, then first of all it is the body’s vulnerability to disease due to reduced immunity. The patient's condition may be accompanied by rapid heartbeat, migraines, fussiness, fearfulness and the inability to relax even at night.
This state can last for several days or several months, and as the emotions from the memories fade away, they will fade away. If the symptoms do not disappear over time, then you cannot do without the help of a specialist.
Lecture on the topic “Definition and types of psychotrauma”
Lecture on the topic: “Conceptual approach to studying the dynamics of psychotraumatization”
Interview in the studio of the Teledom TV channel with Oksana Zashirinskaya
Self-analysis of psychotraumatization in the process of integration into modern society
Loss of a loved one or “how to continue to live?” The topic of losing a loved one is very sad and full of emotions, but sooner or later, unfortunately, it becomes relevant for many. Due to the loss of a dear and close person, it becomes impossible to continue an active life, many withdraw into themselves, try to avoid the company of other people, remaining alone with their pain. Contacting a psychologist is a lifeline for a person experiencing an irreparable loss.
Section “Mental Trauma”
Psychological trauma, psychotrauma
Film "What Else Men Talk About"
It so happens that today people are ready to justify almost anything using psychological trauma.
Film "Amelie"
This woman’s life is a constant reference to a problematic past. Is this a psychological trauma or a bad habit of a lonely woman prone to alcoholism?
Film "Anger Management"
Such ridicule can cause psychological trauma. Or maybe it won’t be...
Film "Spanish-English"
You will not be able to quit - this will create a feeling of guilt in your daughter. You know what guilt is, right?
People love to complain. If the boy is tired, he will complain that he has rubbed his leg. If a girl doesn't want to do her homework, she'll talk about her nasty classmates who hurt her terribly. If today we are not in the mood to solve the problems facing us, there is a great temptation to avoid solving them, explaining our reluctance to strain ourselves with the difficult circumstances of the past, which inflicted unhealed wounds on us. Which are now called psychological trauma.
I don’t want to say that there are no psychological traumas at all. I want to say that if there is an opportunity to write something off on them, a long line of people immediately forms, and psychological traumas are invented on the fly. And then figuring out where the difficult truth is and where the cheap deceit is is very difficult.
Nevertheless, let's try to figure it out!
A reader writes: “My friend (she’s already 40 years old) is afraid to be alone in the dark. Logically, she understands that it’s okay. But physiologically - the pulse, breathing, etc. increase. They began to look for the reason... Finally she remembered that when she was punished as a child, she was locked in the pantry and the lights were turned off there. This is a punishment for the rest of your life...” - All children love to lock themselves in the dark and be afraid: at this time their pulse quickens, their breathing quickens - normal stress, normal children's entertainment. An adult woman has the same reaction, mild stress and mild fear that does not lead to any real trouble. If we speak in the language of injuries, then this is a scratch, not a serious injury. Mild stress is not a problem. On the other hand, if you want, you can make a problem out of anything, including mild stress. Let’s also note that a specialist can remove such a fear of the dark in half an hour, a maximum of a couple of hours... Are you sure that there is something to talk about here?
Also: “My sister is afraid of heights. The reason is that in elementary school, I used a stepladder in the library to take out and leaf through books. The stepladder swayed very strongly and she almost fell... She was VERY scared.” Anyone can get scared when they unexpectedly fall from a stepladder, but if you don’t make a tragedy out of it, the fear goes away in a couple of minutes. As for the fear of heights, this fear is inherent in almost everyone, and for this you do not need to fall from a stepladder. Yes, looking down from the roof of a 20-story building is scary. Why do you need to go to the edge of the roof?
And also: “If you talk to girls of easy virtue, it turns out that more than half of them suffered sexual abuse in childhood. Psychological trauma? Yes". If you talk to girls of easy virtue, it turns out that more than half of them grew up in more than problematic families, observed a lot of things and sought sexual adventures at a very early age. The consequence is not psychological trauma, but bad upbringing.
So, for now we can state: at least in ordinary consciousness, any circumstances that can justify the position of the Victim are considered psychotrauma. Accordingly, if we take it from science to life, then psychotrauma is an emotionally loaded everyday pseudo-concept, which is happily referred to by all the unfortunate who remember it in time. And then psychotrauma is understood as harm caused to a person’s mental health by unfavorable circumstances or the actions of people.
And according to science, psychological trauma is a hypothetical cause of inappropriate behavior in a healthy psyche, associated with difficult, painful events that have occurred in a person’s life. Or - immersion in mental illness for reasons that others perceive as valid.
Fashion for psychotrauma
Again a deuce... Probably we should feel sorry for the boy: after all, this is a typical psychotrauma!
At the end of the 19th century, every decent girl would faint from stress at least once every few years. Today there is no such fashion. At the beginning of the 20th century, all psychiatrists studied hysterical attacks with convulsions; today this fashion has sunk into history. Today there is a new fashion, a fashion for psychological trauma.
Until the 80s, no one knew or talked about psychotraumas; no one was afraid of psychotraumas. With the development of crisis psychology, the concept of “psychotrauma” has become popular; parents are now frightened by children’s psychotraumas; smart children and savvy parents are actively manipulating the threat of possible psychotrauma.
Everyone in our class already has mobile phones! If you don't buy me a mobile phone, everyone will laugh at me, and I will have a psychological trauma!
They used to say: “I came in a bad mood,” “I came back angry and upset.” Now they say more respectfully: “Be careful, he has a psychological injury!”
As a result of the massive impact of talk about the dangers of psychological trauma, many readers of psychological literature are poisoned by the idea that our entire life is determined by our childhood traumas. Our parents do play a decisive role in our development, our parents are responsible for our upbringing, but they are not responsible for what we are now. Today I am already an adult, and what happens to me is already my responsibility. Only by accepting this responsibility can a person grow up.
We can agree that there are people predisposed to psychological trauma, who lead such a lifestyle and have such inclinations that psychological trauma simply sticks to them. This is a person-child (a person who often displays features of a child’s position in thinking, emotional reactions and behavior), and even more often - an emotional personality (a combination of the characteristics of a neurotic person and a person-child). As for the hysterical personality, inventing a psychological trauma for themselves for any reason is not easy for them - simple, but a real joy.
How to prevent real and imaginary psychotrauma?
The recipes are simple: removing anatomical negativity, a healthy lifestyle, developing a positive worldview, developing adulthood, which primarily includes responsibility, habit and the ability to be needed.
Should we work with psychotrauma in psychotherapy? The question seems strange, but in fact it is very important. Psychotrauma may well be a reality (circumstances: natural disaster, mass death of people, including the death of children, and everything happens in front of the mother), and then working with psychotrauma may be necessary and justified. However, there are often cases when psychotrauma is sought (and found) where it does not exist, to the complete joy of both the client (he justifies his helplessness) and the psychotherapist (he got a long-term client). How to prevent this? See Procedure for dealing with internal problems.
The diagnosis of “psychotrauma” should be made only in cases where there are no other reasonable assumptions.
Important: mental and psychological trauma are not the same thing. Mental trauma is damage (by someone or something) to the psyche, leading to a noticeable disruption of its normal functioning. A person stops recognizing loved ones, attention floats, speech is strange, there are gaps in memory, thinking becomes confused... With psychological trauma, there are no mental dysfunctions, a person still has the ability to be adequate and successfully adapt to the environment.
The main complaint about the “concept” of psychotrauma is the absence of both a strict definition and any criteria for the presence or absence of psychotrauma. The concept of psychotrauma is absent in the medical literature. There are no observable signs of psychotrauma. There are no criteria for causing psychological trauma. The emergence of any strong negative feeling can be interpreted as psychological trauma inflicted by people or circumstances. Accordingly, almost any Masha can accuse some Vasya of inflicting psychological trauma on her if, after talking with him, her mood has deteriorated, especially for a long time. After all, the damage to her mental health has been done?
Despite the fact that there are no clear, observable criteria signs are often indicated instead of criteria . How solid these signs are, we will leave it to the respected reader to form his own opinion. So,
The presence of an event that is assessed as a strong shock . The unexpected loss of a very dear person, rape, for a child - an unexpected divorce of parents (in the presence of very close emotional ties with both).
It seems reasonable, but this criterion cannot be recognized as objective, since the significance of an event is a very subjective matter, depending on the local culture and the specific person. Wise people are ready for anything (See Mental Insurance), and a human child is ready to throw sincere tantrums over any little thing. As for children, will every child perceive the rape or divorce of their parents as a blow? It turns out not: the data suggests that the perception of this is very individual and largely depends on those scenarios that are suggested to the child by the environment.
Intrusiveness of memories . The average time for intrusive memories to fade in a healthy person is three days. If a person returns to the experience again and again, after a week, a month, or even years, and all new (and even past events) are now seen through the prism of the negativity of the trauma received, this is an important sign of psychotrauma.
Also seems reasonable, but again cannot be considered an objective criterion. Long-term obsession with memories may not indicate psychotrauma, but a person’s bad habit of living with negative experiences and memories. There are many such people, people with the habit of a negative worldview perceive everything through the prism of negativity without any psychological trauma, and if they still don’t know what to do with themselves, then for them this is a natural way of life, and they constantly occupy themselves with difficult memories: watch a fragment from the film "Amelie."
Engagement . A person does not separate himself and the situation that led to psychotrauma; he cannot distance himself from it, look at what happened calmly, from the outside. He takes everything personally, thinking about the situation, a person thinks about himself and vice versa. He seemed to have merged with this situation.
At the same time, many live like this all the time; in principle, they do not have the habit of considering the situation from the outside. They will take every little thing personally. Failure to separate oneself from what happened often speaks not of psychological trauma, but of an insufficient level of development of the subject.
Serious difficulties in normal mental functioning, arrest of personality development.
Active personality development, in principle, characterizes not many people; passive personal growth always occurs depending on external circumstances, and there are always enough people who are inclined to worry about any reason (to worry so that “everything falls out of hand”).
Tendency to implement life scenarios aimed at self-destruction (suicidal tendencies, alcoholism, drugs, craving for criminal actions).
There are generally enough such people in life, and without any psychological trauma.
Treatment of psychotrauma
A person who has experienced psychological trauma and begins to think about how to live next is ready to take the path of recovery. Psychotraumatologists from our Psychometrics center for psychological assistance can help him return to normal life.
You should seek help from a psychologist if you cannot get rid of intrusive memories, relationships with loved ones are deteriorating, and you cannot achieve positive results at work and in your personal life. The specialist will select individual techniques for the client that will allow them to painlessly get rid of memories of negative experiences. Consultations, psychoanalysis, trainings will provide an opportunity to return to normal life. The duration of treatment depends on the specific case and the psychotype of the person who has suffered psychological trauma, where one client can overcome the struggle in a couple of consultations, another will require a long course of psychotherapy sessions.
How to help with psychotrauma
In case of emotional trauma, you cannot do without the help of a doctor; it is not without reason that when eliminating the consequences of emergency incidents, psychologists must be included in the rescue team. But if professional help is temporarily unavailable, something can and even should be done on your own.
First of all, we must try to restore the feeling of safety to the victim - take him into the house, into a protected room, shelter him, hug him. Constant physical contact with another person is very important, moreover, several people nearby will create a much greater feeling of security than one, even if it is a close friend or relative. You should not try to “knock out a wedge with a wedge” and generally create additional stressful experiences - a doctor should take care of the treatment.
In case of psychotrauma, the folk wisdom that time is the best healer does not work. A person constantly replays the experienced situation in his mind and anything can serve as the impetus for “launching” the next round of memories. Therefore, the help of a professional psychologist, and sometimes a psychiatrist, in case of psychotrauma is necessary, and the sooner a person receives it, the better.
