Table of Contents
Can you have PTSD without remembering the traumatic event?
PTSD can develop even without memory of the trauma, psychologists report. Adults can develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder even if they have no explicit memory of an early childhood trauma, according to research by UCLA psychologists.
Are repressed memories real?
Clinical psychologists and therapists who have witnessed adult clients remembering repressed experiences of childhood abuse argue that the memories are real, vivid, detailed, and reliable. They also gathered data that shows the widespread acceptance of repressed memories as real among the general public.
How do you know if someone has been traumatized?
A traumatized person can feel a range of emotions both immediately after the event and in the long term. They may feel overwhelmed, helpless, shocked, or have difficulty processing their experiences. Trauma can also cause physical symptoms. Trauma can have long-term effects on the person’s well-being.
Is it ever OK to tell the trauma story?
It’s not that we wouldn’t ever want to do that—when the time is right, trauma processing* in a safe, supportive environment has a role to play in the journey of trauma integration. But research has found that telling the trauma story is ineffective in bringing relief from symptom of trauma and sometimes can be harmful (retraumatizing).
What is traumatrauma and how can it help you?
Trauma puts survivors on constant high alert, a survival response useful to protect against additional trauma. But this sense of alertness also blocks access to the deep roots of trauma in the body.
Why is it so hard for therapists to talk about trauma?
Mental health professionals who work with trauma survivors care deeply about their clients’ wellbeing and work hard to establish therapeutic relationships that feel nonjudgmental and safe. And yet, in their most honest moments, many therapists admit that asking those intimate questions can be difficult.