STRUGGLE
The Hard Truth about the Struggle and Stakes of having Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
Acknowledging the Struggle
It can be a pretty hard thing to acknowledge when we’re struggling, but it shouldn’t be when it comes to Toxic Stress, Trauma and Complex Trauma.
It’s important to consider the common symptoms to see if they help you make sense of what you’re experiencing.
Of course you’re struggling. Toxic Stress, Trauma and Complex Trauma are psychological injuries that impact us in all directions.
Acknowledging the struggle is the necessary first step to reaching out for the resources that will help you recover.
Symptoms of Toxic Stress and Trauma
The TABLE shows the increasing symptoms and effects that are typically part of Toxic Stress, Post Traumatic Stress and Complex Trauma.
Of course, each individual’s story and circumstances are different and impact what is involved.
Generally, there is both an inclusion and progression of symptoms with each level of severity.
TOXIC STRESS SYMPTOMS
- prolonged and heightened stress response activation e.g., routinely or persistently stressed out.
- arousal and reactivity symptoms e.g., “on guard”, hypervigilant, jumpy, on alert, easily startled, repeating things to help yourself feel better, quick to anger, irritable, outbursts, aggressiveness, extreme worry and anxiety, impulsivity with words, decisions, actions,
- thinking problems e.g., poor memory, focus, concentration, rigid thinking.
- numbing, suppression and shut down symptoms.
- nervous system dysregulation and narrowed window of tolerance e.g., unable to settle or feel calm, quick to anger, easily overwhelmed.
- overwhelm and inability to cope and maintain healthy functioning.
- trouble falling or staying asleep.
- fatigue and exhaustion.
- digestion problems. (bloating, constipation, irritable bowel etc.)
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS
includes Toxic Stress Symptoms plus these items.
- intrusive symptoms e.g., distressing memories. flashbacks, triggering and sudden changes of state, recurring memories of painful experiences, upsetting or disturbing dreams,
- avoidance symptoms e.g., avoiding painful memories, thoughts, feelings, external reminders, dealing with problems and difficult parts of life, difficulty tolerating painful things
- escape, fantasy or addictive tendencies e.g., overworking, substances, food, gambling, gaming, pornography, shopping, sleep, devices/social media etc.
- dissociative symptoms e.g., feeling out of body, missing time.
- emotion regulation difficulties.
- assessing the “safety” of people/situations differently than most others.
- survival based emotional learning and belief systems e.g., “I’m not safe”, “It’s all my fault”, “No one can be trusted”.
- sadness, and unrecognized and unprocessed grief and loss.
- moral and spiritual questioning and distress.
- struggles to acknowledge and or come to terms with betrayals, unfairness and injustice.
COMPLEX TRAUMA SYMPTOMS
includes Toxic Stress Symptoms plus Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms plus these items.
- betrayal blindness around the various kinds of harms one has experienced and their impact.
- survival based trauma adaptations e.g., people pleasing, entitlement, caretaking, aggression. self-abandonment.
- issues with coherent identity, sense of self. feeling fragmented, splitting
- alterations in attention/consciousness e.g., difficulty concentrating, fantasy seeking, compartmentalizing, structural dissociation.
- negative self-concept and/or sense of shame that shows up in self-criticism, perfectionism, self-destructiveness, underachieving, avoiding mistakes or accountability, feeling bad when something good happens,
- stimulation seeking and excessive risk taking.
- compromised mind-body and mind-spirit relationship.
- abstinence and denying self of basic needs e.g., food, heat, as well as play, comfort and occasional luxuries
- impaired attachment compromising the development of healthy, reciprocal relationships e.g., anxiously seeking excessive closeness and reassurance, avoidant of vulnerability, commitment and connection; disorganized between anxious and avoidant, trauma bonding and staying committed to harmful others.
- learned helplessness, poor efficacy and low empowerment.
- self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts, plans, attempts.
- addictions and other means of managing internal distress.
- repeating and reenacting harmful relationships, patterns, behaviors.
- presence of somatic distress/somatization of illness, chronic illnesses and pain conditions e.g., migraines, GI problems, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue, obesity, heart disease etc.
Recovery Stakes
It’s important to recognize and consider the stakes of Toxic Stress, Trauma and Complex Trauma.
In doing so, consider both the Negative Consequences of doing nothing and continuing to function and live from Toxic Stress, Trauma and Complex Trauma as well as the likely Benefits of leaning into the right resources and recovery.
There are BIG CONSEQUENCES for not Recognizing and Recovering from Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
You’ll Continue:
- Experiencing the Symptoms and Vicious Cycles of Toxic Stress and Trauma.
- Living What is a Really Hard way to Live because Stress and Trauma Use Up a lot of Energy and Effort.
- Experiencing the Far-Reaching Fall Out of Toxic Stress and Trauma.
- Being rooted in Dysregulation, Distress, and Defenses, never quite able to reach calm, connection and capability.
- Having Your Growth and Development Thwarted because Toxic Stress and Trauma Impede the Unfolding of Potential.
- Being Exposed to the Internal Neurobiological Kindling Process of Stress Activation that contributes to Many Health Issues.
- Living Disconnected from Your SELF because Toxic Stress and Trauma obscure and/or fragment the self.
- To be Tethered to Painful Experiences from the Past and their Emotional Learning reliving, repeating and replaying.
- Contributing (without meaning to) to the Continuation of Cycles of Stress and Trauma, either by being victimized or unintentionally victimizing others.
- Being Compromised in how you Show Up for the Most Important Relationships as a parent, partner, and friend.
- Experiencing the Collateral Consequences of Toxic Stress and Trauma(s) in many areas of your Life: health, at work, finances, hobbies, contribution.
There are BIG BENEFITS for Recognizing and Recovering from Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
You’ll:
- Free Yourself from the Far-Reaching Effects of Toxic Stress and/or Trauma.
- Be Supported to See and Understand What’s Happened, How It Affected You and to Respond in a way that Leads to Processing, Integrating and Moving Forward.
- Slowly and continually Free Up all of the energy and effort that living with Stress Related Conditions and Trauma takes.
- Reconnect With and engage from SELF more easily and consistently.
- Restart the Growth and Development Process toward your potential.
- Slow Down or Start to Reverse the Health Impacts of the Internal Neurobiological Kindling Process of stress activation.
- Break the Vicious Symptom Cycles and Start Moving Forward Again.
- Face and Grieve the past, reconsolidate outdated emotional learnings so you can Move Fully into the Present and Look Toward the Future.
- Break the Long-Lasting and often Recurring Patterns of that repeat over a lifetime and often over generations.
- Restore your Relational Ability to Engage in Healthy Ways as a Parent, Partner and Friend.
- Halt the Collateral Consequence of Toxic Stress and Trauma(s) in the many areas of your life and Develop the Internal Resources to bring these Areas back to Stability and Maybe even Start to Level Up your Impact in the world.
- Gain Post-Traumatic Growth such as Increased Compassion, Meaning, Presence, Wisdom, and Resilience.