Trauma Report

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Introduction When an individual is faced with a trauma there can be a variety of physical and emotional reaction’s they can experience. Every person who encounters a traumatic incident will experience different reactions. Everyone is unique in how they respond so the symptoms of an acute stress reaction will differ from person in terms of severity (Van der Kolk, McFarland & Weisaeth, 2007). The symptoms that a trauma victim experiences upon initial impact of the incident can be so frightening that it puts them into a state of debilitation, however these symptoms are not beyond the scope of human capacity. (Freidman, 2015). Typically the symptoms that a victim experiences following a trauma tend to dissolve within a matter of 48-72 hours however,…show more content…
According to (Van der Kolk, McFarland & Weisaeth, (2007) the amount of discomfort, dissociation and arousal will be different of every individual who is faced with trauma (p. 90). Intrusive symptoms such as dissociation, reliving the event, intrusive memories and flash backs are commonly the first to be recognized in the trauma victim. The psychological response to a trauma triggers the physical symptoms such as abnormally fast heart rate, tensed up muscles and extreme sweating. These physical symptoms in turn causes more psychological symptoms and it becomes a cycle that the victim feels they cannot stop (Shiraldi, 2009). When an individual suffers from PTSD they are typically dissociative, dissociation is usually the first noted symptom in PTSD. Signs of dissociation would be confusion, stupor, disorientation, and the inability to feel anything (Isserlin, Zerach, Solomon, 2008). It is also common for victims of PTSD to avoid anything that will remind them of the traumatic event that may cause arousal symptoms as well as experience a persistent state of turmoil, struggle with anger, and consistently attempt to make sense of what has happened by reliving the event over and over in their mind (Shiraldi,…show more content…
One biological cause that researchers point to in order to explain the symptoms of PTSD is the irregularity in the HPA axis (Comer, 2014). The hypothalamus triggers the release of cortisol and the pituitary gland releases what is known as the body’s major stress hormone call adrenaline (Comer, 2014). When these hormones are released, a heightened sense of fear will cause the physical symptoms of PTSD. (Comer, 2014). When these symptoms persist long after exposure to the event, it is an indication that the victim is suffering from PTSD and will require treatment to cope with the symptoms. All of these symptoms can disrupt normal living (Schiraldi,
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