by Ian Stromberg

Have you experienced emotional, physical, or sexual trauma? Have you found yourself minimizing the experiences because you believe that others have gone through much worse? Perhaps you tell yourself that since your trauma may not seem as bad, your pain isn’t a big deal. 

If a barrier to seeking help is a concern that your trauma may not be significant, I have one heartfelt ask of you: please stop.  Stop comparing your issues, challenges, or trauma to others in an effort to decide if your experience is valid or not. Instead, evaluate the symptoms resulting from your trauma. To illustrate this, let’s look at the American Psychological Association’s definition of trauma.  Trauma is: 

 Any disturbing experience that results in significant fear, helplessness, dissociation, confusion, or other disruptive feelings intense enough to have a long-lasting negative effect on a person’s attitudes, behavior, and other aspects of functioning.

Take note that the definition leaves “disturbing experience” to the eye of the victim and puts its focus on the symptoms. Now, read through the list below and reflect on if you are suffering from any of these symptoms:

-   Mood swings

-   Nightmares

-   Intrusive thoughts of your trauma event

-   Avoidance of activities, people, or events that remind you of your trauma

-   Sexual dysfunction

-   Sleeping difficulties

-   Being easily startled or feeling on edge

-   Emotional numbing

-   Feelings of shame or guilt

This is a shortlist of symptoms that could arise from experiencing trauma.  If some of these resonate with you, then the trauma you experienced was in fact traumatic. And, if untreated, common effects could be substance or alcohol abuse, self-destructive behaviors (self-harm, high-risk sexual behaviors, etc.), feelings of ineffectiveness or worthlessness, or an inability to maintain healthy relationships… to name a few.

If you are experiencing trauma or suffering from the effects of past traumatic experiences, today may be a good day to start seeking the help you deserve and stop feeling as if your trauma “isn’t as bad”. A good therapist can help you work through your traumatic experiences and walk with you in your healing journey.

At River Counseling Services and Sioux Falls Psychological Services we meet you where you are, offering hope.  Our therapists will assist you in discovering a healthier version of you. You may schedule an appointment with the Platte office at 605-337-3444 or meet with one of our Sioux Falls Psychological Services therapists by scheduling an appointment at 605-334-2696.