When stressful events break your sense of safety, it can lead to trauma. Things like accidents, natural disasters, abuse, violence, or loss can all leave you feeling powerless. These events can cause lasting sadness, fear, and bad memories. You may feel numb, detached, and unable to trust others. But understanding trauma is key to knowing its impact and seeking support and care.
Traumatic experiences most often involve a perceived threat to your life or safety. But any event that makes you feel overwhelmed and alone can cause trauma. Sometimes the event itself is not the root of the trauma. How you experience it may be what leads to trauma. The more scared and helpless you feel during the event, the more likely you are to be traumatized.
Types of trauma
There are 3 main forms of trauma. These include:
Defining the type of traumatic event you have faced can help inform you of the kind of care you receive.
About 90 percent of older adults in the U.S. have gone through at least one traumatic event. For older adults, trauma symptoms can come back after being gone for a long time. Sometimes trauma symptoms appear for the first time, even decades later. When trauma symptoms show up in older adults, they can be worse than before.
Trauma can also affect one’s overall health. Those with past trauma are more prone to develop dementia in later years. Additional physical, mental, and cognitive conditions due to trauma include:
Older adults might not see how trauma affects their health. They may fear the stigma attached to their trauma. Their health care providers may not recognize the signs or symptoms of trauma or how to provide treatment.
But trauma-informed care providers are more attuned to the dilemma that trauma survivors face. They can offer care that meets their needs and offers hope.
Trauma can affect every aspect of your life. Some conditions include:
Physical
Emotional
Psychological effects
Social effects
If you notice any of these conditions, you should talk with your health care provider.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Some people can also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a condition that can develop after a traumatic event that threatens your safety. If you have PTSD, your symptoms don’t improve over time. Often, they may even worsen.
When you experience a stressful event, your nervous system causes a fight-or-flight response. Your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises, and your muscles tighten, boosting your strength and reaction speed. Once the danger has passed, your nervous system calms your body, lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and returns to its normal state.
PTSD occurs when your nervous system stays “stuck” in this state. It’s unable to return to its normal balance even after the danger has passed. Recovering from PTSD involves helping your nervous system become “unstuck” so you can heal and move on from the trauma.
Not all people will have lasting effects, but 6 percent of U.S. adults develop PTSD.
Treatment options for trauma
Trauma alters your whole life, but healing is possible. Many therapies can help calm your nervous system. Treatments exist to help you heal. These therapies should be performed by your health care professional or a licensed psychotherapist. These include:
CBT helps people notice and question negative thoughts and beliefs about their trauma, pushing a more balanced and realistic view.
PE therapy helps reduce anxiety by facing fears. Patients learn to control their breathing and talk about their trauma safely. They slowly face their fears in real life. Sometimes they return to where the trauma happened, realizing they are safe now.
EMDR uses eye movements to help process and release traumatic memories. It reprocesses memories that were not fully processed due to stress, thereby easing nightmares, flashbacks, and triggers. It's best for single-event trauma.
Hypnotherapy is a choice for those who find other therapies, like EMDR or CBT, tough. It involves a therapist helping you relax and focus. This helps cut the emotional impact of certain memories. This can help people feel more in control and empowered.
Antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs can help manage trauma symptoms. They can ease depression and anxiety, making daily activities easier. It's important to work with your doctor to find the right meds and dose. Mixing meds with therapy can address both physical and emotional aspects of trauma. Routine exams and adjustments may be needed for the best results.
Support systems can include support groups, family, and friends. Each can help a loved one with trauma by aiding them in doing the daily efforts that are of great value in their life, talking about the event and their feelings (if they want to), and using coping strategies during stress.
A trauma-informed approach to self-care focuses on caring for the body, finding support, and using self-regulation techniques to balance the nervous system. These methods help manage symptoms and create a sense of safety. It can include:
Getting a good night’s sleep
Healing from trauma can happen with the right care and understanding. Trauma-informed therapies can help people handle their feelings, deal with symptoms, and take back control over their lives. Support can be found from mental health professionals, psychologists, or psychiatrists.
You can also reach out to groups like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) , among others. With support, people can find healthier coping skills, improve their self-worth, and build stronger relationships. The journey may be tough, but with patience and guidance, healing and growth are possible.
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This information is not intended to take the place of regular medical care or advice. Please check with your doctor before using this information or beginning any self-care program. Images used for this article do not depict any members of the Silver&Fit program.
References
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This article was written by Kimberley Reynolds, edited by Jason Nielsen, and clinically reviewed by LaToya White, MSW, LSW, on June 9, 2025.