Psychologically traumatic experiences are psychological damage to the psyche that usually occurs due to an upsetting experience
Traumatic stress is often caused by an overwhelming amount of emotional stress that exceeds one's capacity to manage, or even integrate the feelings involved in that experience into the person's self-image. It can also be caused by being a victim of an attack that leaves the person psychologically scarred and physically damaged. It can also be caused by a traumatic event occurring at home, at school, at work or during sports events.
Traumatic stress is experienced by many people throughout their lives. It is a common occurrence for children to endure a traumatic event in which they were subjected to a violent or threatening experience at some point in their life. A child is equally as likely to suffer a traumatic event as an adult. There are a number of ways that children are injured or even killed by other people's negligence. There are also certain situations in which children are physically hurt as adults by other adults, but it is rare for them to experience a traumatic event as severely as children.
A traumatic event to children is a frightening and unpredictable experience which can leave the children feeling scared and traumatized. Children do not learn how to cope with their feelings immediately after an incident. Even if the child learns how to deal with his or her feelings soon after the incident, the child may still have feelings of fear and distress and may feel like he or she has been hit in the chest or head repeatedly as well as suffering from physical injuries, including bruises. He or she may also feel sick to one side or the other and might vomit.
Children who are victims of this type of traumatic experience usually experience some level of mental trauma as well, although not as severe as the physical injury. Often the child who has suffered the physical injury will continue to feel pain or even experience shortness of breath for the rest of his or her life. The physical injuries tend to fade, but the psychological trauma often does not.
It is important for parents to remember that many children have suffered from traumatic events and that a good majority of these children do not grow up to be abusers of children. Most children who have suffered from a traumatic event will develop appropriate coping mechanisms such as getting support from their family and friends. They may also develop good leadership skills and will usually make the effort to overcome their traumatic experiences. Some of the problems that they may be experiencing now will fade over time, but the child's inability to learn to adjust to the effects of the negative emotions may never totally go away.
Traumatic events are often a major cause of anxiety, depression and sometimes suicidal thoughts. However, there are some instances in which the child who has experienced a traumatic event is able to recover from the traumatic experience and lead a happy and healthy life. The most important aspect of the recovery process of trauma in children is that they need to accept the feelings that he or she feels and begin to move past them.
One method of pain relief for children that is used is hypnosis. Children who have experienced a traumatic event can be treated for their feelings using relaxation techniques that can reduce the emotional distress they feel. Many children also benefit from receiving therapy to help them deal with the trauma they are experiencing and learn to control their fears of the things that caused them grief. This can include helping the child understand his or her fear of going to a new place or having a new person around them, such as moving to a different town or city.
While some children are able to move past their experiences by adulthood, others do not and may need counseling and psychotherapy in order to deal with the trauma they are experiencing. There are also other methods of treatment that can be used during and after the child's recovery. In some cases, parents may have to choose to use one method of treatment while giving the child time to heal on his or her own. However, it is essential to remember that children are capable of healing from trauma.