The Basics of Trauma 

Every individual responds to trauma differently.

Some athlete survivors may experience many symptoms, while others may experience none. Traumatic events have the potential to disrupt our ability to grasp or cope with what is happening, leading to:

• Sadness
• Grief
• Pain
• Panic
• Confusion
• Despair
• Anxiety
• Depression

Not all trauma responses cause psychological difficulties or have major impacts on mental health. There is no single trauma response. Instead, the context of the trauma and the experiences of the person determine the reaction and symptoms. Trauma impacts us all differently.

Trauma responses may be emotional and/or physical.

Emotional

• Negative views of the world or oneself
• Numbness, not able to feel or identify emotions
• Increased vigilance/feeling like you are constantly “on-guard”
• Feeling detached from self and others
• Avoidance
• Guilt or shame
• Irritability/impatient
• Distrust of others
• Easily agitated

Physical

• Trouble sleeping; feeling very tired
• Pounding heart, rapid breathing
• Sweating
• Severe headaches
• Issues with work or school
• Scaring easily; jumpy
• “Unexplained” pains and aches
• Inability to engage in exercise, regular diet, health care
• Substance (mis)use
• Chronic medical problems occur and/or get worse
• Disturbing dreams/flashbacks
• Heightened sensitivity to physical contact

* These lists are not exhaustive and may not capture all trauma impacts

Trauma plays a role in how the brain functions.

Cerebral cortex:

• Is the outermost level of the brain and controls memory, thinking, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Prefrontal cortex:

• A subsection of the frontal lobe
• Serves our highest-order cognitive abilities like moral judgment, personality, and executive functioning. 
• This region of the brain is very sensitive to stress exposure

Hippocampus & Amygdala (Limbic Region):

• Controls anxiety, aggression, fear conditioning, emotional memory and social cognition.
• Regulates the autonomic nervous system via hormone production and release and regulates blood pressure, heart rate, hunger, thirst, and sleep/wake cycle
• Hippocampus controls memory, learning, and sensory information
• Amygdala controls decision making, fight-or-flight response, etc.

Brainstem

• Is the stem-like section of the brain that connects the brain to the spinal cord and the rest of the body.
• It is responsible for involuntary functions, such as motor control, breathing, and heart rate. 
• It is often termed the “reptilian brain” or the most basic part of the brain for sustaining life.

When someone is calm, regulated, and safe, their brain is fully functioning and all parts are working appropriately and working in connection with each other.

When a person experiences trauma, they may “flip their lid” causing the prefrontal cortex (the strategic and executive function part of the brain) to go “off-line”. When this happens a person may not be able to access higher orders of cognition like values, ethics, complex problem solving, and interests, and can only access the limbic region and involuntary responses including potential for anxiety, aggression, and fear.

Quick reactions to violence and danger can serve us well. But in the long term, this trauma reaction can impact our reactions and memory even when we are not directly experiencing trauma or danger.

Athletes may experience varying degrees of traumatic stress and traumatic response.

Almost everyone has experienced some form of trauma, but how it impacts us varies drastically. In the case of athletes and in the sports world, trauma reactions can show up differently.

Different factors influence the level and type of traumatic response a person experiences. For instance, the age the athlete was when they experienced abuse in sport could impact their understanding and reaction to trauma. Other factors include: how often it happened, how long it occurred, whether they were exposed directly or indirectly to the harm, the intensity of violence, and if the athlete experienced additional traumatic events in addition to abuse in sport.

Triggers, also known as trauma reminders, are trauma responses that occur when there is no immediate trauma being experienced.

These trauma reminders take over a person’s physical and emotional response as if the trauma were happening in real time. Triggers come in many forms and are unique to the individual that experienced the trauma as well as the experience itself.

Places, sounds, smells, images, situations, and individuals that unintentionally remind someone of a past traumatic event can cause a reaction and be considered triggers. 

Experiencing a trigger may cause us to feel uneasy or afraid. Sometimes we know why we are feeling a certain way and other times we are not sure. Recognizing when we are being triggered is an important part of building the skills to manage our trauma responses.