Why do we sometimes freeze in front of a car coming toward us even though we can run and save ourselves? In traumatic situations or unusual experiences involving danger, the human brain operates through the survival response of fight or flight, meaning that we either fight or run away. This response is known among all living creatures. If you found yourself in a forest facing a wild animal, for example, you would either run because you could not confront it or fight to overcome it. Your brain gives your body the commands to confront the danger or escape.

In many cases, however, when someone faces a traumatic or dangerous situation, such as a speeding car coming toward them, we find that they freeze and stop moving completely even though they could escape. They remain standing, stunned and frozen. This happens because the psychological state overwhelms or controls the physical state: the brain tells the body that the situation is dangerous and that it must move, but the fear that has spread throughout the body affects its movement.

What are the types of psychological trauma?

According to psychology, psychological trauma can be divided into the following types:

1. Childhood trauma: This is psychological trauma resulting from adverse childhood experiences or difficult situations experienced by a child. Examples include parental neglect, sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, and being affected by difficult circumstances surrounding the parents' divorce.

2. Acute psychological trauma: This is psychological trauma caused by a serious, pivotal event in a person's life that triggers a reaction. Examples include experiencing sexual assault or losing someone close to us.

3. Chronic psychological trauma: This is psychological trauma resulting from exposure to difficult events and situations that occur successively and repeatedly. Examples include violence and mistreatment.

4. Complex psychological trauma: This is psychological trauma in which a person experiences severely harmful events to the point of becoming convinced that they are trapped by them and cannot move beyond or escape them. This leaves the affected person feeling exhausted, constantly alert, and afraid.

5. Indirect psychological trauma: This is psychological trauma experienced by people who live alongside and listen to those who have endured difficult and traumatic situations and incidents. As time passes and their exposure to these accounts increases, they become vulnerable to psychological and emotional stress. Examples include mental health workers such as doctors and psychologists, or caregivers for people affected by psychological trauma.

How do I know if I have psychological trauma?

  1. Continuously thinking about the incident that caused the psychological trauma by reliving the memory of it in detail.
  2. Persistent thinking about the incident leaves the patient focused on and captive to the past, leading them to disregard the present or future.
  3. The patient continues experiencing negative feelings caused by the incident, such as guilt, shame, fear, and anxiety.
  4. Physical symptoms caused by negative feelings and persistent thoughts about the incident include trembling limbs, chills, intense sweating, dry mouth, a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and a sense of losing control and facing imminent doom. The person consequently feels that there is no escape from this fate, so the body surrenders to it and movement also freezes. 

Fear often results from a person's negative thoughts and the way they perceive the situation they are facing. If they believe it is a difficult situation from which there is no escape, fear will spread through them and prevent them from moving. The body may adopt this response consistently, so these people may also freeze in everyday situations even when there is no real danger. Examples include being unable to speak in social situations or give a presentation before a group. The person may then develop social anxiety disorder or anxiety in general because of the tension that arises in the body during a stressful situation. 

How long does psychological trauma last?

Trauma symptoms may begin early, within three months of the event, or may be delayed for more than a year. The symptoms usually last for more than a month and have a significant impact on the life of the patient experiencing the trauma.

Is recovery from psychological trauma possible?

More than one type of treatment has been adopted for psychological trauma, including:

1. Behavioral therapy: This treatment involves learning how to handle these pressures and developing healthy skills and responses for facing them with a mental health professional. The professional helps the patient step by step and trains them for situations through modeling, using imagination and role-playing.

2. Exposure therapy: This means treating a person's trauma by exposing them gradually to the situation that caused it until they can deal with it fully. This is done by encouraging the person to confront memories connected to the incident instead of avoiding them. It must take place in a safe environment with a psychologist so that it does not produce adverse results.

3. Medication therapy: Medication is one of the common approaches used to treat psychological trauma. It is important to note, however, that medication alone is not sufficient. Psychotherapy sessions based on either behavioral therapy or exposure therapy are also necessary to achieve greater effectiveness in treating psychological trauma. Antidepressants are among the medications most commonly used for psychological trauma because of their significant role in improving the affected person's mood.

Psychological trauma results from experiencing a painful event accompanied by painful memories and details. However painful it may be and however heavily it weighs on us, we must understand that it is an experience from which we will emerge stronger if we approach it with awareness. We will not allow its accompanying symptoms to overcome us. We need only take the first step: believing in our ability to move beyond it and in the success and value of seeking psychological treatment.