Does Trauma Affect Social Interactions?

Today I will explain how traumatic experiences affect our interactions with others and how we can improve relationships after suffering from trauma.

When we experience trauma, we are changed physically and psychologically. Our brain chemicals adapt to give our minds and bodies the best chance at survival. The trauma becomes part of our memory and predispositions us to react quickly if we face a similar event.

Unfortunately, since our bodies are self-reliant and instinctively self-preserving, when bad things happen to us we question our capabilities and fitness. Self-doubt tells us that we could have avoided this bad experience if we’d made different choices or acted differently.

This is not true! We all experience trauma, and we don’t control outcomes. Because we are inter-connected, not only are we subject to bad outcomes from our own decisions, we also fall victim to the bad choices made by others.

A few examples of “collateral damage” are; getting hit by a drunk driver, catching an illness from someone you come in contact with, or not getting something you should have because someone lied, cheated, or rigged the outcome.

Knowing that we are not at fault can help keep and build relationships during recovery.

During recovery we are highly susceptible to triggers. Our capacity to take on more stress shrinks. It can make us on edge, or fearful since we are on high alert and excessively avoidant of danger.

We will need to build ourselves back up.

Like the airplane safety instructions: We must first put on our mask before assisting others.

Now is the time to focus on us and lean on our friends and family. We need to be with patient and understanding people and avoid high stress situations.

We need to give ourselves frequent reminders that we will recover and be better than before. Also, now that we know what this experience feels like we can bond with and support others who are going through the same thing.

When we are feeling good about ourselves, we have energy for others. But when we are in need, we should take priority.