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Experiencing violence and abuse can affect your ability to live a satisfying life. It can make you feel scared and unsafe. You might often think about what happened. It means you've experienced trauma. With the proper support, you can heal. Here, you can learn how trauma affects you. You can learn how to recover.
Trauma can happen after stressful and upsetting experiences. It could be:
If someone is attacked and gets an injury that leads to disability, they may experience trauma. They may struggle to adjust. It is a good idea to get support.
Trauma can affect:
These symptoms sometimes last for a long time.
You don't have to be defined by trauma. We all can heal and grow after traumatic experiences. Life can be good again.
Triggers are things that remind you of the bad experience that you had. They are different for everyone. It could be:
When you experience a trigger, you might find that:
You have these responses because your body links the trigger with danger. It floods your system with hormones like adrenaline in an effort to protect you. The reaction is often called 'fight or flight'.
When we are in fight or flight, our bodies prepare to respond to a dangerous situation, just like they would have thousands of years ago if we were facing a wild animal that wanted to eat us. In this state, we might:
These are normal responses to trauma, though not everyone will experience all of these symptoms.
Some people have symptoms only at the time of the trauma. For others, the symptoms persist long after the actual violence or abuse has passed. However, it is always possible to heal and feel better over time.
Understand that you are not broken. Your body is doing what it can to protect you but has become overly sensitive to danger. It's like a fire alarm going off when a birthday candle is lit or a car alarm going off when the car is touched gently. Your body has to relearn when to react and when to stay calm.
Working with a trauma-informed therapist or a counsellor is a great place to start. You can find out about different types of counselling on the Neve page Counselling and therapy (internal link).
You could also try to:
You can find grounding exercises and meditations in the Neve section Calm space (internal link).
It takes time and effort to feel like yourself again. You may need support but recovery is possible.
This section aims to help you see more clearly the difficult parts of life, including any violence and abuse you may experience. It shares tools to increase your safety inside a relationship that is violent or abusive. It talks about making plans for a safer future. It considers how disability, sexuality and gender diversity can impact experiences of violence.
Find out moreSomewhere safe to stay. Money to change the locks on your house. A kind and caring listener. Whatever your needs, if you're experiencing violence and abuse, support is available. People with disability may face extra barriers; accessible and disability-focused services can help. Here, we share resources to help you build a safer, healthier life.
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