Trauma is never easy to cope with. Experiencing an unexpected and catastrophic event leaves lasting results that impact many areas of your life. After some time, though, most people work through their traumatic experiences and return to living life as normal. However, if you do not process the trauma and bottle it up instead, it can have more serious long-term effects.
Unresolved trauma does not always manifest in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can cause various trauma-related symptoms that affect how people navigate life after the event. Until dealing with their trauma, people often avoid certain places, people, or situations that remind them of the event.
Unresolved trauma and relationships are closely intertwined because many trauma symptoms influence interactions with friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances. This is especially true for people who experience relationship-related trauma, such as neglect, abuse, or severe emotional manipulation.
How does trauma impact relationships?
People who do not work through their trauma often take extreme measures to avoid experiencing the situation again. This avoidance includes things like not going to certain places, not talking to certain people, or even isolating themselves and staying home most of the time. Unresolved trauma also manifests itself in symptoms like panic attacks, chronic anxiety, mood swings, physiological trigger responses, and more.
On the other hand, sometimes unresolved trauma causes people to feel trapped in cycles they don’t want to be in. For example, someone who had an emotionally abusive parent may repeatedly find themselves in emotionally abusive relationships because while they aren’t preferable, the dynamic is still familiar.
Ultimately, however unresolved trauma manifests in relationships, the resulting dynamics are not healthy. Trauma affects how a person perceives themselves and the world around them, which spills over into their interactions with the people around them. Until they take steps to heal, their trauma responses will continue dictating how they move through life.
Working through trauma to heal relationships
People who experienced trauma will forever view the world through the lens of their experience until they work through that trauma and heal. They often perceive comments or behaviors from even their most well-intentioned family members and friends as threatening. If they hope to live a happy, whole life, they must find resolution and heal from their psychological wounds.
Does this sound familiar to you? Perhaps you’re dealing with the effects of unresolved trauma on your relationships. Maybe you find yourself carrying out patterns you no longer want to be in. Perhaps you push loved ones away for even the slightest offenses. You’re recognizing that it’s no longer working for you, and you’re ready to try something new.
Mental health treatment is a great first step toward working through and healing from your traumatic experiences. You’ll find yourself in a safe environment where you can unpack the things that happened and develop the skills and tools necessary to build healthy relationships and experience a full life.
Pasadena Villa is a psychiatric treatment network that specializes in working with people who have unresolved trauma. We recognize that the roots of trauma run deep and are here to help you as soon as you’re ready. If you’d like to learn more about our programs, call us at 407-215-2519 to speak with an admissions specialist today or connect with us through our contact form.
