The Myth of Normal

Learn to identify trauma

Instructions

Ask yourself: Do you feel disconnected from your body?
It is common for people to split from their bodies during a traumatic situation. This is especially true of children when being abused. By separating from your physical body, you protect yourself from what is happening. But this coping mechanism remains in later life, and people often feel like they are constantly ‘in their head’ and feel disconnected from their bodies.
Ask yourself: Are you unable to listen to your gut feelings?
Our body gives us a lot of information about our well-being. Listening to gut feelings or tension in the body can alert us when something is troubling us, or we don’t feel safe. But people that have experienced trauma often shut off from all of their feelings as a defense mechanism, much like they disconnect from their bodies. This means that they are unable to listen to those gut feelings.
Ask yourself: Do past experiences drive your reaction to situations?
Response flexibility is the way we react to a situation. We consider the facts of a situation and decide on an appropriate emotional response. However, in people that have experienced trauma, certain situations can bring up difficult feelings from past experiences and drive their reaction to situations. They have no flexibility, they have a knee-jerk reaction based on old feelings instead.
Ask yourself: Do you view yourself negatively?
Most people that have experienced trauma have a negative view of themselves. They may blame themselves for the traumatic experience and the negative feelings that it has caused since. This is especially true for people who have developed trauma-related addiction problems.
Ask yourself: Do you find it hard to live in the present?
Being present and mindful is key to good mental health, but trauma prevents that from happening. Instead, people are disconnected from their bodies, constantly living in old emotions and replaying negative thoughts about themselves.