Counselling for Traumatic Experiences: Causes, Signs, and Remedies

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Introduction
Trauma can be generally referred as a disturbing or a deeply distressing event. It is an
extra ordinary stressful event that shatters one’s security and makes him or her feel helpless
in a hazardous world (Van der Kolk, 2017). These experiences often involve a threat to one’s
safety or life, a situation that makes one feel overwhelmed and does not necessarily cause
physical harm. Traumatic experiences are often caused by one-time events such as an
accident or a violent attack especially one that happens in childhood, ongoing relentless stress
such as fighting with a life-threatening disease, living in a crime dominated neighbourhood
and when one is constantly experiencing traumatic events such as bullying, childhood neglect
or domestic violence (Ungar, 2013). Another cause of trauma is for instance the sudden
death of someone close and the breakup of a very important relationship. There are several
psychological and physical signs of trauma. The psychological signs include shock,
confusion, anger, anxiety, guilt, withdrawing from others, feeling sad and feeling
disconnected (Paivio & Pascual, 2010). The physical signs include nightmares, fatigue,
racing heartbeat, difficulty in concentrating, aches and pains and muscle tensions. In this
essay, three different case studies shall be examined to determine the various causes, signs
effects and the possible remedies for the traumatic experiences involved.
Case study 1: Sally
In this case study, the victim experiences two traumatic experiences. First, she gets
involved in a headlong car accident and later she is subjected to a painful physical
rehabilitation for months. We are told that before the accident, Sally was a very cautious and
responsible diver with a good driving record and therefore the occurrence of this accident
could have been a huge traumatic experience to her.

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Several signs as an evidence of the traumatic experience by Sally include her sweating
palms, increased breathlessness, stomach cramps and increased heartbeat rate. We are also
told that it is a year later and still she has not yet driven a car on her own. She has racing
thoughts whenever she wants to get into a car and most of the time, she prefers using a train
to travel. A car accident threatens one’s life, this has made Sally to avoid any stimuli related
to this event and often changes her moods when she nears a car. An individual of this type
may suffer the risks of post traumatic stress disorders such as anxiety and intrusive thoughts
about the accident.
Sally’s disorders after the accident are mostly behavioural and therefore the most
appropriate intervention is cognitive behavioural therapy. She should find a way of sharing
and elaborating on the way she felt, thought and acted during and after the accident. Through
sharing of a stressful event, its emotional effect is reduced (Wilson et al, 2011). Another way
is to stay active and make regular exercises. This involves taking part in activities that do not
bother any injuries that she sustained in the accident with the help of a doctor or a counsellor.
This also helps in erasing the memories of the accident.
Another way is to try to get back to her daily activities and routine. She should try and
eliminate the fear of travelling by a car and also start to drive on her own and while driving,
she should learn on how to be a defensive driver. Although driving can be hard after an
accident, one should practice defensive driving to lower the risks of future accidents. This
involves wearing safety belts and avoiding distractions like eating and talking over the phone
while driving.
Case study 2: Reza
Reza experiences several traumatic incidents. At bare age of twelve, he witnesses his
father being assaulted at the detention centre when trying to protect his younger sisters from

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attack, he witnesses violence and several threats to life and dignity. At this point, we are told
that Reza felt powerless to protect and support his family.
Several post-traumatic signs are evident in Reza. First, he feels powerless to protect and
support his family. He also harbours a lot of anger and aggressiveness; he assaults a
classmate in school. Besides, he withdraws from the others as evidenced by what he says, “I
don’t trust them (other school students and teachers). I’ll fight if I have to show them, I’m not
weak.” He says that he tries to stay away from his fellow students but they do not let him do.
He says that it is better to stay in Afghanistan and become soldier so that he fixes his country.
We are also told that he does not have many friends except the few boys who are his
neighbours. He also feels isolated from the others since he says that the looks he is given by
the fellow students make him feel so mad. Besides, he feels shameful in sharing the
experience. It is stated that at first, Reza could not share this story and was resistant to
counselling. He just says he was glad when they got out of the detention.
Reza also displays several physical post-traumatic signs. Reza lacks the ability to stay
focused and on track. He does not concentrate in class. He says, “I can’t sit still in class. I
can’t understand what the teacher is saying.” The inability to concentrate in class goes on to
affect his grades. He also lacks social support which can be linked to his lack of trust to other
people. He always perceives others as threats and feels better when alone.
After a traumatic experience, like the one above, adolescents usually undergo several
developmental disorders that exposes them to several risks. During this stage a lot of physical
and mental changes take place in the body, these include rapid brain development. Exposure
to trauma at this stage therefore affects the development of the teen’s brain. The exposed
individuals exhibit different rates of adaptations. Some display a long-term health problem
while others adapt with very little symptomatology (Winkle & Safer, 2011). According to