Medical trauma can have lasting effects on the body and mind. Many years ago, before training to be a Psychotherapist, I worked as a Medical Secretary supporting various Consultants around the world and as a Fitness Professional helping people to rehab and recover from injuries and surgical procedures.
In these roles, I witnessed how patients feel so vulnerable when they realise that they cannot control their circumstances, or the limits of their bodies, and have to put their trust in the medical expertise of others.
For the person being treated, this can be extremely distressing and it can leave them feeling powerless and helpless.
What is trauma?
Trauma is what happens in the nervous system. During distressing events the nervous system goes into an automatic, instinctive survival response of fight, flight, or freeze.
It can happen to anyone in any distressing situation where they feel overwhelmed, do not have the resources to cope and are not feeling safe, supported and reassured.
Trauma is an incomplete biological activation – when your nervous system goes into one of these automatic instinctive survival states and releases mobilising hormones that are not fully discharged or reset, you can get stuck in that state for prolonged periods.
What is medical trauma?
Medical trauma can be trauma related to medical events such as serious illnesses, severe injuries, childbirth complications, or various types of treatment. It also includes malpractice and being mistreated by the medical profession.
In these situations you may not always be able to act on your instinct to fight (physically push away or resist), to flee (get up and leave) or to freeze (become still and unresponsive). This leaves your nervous system stuck in survival states.
Feelings of uncertainty and powerlessness contribute to your distress, alongside trying to understand medical jargon, spending time in hospital away from home, relying on others to help you or take care of you, taking medications and their side effects, unexpected complications, acute and chronic pain, or the stress related to making decisions around informed consent.
Medical trauma is sometimes overlooked by the individual experiencing it, or by society, and healthcare professionals. Why? This may be due to the assumption that medical events and the care required are just a normal part of life.
But studies show that medical trauma can be linked to symptoms of significant psychological distress including anxiety, depression, health anxiety and PTSD.
Each individual’s experience is unique depending on your various biological, psychological, and social factors. Trauma is your nervous system’s response to a distressing or disturbing event and it is defined by your subjective experience – the higher your existing levels of fight, flight or freeze are, the more overwhelming your ability to cope will be.
This means that 2 people undergoing the same medical procedure may leave the hospital with completely different effects on their mental health and wellbeing.
Signs and symptoms of a medical trauma
Medical traumas can cause anxiety, shock or feeling numb, panic attacks, depression, grief, phobias, sensitivity to loud noises or sirens, nightmares, disrupted sleeping and eating routines, intrusive thoughts or flashbacks of the event, stress at doctor’s appointments, gastrointestinal issues, chronic pain, and more.
Medical trauma could affect your daily routine, independence, ability to work, socialise, engage in relationships, financial situation, hobbies and much more. All of the above may be life changing and impact your ability to feel safe. This intensifies your psychological distress.
It may even have long-term impacts to your personal identity, beliefs and purpose. I want to reassure you that it’s not you. You are not too sensitive, needy or broken and you CAN recover. Your nervous system just needs the right support to mend and heal.
Perhaps just reading this and knowing how medical trauma may have impacted your own nervous system, can give you more understanding and insight into your symptoms and help you to develop self-compassion.
How are you feeling after reading this? A little less alone? More understood? Relieved? Angry? This blog is just a brief outline of medical trauma. If you are looking for some more individualised guidance or someone who really understands the impact of medical trauma I am able to offer you 1:1 professional and specialised support to overcome your trauma symptoms.