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We all experience accidents. But not all accidents lead to trauma.
Trauma is experienced when an accident we experience or witness
undermines one or more of our fundamental beliefs.
For example, if you drove a car for years without getting in an
accident, you may come to believe and expect you would never be
in an accident. Then, if you one day had a car accident, that experience
would undermine your belief that you would never be in an accident.
The more an accident goes against one of your fundamental beliefs,
the more likely you'll experience trauma.
Physical Effects of Trauma
When we experience an accident that causes trauma, there may be
obvious physical effects, such as bruises or broken bones. At the
same time, other physical effects may be less obvious, such as:
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Feeling tired or low on energy |
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Inability to concentrate or remember
events accurately |
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Pains and headaches due to increased
muscle tension |
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Feeling over aroused; experiencing
sleep problems, including nightmares and flashbacks |
Emotional and Social Effects of Trauma
Trauma-causing accidents can lead to emotional and social effects
that are also often less than obvious, such as:
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Fear of another
accident occurring, or of how you will cope |
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Guilt over surviving
or being better off than other victims of the accident |
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Regret for things
not done |
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Shame over how you
"failed" to respond to the accident, or over having
an "emotional" response |
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Anger toward what
happened, who caused it, or others' lack of understanding |
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Disappointment over
unfulfilled plans made impossible by the accident |
Returning to Normal
Recovery from a trauma-causing accident involves attending to issues
across the entire spectrum of your life:
- Emotions: Express your emotions in order to
work through them, even allowing situations to trigger memories
of the accident. The feelings associated with the accident will
take time to soften, so allow yourself to explore the feelings
you have, even if what you feel is numbness.
- Relationships: Your relationships may shift
due to the accident or due to you viewing yourself differently
after the fact. Be open in your communication with the people
in your life, especially children who may be experiencing emotions
similar to yours.
- Physical: Rest, relax and eat well. Your body
may need more time to recover than you expect, being more deeply
hurt than you know.
- Routine: Keep active, but not overactive.
Try to maintain your pre-accident activities if comfortably possible.
Your Trauma and the Law Offices of Steven D. Weier
If you are experiencing trauma due to a personal injury, you need
time, rest and support to recover.
At the Law Offices of Steven D. Weier, we emphasize
handling personal injury cases . As a result, you can focus
on getting better while leaving the details of your personal injury
claim to our highly experienced attorneys.
If you are looking for the trauma relief you need, contact
us today.
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