Experiencing trauma can change your life forever, affecting the way you think and impacting your physical well-being and health.

A traumatic event or experience can happen to anyone, at any stage of their lives, and depending on its severity can cause a multitude of negative reactions – from mild anxiety and stress to PTSD and physical symptoms.  These symptoms may start just a few minutes after the trauma, and can either disappear quickly (within a few hours or days) or be long lasting, requiring professional help over a period of months or years.  Reactions to trauma can be subjective, and what can affect one person’s mental and physical health badly may be forgotten quickly by another.

There are many effective ways to treat the negative symptoms of trauma, with sufferers being given ways to cope such as spending time with family and friends, avoiding alcohol and drugs, regular exercise, sleeping and healthy eating habits.  Seeking professional help once the signs and symptoms of trauma are recognised can be an important step in the healing process.

A traumatic event or experience can happen to anyone, at any stage of their lives, and depending on its severity can cause a multitude of negative reactions – from mild anxiety and stress to PTSD and physical symptoms.

Signs and symptoms

  • Anxiety
  • Avoiding talking about the event or experience, or situations related to the event
  • Anger, depression and sadness
  • Feeling ‘highly strung’
  • Experiencing flashbacks of the event or experience
  • Avoiding social occasions or hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed
  • Issues with sleeping
  • A lack of appetite or nausea
  • Loss of sex drive
  • Muscle tiredness or weakness, aches and pains
  • Feelings of guilt, especially if others were badly injured or had died as a result of the event or experience

It is believed that long term symptoms of trauma such as stress and anxiety can lead to serious health issues such as high blood pressure and heart disease, so if you recognise any of these symptoms on yourself or a loved one please speak with us today.

Types of Trauma

Emotional Abuse

Signs and symptoms of emotional abuse can include the following:

  • Exhibiting jealous behaviour
  • Keeping track of victim’s time and whereabouts
  • Controlling how and where the victim spends their time
  • Loss of friends or strained relationships

System Induced Trauma

Signs and symptoms of system induced trauma can include the following:

  • Fear
  • Lack of trust
  • Nightmares
  • Persistent paranoia
  • Fear of the outdoors
  • Intense flashbacks
  • Anxiety
  • Self-harm

Bullying

Signs and symptoms of bullying can include the following:

  • Refusing to talk about what is wrong
  • Lashing out at others physically or verbally. For children, it is often their siblings
  • Becoming withdrawn from others
  • Frequent crying or anger

Sexual Abuse

Signs and symptoms of sexual abuse can include the following:

  • Feeling a constant sense of guilt
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Development of phobias
  • Difficulties in relationships with others
  • Inability to work
  • Addiction
  • Sexually transmitted infections

Childhood Trauma

Some symptoms that may indicate a child is suffering trauma include:

  • Unreasonable outbursts of anger/rage
  • Notable changes in eating habits
  • Changes in sleeping habits, nightmares
  • Strong startle reactions
  • Unusually fearful behaviour
  • Slow development

Physical Abuse

Apart from the psychological affects, physical signs of abuse can include:

  • Bruising, broken bones
  • Black eyes, chipped teeth or signs of traumatic hair loss.
  • Bruising to the arms may be bilateral, indicating that the victim has been restrained or shaken

Psychological Abuse

A victim of psychological abuse may display some, or all of the following behaviours:

  • Apathy
  • Withdrawn
  • Fearful
  • Reluctant to make eye contact
  • Suffer from insomnia
  • Passivity
  • Paranoia or confusion
  • Unwilling to talk openly about their situation

How We Help Your Trauma Related Issues

At Brain Training Australia we offer Cogntive Behavioural Therapy, Mental Health Occupational Therapy and Neurofeedback Brain Training for clients opting for a natural & holistic approach to help you recover and stay well. We accept Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Gold Card to cover the full session cost.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic approach used to treat and manage problematic thoughts and behaviours. CBT helps the client to identify which thoughts and feelings are causing distress, and together with their Practitioner develop plans and strategies to actively challenge these. Here at Brain Training Australia™ CBT is integrated as part of a Neurofeedback Brain Training Program and CBT is usually applied mid program.

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is a relaxing process and can benefit anyone who is struggling with traumatic experiences.  You can’t go back and change the past however you can change the emotional attachment to the past.  Suitable for children, teenagers and adults, Neurofeedback is safe, natural, non-invasive and drug free. The client is simply required to relax in a recliner armchair while the Advanced Brain Training Technology detects turbulence or inconsistencies in brainwave activity using an EEG, and corrects it using auditory perception interruption as you listen to some nice relaxing music.

Next Steps

The first step is to get in contact with us and book in for your First Appointment. This will allow you to experience a session, and see if its the right modality for you. We will also be able to advise you, given your presentation, whether Neurofeedback, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or a combination of both would give you the best result. The team at Brain Training Australia™ recognise the unique qualities of all our clients and will work closely with you to personalise your Brain Training Program so that you can achieve your goals of optimal mental processes. We look forward to helping you live a much richer, happier and healthier life.

Bullying

Childhood Trauma

Emotional Abuse

Physical Abuse

Psychological Abuse

Sexual Abuse

System-Induced Trauma & Retraumatisation