One big misconception about trauma is that a person can “Just get over it”. That is not the case. The effects of trauma are strong and can be debilitating in the long run. The truth is that 1) we are not aware of how events profoundly affected our lives and 2) these events will at some point disrupt our lives. It is also important to know that trauma never really goes away. We can’t just ignore event. We can find ways to address and deal with them effectively.

As humans are we tend to engage in coping mechanisms. The common types are: denial, aversion, repression, rationalization, projection and displacement. Substance abuse is also a common way of escaping but in the long term these mechanisms are maladaptive and harmful. The negative feelings remain and the issue is yet to be addressed.

Even when addressed a client can make good progress but commonly relapses. This is often due to triggering moments or during times of daily living stress. It is also common return to unwanted feelings during the anniversary of an event or during the holiday seasons. The latter is commonly because the person may feel isolated or be reminded about their relationship with family members.

Trauma has many factors to it, as do many mental health conditions. The complexity means that  there are layers to treating the problem. Not a single person would be able to simply “get over it”. Healing takes time and can’t be rushed or over simplified.