The Range of Traumatic Symptoms

The rigid and fixed diagnostic criteria of PTSD as presented in the DSM-V are not an accurate representation of the range of trauma-related symptoms clients present. The Gentle Trauma Release^© Institute believes we need to be aware of a wider and more diverse range of traumatic symptoms that show up once a human being has been exposed to a traumatic situation.

The Gentle Trauma Release Method^© is based on the assumption that a person carrying trauma in their system can display any of the following symptoms. It should be noted, however, that having these symptoms does not automatically mean they are trauma-related. This is why we always spend time taking your history before addressing any symptom with you.

Physical Symptoms

Traumatized people often complain of numerous different types of physical symptoms. The most common ones are:

Chronic pain (e.g., abdominal pain, pelvic pain, back, neck and shoulder pain)
Muscle armoring
Physical numbness (not able to feel certain parts or areas of the body)
Migraines and/or tension headaches
Sleep problems (e.g., insomnia, nightmares, difficulty falling asleep)
Gastrointestinal problems and digestive disorders (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome)
Fibromyalgia
Dysautonomia
Weight issues
Eating issues
Weakened immunity and/or auto-immunity issues
Chronic fatigue
Depleted energy and exhaustion (even mundane tasks cause a lot of stress and energy loss)
Dependence on outside sources for stimulation and/or sedation (caffeine, alcohol, tranquilizers, nicotine, etc.)
Any other physical symptoms that appeared out of nowhere or got intense fast

Emotional Symptoms

These are some of the most common traumatic symptoms in this category:

Constant underlying anxiety
Panic attacks
Phobias and/or irrational fears that you didn’t have before
Feeling emotionally frozen
Depression and/or apathy
Feeling emotionally numb (disconnected, dissociated)
Mood swings
Feeling overwhelmed
Feeling highly stressed
Hypervigilance
Feeling on the edge
Excessive worrying
Feeling like life is an endless battle
Pessimistic thinking
Sense of hopelessness
Anger and/or rage
Short temper
Self-blame and/or self-directed anger
Feeling victimized and/or being re-victimized
Toxic shame
Toxic guilt
Co-dependency
Not being able to protect yourself
Not being able to stand up for yourself
Losing your voice and/or not being able to speak up when you need to
Porous boundaries
Lack of self-care and/or difficulty nurturing yourself
Lacking a sense of safety in the world
Feelings of abandonment
Not trusting in the goodness of others and/or the order of the world
Not trusting anyone
Not being able to feel self-acceptance and self-compassion
Lack of self-esteem and/or self-worth
Crying or sobbing episodes
Emotional flashbacks — out of nowhere you feel helpless, ashamed, trapped, despicable, unworthy, etc. and these feelings don’t seem to be related to something that just happened

Cognitive and Motivational Symptoms

These are often the most overlooked symptoms. In fact, these are some of the most common issues people come for coaching and yet, many times their connection to trauma is not recognized.

Inability to move forward with goals (professional or personal)
Feeling stuck with professional and/or personal goals
Procrastinating on important projects
Self-sabotaging important projects
Concentration issues
Fuzzy and/or scattered thinking
Brain fog
Memory issues
Feeling confused and/or disoriented
Distorted perception of time (e.g., losing chunks of time, time passes way faster/slower than you perceive it to)
Feeling like the future is just a repetition of the past
Not having a sense of a bright future
Not having something to look forward to in the future
Feeling like fight or flight all the time (everything is a matter of life or death)
Feeling everything is an emergency
Exaggerating and blowing things out of proportion (making a mountain out of a molehill)
Difficulty making decisions and/or agonizing over decisions made
Not trusting your gut and/or your instincts
Loss of meaning and purpose
Loss of connection to other people in the world
Not feeling resilient
Not having a clear, solid sense of self
Social disengagement
Withdrawal behaviours (hermit like)
Engaging in risky behaviours
Losing the capacity for intimacy (not just sexual), not being able to let others in
The Inner Critic (the critical voice within) is particularly loud

If you relate to any of the above, please contact me to schedule a complimentary Discovery Call to discuss your situation and to find out how Gentle Trauma Release^© tools and protocols can benefit you.