Traumatic events affect people very differently.
The implicit memory can surface in later life as nonsensical fragments, or may manifest in overpowering flashbacks of an event. Nightmares may result in a lack of sleep. People may be anxious, depressed, irritable and hypervigilent. Physical symptoms such as headaches, heart dysrhythmias, GI problems, gynecological issues, asthma and chronic pain can be the result of chronically high stress hormone levels.
Trauma survivors may engage in self-soothing behaviours such as prescription or non-prescription drugs or alcohol, altered eating patterns, increased or decreased sexual activity and self harming behaviors.
In her self-help toolkit for managing traumatic stress, E. Vermilyea provides a useful list of traumatic stress responses people commonly experience after trauma.(5) You can download this list (Traumatic Stress Responses) under Additional Resources at the end of this post.
Allen, J. 1999. Coping with Trauma. American Psychiatric Press, Lutherville, Maryland.
Nadel, L. and Jacobs, W.J. 1996. The role of the hippocampus in PTSD, panic and phobia. In N Kato (Ed.), Hippocampus: Functions and clinical relevance (pp.455-463). Elsevier, Amsterdam.
E. Vermilyea. 2000. Growing Beyond Survival. The Sidran Press. p. 8-9.
Trauma Informed Practice Guide, Draft 5. 2012. Vancouver, British Columbia.
Elizabeth Vermilyea. Trauma Informed Care: Trauma and its relationship to Addiction, HIV and STIs. Lecture at BC Centre for Disease Control, 24 November 2012, Vancouver, BC.