June is PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) awareness month in the United States. While we don’t claim to treat PTSD, awareness of what trauma is and how it may affect some people is important — especially at times when so many of us have been watching troubling events unfold around the world.

The word “trauma” has a couple of different meanings. You’ve probably heard of head trauma or trauma units in hospitals. But outside of physical trauma, there is the emotional trauma that may be caused by difficult or extremely stressful events and experiences. When they happen to you, emotional healing may be critical to your ability to move on.

Traumatic experiences will vary from person to person, but they might include things like:

• The death of a family member, friend, or pet
• Accident or physical injury, such as car accident or bad fall
• Divorce or hurtful breakup
• Sexual assault
• Serious illness
• Natural disasters
• War
• Pandemics
• Abuse
• Moving to a new city
• Domestic abuse
• Being the victim of a crime

Any kind of traumatic experience may cause emotional, spiritual, mental, or physical harm. After having such an experience, you may feel anxious, afraid, or sad as a result. You may find yourself feeling numb or empty. Ideally, those feelings fade over time as you deal with them and get the support you need. But sometimes, you may not know how to respond to the experience, and those feelings may grab hold and not let go. 

Emotional Healing After Trauma

If you experience persistent and lasting effects such as the following, emotional healing may be critical for you. It’s possible that you’ll need the help of a professional therapist or medication to help you recover.

• Dramatic mood swings
• Extreme irritability
• Nervousness or anxiousness
• Feeling hopeless or very sad
• Suicidal thoughts
• Flashbacks
• Difficulty thinking and concentrating
• Insomnia or desire to sleep longer hours
• Appetite changes
• Isolation or withdrawal from things and people you usually enjoy
• Headaches, nausea, or other physical signs of stress
• Worsening medical conditions

In some cases, people may develop Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after trauma. PTSD can only be diagnosed by a professional. This condition may affect how you respond to stress, or bring about intense emotional and physical responses whenever you remember or think about your traumatic experience. If you feel you might be developing PTSD, it’s important to get help from someone qualified to treat it.

Energy Healing for Emotional Healing

Along with any required professional help, emotional healing tools (such as those available with energy healing), may help you deal with the effects of traumatic experiences. For example, The Emotion Code® could help you release negative emotional energy — including Trapped Emotions or a Heart-Wall — related to trauma. Other practices like meditation, mindfulness, and physical activity could help improve your outlook and combat the negativity that could complicate your recovery process.

None of us are immune from experiencing trauma. But being emotionally healthy to begin with may help you with the emotional healing you need after a difficult experience. Energy healing and other practices that boost your sense of wellbeing can leave you better equipped to recover when bad things happen.