Traumatic Responses, Stress, and the Trauma-Addiction Cycle

There are many different life experiences and events we encounter that can involve a traumatic response that involves stress and the trauma addiction cycle. This response to feeling overwhelmed by a stressor leaves us coping with addiction or avoidance-type behaviors. This article briefly discusses an overview of the trauma, fawn, and physiological response processes; PTSD symptoms; the trauma-addiction cycle; and several recommendations for how to exit the trauma-addiction cycle.

Trauma Response Process

The trauma response process involves four stages. The first is our sensory perception. In this stage, our threat response is activated, and our brain responds to danger. The messages to the body include flight and fight, and the sympathetic branch of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) responds by increasing respiration, heart rate, oxygenation of the blood, and flow to the muscles for strength.

The freeze response is part of the parasympathetic nervous system activation. It’s not a thinking process but an instinctive response that is old and programmed to protect us from danger. The body reduces physical and emotional pain.

Fawn Response

The fawn response occurs when we try to appease or please a caregiver who is also a source of threat. It involves people pleasing to the degree that an individual disconnects from their own emotions, sensations, and needs. Bypassing one’s own needs and sense of identity for the sake of attending to the needs of others is a survival behavior. It can feel like walking on eggshells around another person. The goal is that if we please them, then we may prevent something threatening or harmful from happening.

Physiological Response

Trauma occurs when the ANS continues to engage once the threat is no longer present, leaving our body in an arousal state. Because of the mind-body connection, the amygdala may interpret danger even when the ANS is aroused for other reasons. Symptoms may include an elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and rapid respiration. The amygdala only needs about 10-20% of the original trauma material to be activated. Many people often develop an avoidance behavior with not doing things that used to bring them joy. When this happens, our window narrows and life becomes smaller because we want to avoid activating the trauma response.

Traumatic Stress

Overwhelming traumatic life events have lasting psychological and physical effects on the body. Traumatic stress is a psychological phenomenon involving a cluster of symptoms. Most people will experience post traumatic stress symptoms for 3-6 months after an event. If symptoms occur beyond that time, they may be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

PTSD Symptom Categories

• Re-experiencing symptoms: flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts.

• Exaggerated physiological arousal: hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, sleep problems, irritability, anger, difficulty concentrating.

• Negative mood and beliefs: guilt, self blame, numbing, detachment from others, dissociation, lack of interest, and thinking or saying things like “I can’t manage my response to others when triggered, I’m not getting better, and I can’t trust others or myself in these situations.”

• Avoidance: efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, memories, situations, and activities that are reminders of trauma.

• To diagnose PTSD, these symptoms would be persistent and present for over 6-months.

Trauma-Addiction Cycle

1. Pain (discomfort/distress, trauma, or physical/psychological pain).

2. Avoidance (by using substances, food, sex, relationships, gambling, working, spending, extreme exercising, technology or other behaviors).

3. Temporary Relief (positive reinforcement and a break from distress).

4. Continual Use (addiction and use to avoid or numb out).

5. Life Complications (cause increase pain/distress).

How do we exit the cycle?

We need to build knowledge, awareness, stop going back to unhealthy ways of coping and avoidance, and build new reward pathways to allow our brain to heal and produce a healthy balance of hormones and neurotransmitters. This helps us to:

• Become aware of emotions and sensations in our body.

• Be familiar with the physiological signs of stress in our body.

• Establish healthy routines with exercise, nutrition, and sleep.

• Take things slowly and pause or take a break to ground ourselves if needed.