Fear of a Different Sort
Frightening things happen to children all the time. They fall off their bikes or get hurt while playing, they’re scolded by teachers, big dogs bark at them, sometimes a beloved grandparent passes away. In most cases children feel afraid, angry, sad, or confused for some time, but then move on with their lives. Even if they recall what happened and once again experience the same sadness or anger, these feelings do not significantly affect their ability to function normally and to do the things they usually enjoy doing.
Trauma is fear of a different sort. When a person – whether young or old – experiences a threat to his life, to his physical or emotional well-being, some very powerful processes are set in motion inside him. His instinctive response is to identify the danger and enter a “state of emergency”, which is expressed physically (rapid heartbeat, muscular tension, sweating or dizziness) and mentally/psychologically (increased alertness). These are normal physical and psychological responses to dangerous situations, and they help a person to deal with whatever threat is facing him. It is no wonder that, following exposure to a traumatic event, and under the influence of these responses, many people – young and old – experience acute after-effects such as sleeplessness, nightmares, or anxiety.
However, it sometimes happens that the physical and psychological “alarm system” that identifies the danger and activates the natural emergency responses, becomes “stuck” and cannot deactivate itself, even long after the danger has passed. Invasive memories of the events continue to pursue a person and he is in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety, on high alert, seeking signs of danger all around him. Or, he withdraws and becomes distant, apathetic, emotionally unresponsive, and avoids anything that may be stressful or frightening. If this situation persists over time, it affects the person’s daily functioning.
Some symptoms of children’s response to trauma are easy to identify. Babies cry more and are more “clingy” than usual. Toddlers regress to bedwetting, thumb-sucking, or stammering. School-age children have difficulty concentrating, or complain about headaches or stomach aches, nausea, or bad dreams. Along with these clear symptoms, there are others which are less obvious and may easily be passed over or misunderstood. For instance, it is easier to notice the problem of a child who wakes up shouting and crying in the middle of the night than that of a child whose face shows no expression.
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