By Donna Groves, MA, LMFT — EMDR and CBT therapist specializing in trauma, CPTSD, and addiction recovery
Experiencing a traumatic event—or being exposed to repeated emotional wounds over time—can have lasting effects on your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Whether it’s a single shocking incident or a long history of painful experiences, trauma can impact every area of your life. The good news? Trauma responds well to the right kind of care.
At Mindful Heart Therapy, Donna Groves, MA, LMFT, offers trauma-informed therapy and EMDR for individuals ready to understand their past and reclaim their present. If you’ve been struggling without a clear explanation, trauma may be at the root—and healing is possible.
Key points
- PTSD and trauma-related symptoms can improve significantly with treatment
- PTSD is a long-term condition that causes distress, avoidance, and intrusive memories
- Unresolved trauma can affect your physical health, emotional well-being, and relationships
- Trauma-informed therapy and EMDR are powerful tools for recovery
Quick navigation
What is trauma?
Trauma isn’t just about what happened to you—it’s about how your nervous system responded when it felt overwhelmed or unsafe. It can stem from one-time events like an assault or accident, or from chronic experiences such as emotional neglect, criticism, or instability in childhood.
Trauma is highly individual. What deeply affects one person might not affect another the same way. What matters most is how those experiences live on in your body and mind, and how they continue to shape your life today.
Signs trauma may be impacting your life
Unresolved trauma often shows up in subtle, persistent ways. You might experience:
- Anxiety, depression, or chronic emotional overwhelm
- Difficulty sleeping or relaxing
- Feeling easily triggered or on edge
- Struggles with relationships or trust
- Problems at work or with motivation
- Overthinking, indecision, or emotional shutdown
- A sense that you’re “just getting by” without knowing why
In many cases, people who live with trauma don’t realize it’s the root of their pain. They blame themselves, try harder, or withdraw—when what they really need is support to process what’s unresolved.
What is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD is more than just a strong reaction to stress; it includes symptoms like:
- Flashbacks or intrusive memories
- Avoidance of reminders of the trauma
- Emotional numbness or detachment
- Hypervigilance or being constantly on guard
- Disrupted sleep and concentration
- A diminished ability to function in daily life
These symptoms reflect a nervous system that’s stuck in survival mode. Even when the danger is long gone, your mind and body may still respond as if it’s happening now.
How trauma affects daily functioning
Trauma can rewire your brain’s stress response system, keeping you in a heightened state of alert. In this mode, it’s difficult to focus, make decisions, or feel safe. You may feel disconnected from your body or constantly overwhelmed by small tasks.
Over time, unresolved trauma can interfere with executive functioning—your ability to manage time, stay organized, plan ahead, or complete goals. It may lead to burnout, job loss, or relationship struggles, even when you’re doing your best.
The link between trauma and unhealthy behaviors
Many people develop coping behaviors to avoid the pain associated with trauma. These may include:
- Substance use or addiction
- Disordered eating
- Risky sexual behaviors
- Self-harm or suicidal ideation
- Excessive screen time or emotional numbing
These behaviors aren’t signs of weakness—they’re survival strategies. But they can become destructive over time. Healing trauma helps reduce the need for these coping tools and allows space for healthier, more fulfilling choices.
The physical impact of trauma
The effects of trauma aren’t just emotional. Studies show strong connections between trauma exposure and physical health issues, including:
- Heart disease
- Chronic pain
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Sleep disorders
Children exposed to early trauma are particularly at risk of long-term health complications. That’s why early intervention, or healing later in life, is so important.
What makes someone more vulnerable to PTSD?
Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD, and each person’s response to trauma is shaped by a unique combination of factors.
People are more vulnerable to developing PTSD when the trauma is repeated or prolonged, when they felt helpless or trapped during the experience, or when they lacked emotional support afterward. A history of childhood trauma can significantly increase sensitivity to later stressors, and genetic or environmental factors can also influence how someone processes traumatic events.
Even if the trauma occurred years ago, its effects can linger. Trauma therapy helps your nervous system recognize that the danger has passed and supports your return to safety and emotional balance.
Effective treatments for trauma
There are several evidence-based approaches that can help you recover from trauma. At Mindful Heart Therapy, treatment is always tailored to your needs and may include:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): A structured method that helps reprocess painful memories so they no longer feel overwhelming
Trauma-informed CBT: Teaches new ways of thinking and responding to reduce anxiety and improve self-regulation
Exposure therapy: Gently helps reduce fear and avoidance by confronting triggers in a safe environment
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy): Uses mindfulness and values-based living to reduce suffering and increase resilience
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy): Teaches emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills
Somatic and polyvagal-informed approaches: Support nervous system regulation and mind-body healing
You don’t have to stay stuck
If you’re feeling weighed down by emotional pain, trauma-informed therapy can help you understand what happened, release what no longer serves you, and begin to rebuild your life from a place of strength and clarity.
Donna Groves, MA, LMFT, specializes in trauma recovery and uses evidence-based, compassionate approaches to help clients move beyond survival and into healing. Whether you’re dealing with the aftermath of a single event or years of complex trauma, you deserve to feel whole again.
Reach out today to start your healing journey. Call Donna at (424) 835-1727 or complete the contact form and click send.
By Donna Groves, MA, LMFT
She specializes in trauma, CPTSD, addiction, and anxiety, integrating evidence-based and depth-oriented therapies to support lasting emotional and relational change.
Related information
Briere, J., Hodges, M., & Godbout, N. (2010). Traumatic stress, affect dysregulation, and dysfunctional avoidance: a structural equation model. Journal of traumatic stress, 23 6, 767-74
Dimopoulou, I., Anthi, A., Mastora, Z., Theodorakopoulou, M., Konstandinidis, A., Evangelou, E., Mandragos, K.E., & Roussos, C. (2004). Health-Related Quality of Life and Disability in Survivors of Multiple Trauma One Year After Intensive Care Unit Discharge. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 83, 171-176.
López-Martínez, A., Serrano-Ibáñez, E.R., Ruíz-Párraga, G.T., Gómez-Pérez, L., Ramírez‐Maestre, C., & Esteve, R. (2018). Physical Health Consequences of Interpersonal Trauma: A Systematic Review of the Role of Psychological Variables. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 19, 305 – 322.
Sanderud, K., Murphy, S., & Elklit, A. (2016). Child maltreatment and ADHD symptoms in a sample of young adults. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 7.
Schnurr, P.P., & Green, B.L. (2004). Understanding relationships among trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and health outcomes. Advances in mind-body medicine, 20 1, 18-29