Survivors of trauma can constantly feel intense emotions and have difficulty with trusting people. Relationships and intimacy can often feel unattainable for trauma survivors. They fear becoming close with another person after a traumatic event, or they may feel like a burden to those around them.

How does trauma affect your relationships?

Living through traumatic events may result in expectations of danger, betrayal, or potential harm within new or old relationships. Survivors may feel vulnerable and confused about what is safe, and therefore it may be difficult to trust others, even those whom they trusted in the past.

Can trauma ruin relationships?

Spouses and partners can also experience emotional after-effects of trauma together. Those partners who experience a trauma at the same time may cope with the trauma in different ways, and those coping skills may strengthen or destroy relationships.

How does trauma affect intimacy?

Trauma can make it extremely difficult to maintain relationships as it forces us to constantly remain in fight or flight mode. Feeling constantly on edge and that you need to be on high alert at all times makes it extremely difficult to trust another person. Trauma looks different for every individual.

How can you tell if someone has unresolved trauma?

The symptoms of unresolved trauma may include, among many others, addictive behaviors, an inability to deal with conflict, anxiety, confusion, depression or an innate belief that we have no value.

How do you know youre recovering from trauma?

12 signs that you are beginning to heal. Youre getting better at naming your feelings. When things go wrong, you dont automatically blame yourself. You dont automatically second-guess or ruminate. Youre able to speak up without worrying. Youre much less sensitive to rejection or slights.More items •Aug 9, 2019