Trauma and PTSD*: When the Past Keeps Reacting in the Present

Steve Fillion

Sep 5

2 min read

Note: this text does not replace a professional assessment, medical advice, or legal advice. If there is immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

*PTSD : Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

paysage enneigé et gris avec du brouillard

After trauma, the danger may be over, but the body and brain may continue to react as if it were still present. A smell, tone of voice, noise, place, or date can trigger a very strong internal alarm.

These reactions can be hard to understand. A person may think, “I should be over this by now.”

Trauma responses are not a lack of willpower. They are often survival strategies that developed when safety was threatened.

Trauma and PTSD are not limited to one kind of event

Trauma can come from a single event, such as

an assault,
accident,
disaster,
threat,
or violent loss.

It can also come from repeated experiences:

intimate partner violence,
abuse,
neglect,
bullying,
exposure to fear,
or prolonged instability.

What matters is not only the event itself, but the impact on the person:

helplessness,
intense fear,
loss of safety,
or the feeling that the body cannot relax.

Possible signs of PTSD or trauma responses

Signs may include

flashbacks,
nightmares,
intrusive memories,
avoidance,
hypervigilance,
being easily startled,
irritability,
sleep problems,
difficulty trusting,
or feeling disconnected from oneself.

Some people clearly relive the event. Others mainly feel it in the body: racing heart, tight throat, tension, urge to run, freezing, or sudden anger.

une personne met un parapluie au-dessus d'une autre personne. en signe de protection

Why the body stays on alert

The body’s protection system can remain very sensitive after danger. It tries to prevent another injury. That is useful during danger, but exhausting when the alarm keeps ringing in daily life.

Understanding this can reduce shame. The person is not “too sensitive.” Their body is trying to protect them, even if that protection has become heavy.

What can help now

When a trauma response rises, coming back to the present may help: feeling the feet on the floor, looking around and naming five things you can see, slowing the breath, touching a grounding object, or contacting a trusted person.

These steps do not replace care, but they can help someone get through an intense moment. It is also important not to force a person to tell their story if they are not ready.

When to ask for help

It is important to ask for help when memories, body reactions, avoidance, or a sense of danger affect sleep, relationships, work, parenting, or daily life.

Support can help rebuild a sense of safety, one step at a time.

How REFLEXION can support

REFLEXION can offer a safer space to talk about the impacts of trauma, understand reactions, and identify helpful strategies.

Asking for help does not mean reliving everything at once. It can begin with finding a little more stability.

Takeaway

Trauma can make the present react as if the past were still happening. With support, it is possible to recognize triggers, calm the alarm, and rebuild a sense of safety.