 Hey Psych2Goers, welcome back to another video. Have you ever lost a loved one or a meaningful relationship, or perhaps you got rejected by your crush? Were you treated unfairly by your parents as a child? After any traumatic event, it's important to work on the necessary healing. Unhealed trauma can affect our brain and lives in many ways and unfortunately will not die down on its own. So here are 5 ways unhealed trauma affects us. 1. Potential Violent Acting Out Have you ever wondered why some people turn to violence and aggression? In our brains, there is an emotional hub called the amygdala. While the amygdala controls the expression of many emotions, it tends to have a very prominent role in fear and aggression. Unhealed trauma tends to intensify these negative emotions in the brain, such as fear, anxiety, agitation, stress, and so on. According to Carolyn Yoder from Peace After Trauma, when trauma goes unhealed, the normal stress reactions from trauma can amplify into acts of violence. Yoder says that this sort of violence can pass through generations, so she suggests trying to break this cycle and heal as soon as possible. 2. The Potential Development of PTSD It's natural to feel afraid during a traumatizing situation, but do you often feel stressed or frightened even when you're not in real danger? Post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the most well-known impacts of trauma, but did you know that PTSD actually results from unhealed trauma? This anxiety disorder can manifest in many ways. Common symptoms of PTSD are nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of trauma, and emotional numbness. There are many layers and complexities that lie within PTSD, some of which are more recently brought to light. For more in-depth information about this disorder, be sure to check out some of our other videos, like the five types of PTSD. 3. Potential Substance Abuse Self-medication is a common coping mechanism for unhealed trauma. Unhealed trauma makes our stress reactions even more debilitating and can lead to substance abuse. People turn to drugs or alcohol for many different reasons. Commonly cited ones are attempts to displace emotions and avoid the constant impact of trauma. Substance abuse is dangerous and can quickly become an addiction. If you're suffering from substance abuse or unhealed trauma, the effective ways to combat them are cognitive behavioral therapy and treatment programs. 4. Unhealed trauma has more adverse effects on highly sensitive people. Highly sensitive people, also known as HSPs, have the tendency to feel everything more intensely, the good, the bad, and everything in between. When it comes to trauma, this tendency unfortunately still applies. According to Brooke Nielsen from Highly Sensitive Refuge, the characteristics of the highly sensitive brain can be intensified by unhealed trauma. Those are traits such as emotional reactivity and anxiety. If you are an HSP struggling with the effects of unhealed trauma, please remember to be kind to yourself. There are resources to help you overcome these debilitating emotions, and with healing, self-love, and self-compassion, you'll be okay. 5. Potential physical health impairments. Did you know that trauma affects the body as well as the mind? According to a study done by Harvard Health, many people experience behavioral and physical changes like overeating, more adrenaline production, and even more inflammation due to unhealed trauma. This makes them more susceptible to a number of somatic diseases and disorders, such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and stroke. In order to avoid these susceptibilities, it's important to try to get the help and heal from the past trauma. The Harvard Health study suggests a few resources to overcome common healing barriers. These include the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and the National Center for PTSD. The links to those websites are in the description below. Did you relate to any of the things explained in these videos? Did we miss any potential effects of unhealed trauma? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this video helpful, be sure to like and share this video with those who might benefit from it. The references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. Thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next video.