Trauma-Based Anxiety

The following page shows examples of how trauma-based issues create or enhance or confuse the diagnosis of anxiety disorders.

Severe, long-term trauma changes the way people view life and anything and everything that occurs in life. Some fears may not seem unrealistic once the trauma memories are processed, and clear explanations for the fears are understood. In other instances, some fears are genuine, realistic, and have absolutely nothing to do with an anxiety disorder – these fears are about real and true dangers that threaten the current safety of the person.

For the dissociative person, any level of amnesia can intensify the anxiety produced in the situation. The lack of knowledge and non-awareness as to what is happening behind the dissociative wall will make the situation feel even more out of control. Again, any unprocessed past or current trauma will highly complicate the situation in terms of not knowing what the anxiety is actually about, and in not knowing whether the anxiety is actually “realistic and necessary” or not.

Some trauma-based issues that overlap with issues re: panic attacks:

Sudden exposure to a trigger that is symbolic of a traumatic occurrence
Sudden contact or perceived contact with an abuser
Ongoing and current abuse experiences that are dissociated by the host personality or any other part of the system
Telephone calls or other “call back” or accessing triggers
Memories of near-death experiences, i.e.: being smothered
Memories of being locked in small spaces, i.e.: dark closets
Memories of being spun around (re: dizziness)
Memories of oral sexual abuse (re: choking)

Some trauma-based issues that overlap with issues re: generalized anxiety:

System conflict leading to muscle tension, headaches, and fidgeting
Triggers of any abuse or trauma memory causing fear and worry
Memories of being tied, bound, or restricted (re: tingling hands and feet)
The belief of “something terrible happening” which is the dissociated non-awareness of actual current and ongoing abuse
Programmed or “required irritability and impatience” with social contacts and safe friends
Leaving the house in the middle of the night to participate in ongoing traumatic activities that lead to “interrupted sleep”
Internal system noise, chaos, and activity causing “difficulties with concentration”

Some trauma-based issues that overlap with issues re: phobias:

Triggers of specific items used, seen, heard, or smelled at a traumatic event
Programmed or “required” fears (phobias) of specific items, activities or people
System induced “blinding” or “blocking” of triggered information or commands – thus making the fears seem unrealistic
Realistic fears of objects, activities, or situations that have repeatedly caused harm, but the trauma memories may not yet be processed by the person

Some trauma-based issues that overlap issues re: agoraphobia:

Having realistic fears about being triggered or contacted by an abuser in a public place, i.e.: grocery store
Having too much internal stimuli from the internal system, consequently overloading the senses, and therefore making it hard to be in stimulating, crowded environments
Having been purposefully programmed and trained to respond to cues via lights, colors, sounds, numbers, etc, making it extremely difficult to not have trained responses and internal switches to this stimuli
Memories of abuse that occurred at times of being alone with no help available
The negative, damaging use of tunnels or elevators in hypnotic suggestions, programming, and mind control
Programmed and “required isolation” before and / or after traumatic events and current contact with abusers

Some trauma-based issues that overlap with issues re: social anxiety disorder:

Memories of having been repeatedly abused leading to a fear of people
Memories of extremely traumatic events causing public humiliation or embarrassment
“Training” and abusive expectations to never draw attention to oneself in public
Memories of excessive abuse and punishment for doing something “wrong”
Excessive and repeated restrictions to “not write or tell” about the abuse (re: fear of writing in front of others)
Memories of being poisoned or given “bad food” when it was prepared by anyone else but themselves (re: fear of eating in public)

Some trauma-based issues that overlap with issues re: obsessive-compulsive disorder:

Memories of trauma causing the person to not feel clean (leading to compulsive washing, showering, etc.)
Programming or mind control training requiring repetitious or hypnotic behavior
Repeated internalized listening of programming tapes and internalized instructions from abusers (intrusive thoughts not coming from the person themselves)
Rigid beliefs and training about self harm, self punishment, “required” self destruction (leading to compulsions about self injury)
Trauma-based repetitions of behaviors required during the time of the trauma but not yet processed or resolved (leading to compulsive behaviors)

If you would like to process any of these issues, please consider a clinical consultation.