Emotional safety for trauma survivors

Emotional safety is an emotional state which is achieved in attachment relationships where each individual is open and vulnerable through positive self coping.

If we use maladaptive coping mechanisms to address or regulate emotions, it will have a negative effect on trauma symptoms and cause more difficulties as years progress.

Maladaptive coping mechanisms include: avoiding people, Places, thoughts, memories and feelings. Coupled with negative beliefs such as: “I’m in danger now” and “if people knew…”; each will lead to overwhelming emotions and panic or fear responses.

Also, we can enter an anxiety provoking state or situation and experience physiological symptoms such as: an increased heart rate, muscle tension, spasm/ticks, sweating, dizziness, nausea and cognitive symptoms.

All of which make it much harder to identify the underlying emotion or issue. This leads to emotional distress such as: fear, panic, dread, anger, sadness and behavioral difficulties including a reduced performance in work…