Your trauma may consist of memories of your scary or difficult experience crossing your mind without your conscious effort. You may have tried to avoid anything that reminds you of the traumatic experience.

Trauma can also manifest subconsciously. Sometimes people don’t know when trauma occurs. You may try to shrug it off and convince yourself that it’s not “that bad” or that “others have gone through worse”. Attempts to avoid, forget, or rationalize the difficult experience to ease the conscious mind is usually only a temporary fix. Trauma is often stored in our bodies below the conscious level. It can affect how you connect with other people, and how you perceive the world and yourself. 

You may feel like ongoing fear, horror, or shame. You may feel guilty about the experience, or frustrated that it just won’t go away. 

Your body may respond to cues that signal the body’s memory of the traumatic experience. Your body may feel stuck, reactive, or feel like you need to run away, and it may become difficult to control.