What Are Adverse Life Events?

A traumatic event is an incident that causes physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological damage. It is estimated that anywhere from 10-20% of people will experience an adverse life event at some point in their lives. As a result, the individual experiencing the distressing event may feel physically threatened or really frightened. These events can include things like:

• The Death of a Loved One
• Divorce
• Job Loss
• Natural Disasters
• Social Isolation
• Relationship Conflict/Breakups
• Bullying/Negative Social Media Influences
• Frequent moving/Family disruption
• Physical Trauma/Interpersonal Violence
• Medical Injury or Trauma/Chronic Illness
• Natural Disaster

While most people are able to recover from these events with the support of family and friends, some people struggle to cope. For these individuals, the symptoms of an adverse life event can be debilitating and may even lead to mental health problems.

What Is an Adverse Life Experience?

The phrase “adverse life experience” has become popular in recent years, both within the context of trauma and stress. It’s a term that aids in the distinction between everyday stressors and those that might be traumatic for some people. In a way, the most severe life circumstances that fall somewhere in the middle of a spectrum range from the catastrophic events usually associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to typical, everyday stress, representing extreme circumstances. As a result, traumatic experiences may not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (the clinical diagnosis most commonly linked to trauma). The spectrum of severity may appear like this:

Severe > moderate > mild

Catastrophic trauma > adverse life events > ordinary stress

In some situations, they may be in the dark about how to react or may be in denial about the impact such an occurrence has had. The individual will require assistance and time to recover from the traumatic event and reestablish emotional and mental balance.

Adverse Life Event Symptoms

There are a number of different symptoms that can be associated with an adverse life event. These symptoms can vary depending on the individual and the severity of the event. Some common symptoms include difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite, irritability, anxiety, depression, and isolation. The person experiencing the distressing event may feel physically threatened or extremely frightened as a result.

Examples of Traumatic Events Include:

• Victim of Crime (e.g. attack, robbery, hate crime)
• Physical pain or injury (e.g. severe car accident)
• Serious illness
• War
• Natural Disasters
• Terrorism
• Witnessing a death
• Rape
• Domestic Abuse
• Incarceration within the criminal justice system

While physical or life-threatening trauma is discussed, emotional, spiritual, and psychological distress might be just as difficult for those who experience it

Grief can be complicated in certain situations. The death of a loved one or a difficult divorce might induce complicated grief. Adjustment disorder is caused by life changes such as relocating to a new location, parental desertion, or family squabbles.

Some persons who experience these circumstances may go through a similar sense of shock to the traumatic experiences listed above.

Sometimes these events present significant emotional distress when the strain of the events exceeds the patient’s coping skills. This can impact their ability to function in the following areas:

• School or Employment functioning
• Family Relationships
• Social Relationships
• Emotion Regulation
• Managing or Overcoming Obstacles
• Engaging in or Enjoying Life-Enhancing Activities

Treatment for Adverse Life Events

Here are a few steps to try:

Write Your Way to Healing

Consider recording your childhood adversity story using a therapeutic writing method known as “writing to heal.” Write down all of your strong feelings and thoughts about the most significant emotional upheaval in your life over the next four day. Allow yourself to experience the event and how it has affected you in your writing. You may connect this experience to your childhood, your relationship with your parents, or people you adore or love now… Write for twenty minutes each day, at least once a week.

Even if you subsequently destroy what you’ve written, writing about your secrets has been found to have health benefits.

Begin by Practicing Mindfulness Meditation

Individuals who have practiced mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) have experienced an increase in gray matter in the same areas of the brain that are harmed by adverse childhood experiences, with modifications to genes that regulate their physiological stress response. Adults suffering from PTSD due to childhood sexual abuse who practice mindful meditation or have attended a MBSR course had less anxiety and depression, and demonstrated fewer PTSD symptoms.

You may also practice at any time in your own home. Choose a moment and location to focus on your breath as it enters and departs your nostrils, the rise and fall of your chest, the sensations in your hands or throughout the body, or sounds within or around you. If you become distracted, simply return to your anchor.

Try Practicing Yoga

Yoga increases blood flow to the frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex, which aid in stress management. The amygdala, the brain’s alarm center, receives less blood flow as a result of yoga. Yoga reduces the levels of stress hormones in our bodies, which can help to prevent and treat depression and anxiety.

Seek Therapy from a Therapist

The long-term consequences of childhood abuse are frequently too difficult for us to manage on our own. In certain situations, meditation may not be enough. We must enter into a therapeutic relationship and receive back-up in unpacking the past to resolve unresolved problems. When we combine therapy with our past difficulties, which have been compounded by years of neglect and mistreatment, those negative memories are linked to the pleasant feeling of being witnessed by someone who understands us for who we truly are—and a new opportunity for healing emerges.

Finally, allowing ourselves to form an attachment to a trustworthy individual can be a powerful component of the therapy process. A therapist’s steadfast support allows us to rewire our brain cells that tell us we cannot trust anybody, and create new, more beneficial neural connections. It may also aid in the underlying cellular damage caused by traumatic stress.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful type of psychotherapy that helps people to recall distressing events without experiencing pain in the present. Here’s how it works: EMDR therapists assist patients in recalling unpleasant memories. Patients are encouraged to shift their gaze back and forth rapidly, frequently by following a pattern of lights or a wand that moves from right to left, right to left, as they recall specific traumatic events.

The repetitive directing of attention in EMDR induces a neurobiological state that helps the brain to re-integrate neural connections that have been dysregulated by chronic, unpredictable stress and past experiences. This re-integration can, in turn, cause a decrease in the hippocampal episodic traumatic memories and an activation downshift of the amygdala. Other research have demonstrated that EMDR enlarges the hippocampus volume.

The World Health Organization has recognized EMDR therapy as one of only two types of psychotherapy for children and adults in natural disasters and war zones.

We Are Here For You…You Are Not Alone

If you are struggling to cope with the symptoms of an adverse life event, there are a number of different treatment options available. Treatment can vary depending on the severity of the symptoms and the underlying cause of the problem. Some common treatment options include therapy and support groups. If you are struggling to cope with an adverse life event, it is important to seek out help from a professional. We, at Valenta, would want to help you get through these trying times. We have therapists ready to assist you.

Our ALE groups or individual sessions are designed by integrating techniques and concepts from the following modalities:

• Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
• Family Relationships
• Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

These groups specifically address how to formulate distress tolerance skills, mindfulness techniques, and practices and improve rational thinking strategies to create a broad range of adaptive coping skills. These groups enable patients to develop a sense of empowerment and management skills in order that patients connect to internal strengths, rather than beliefs that stressors ‘need to be removed’ for patients to ‘feel better.’ Our primary goal is that patients re-engage with healthy activities and restore health, such as:

• Improve Social relationships
• Improve Family relationships
• Use healthy coping skills when facing obstacles
• Manage academic or employment difficulties
• Engage and enjoy life-enhancing activities

Our exceptional clinicians are certified in EMDR Basic Training and are Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professionals. They incorporate a broad range of skills and techniques to individualize appropriate treatment. Call now 909-719-7979 for your free consultation.

If you are located outside of the State of California, there are a number of resources available to help you get the treatment you need. If you are struggling to find resources in your area, there are a number of online resources that can help you get the help you need. Here are a few places to start:

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): NAMI is a national organization that provides support and resources for people with mental illness. They offer a variety of resources for people struggling with an adverse life event, including a helpline, online support groups, and educational resources.
• The American Psychiatric Association (APA): The APA is a professional organization for psychiatrists. They offer a variety of resources for people struggling with an adverse life event, including a directory of mental health providers and educational.

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If you know of anyone struggling with depression and anxiety, our qualified therapists are can help. You are not alone and there is hope for recovery. Call us now for your free over-the- ☎️ phone assessment.

 

🏢 Valenta Mental Health
🏢 9479 Haven Avenue
🏢 Rancho Cucamonga, California 91730

☎️ Eating Disorders: 909-771-8023
☎️ Depression/Anxiety: 909-719-7979
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Serving Inland Empire, San Bernardino, Corona, Ontario, Eastvale, Upland, Colton, West Covina, Pomona, Upland, Fontana, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange County and throughout the state of California