Emotional Trauma and its Processing

This chapter sheds light on the concept of trauma and its cognitive, emotional and behavioral effects, this phenomenon referring to one or more events perceived by the individual as crisis situations, which generate vulnerability and are capable of causing such an accentuated stress so as to threaten the integrity of the psychophysical balance of the person. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is considered a multi-functional disorder, with an accentuated socio-cultural and interpersonal dimension, its impact shaping in the individual divergent and unclear beliefs related to one's own person, other people and the world in general. The dissociative subtype is highlighted, which is represented by tendencies towards difficulties in interpersonal relationships, lack of emotional regulation, thoughtless behavior, lack of memory, as well as withdrawal in imagination. Its neural bases indicate alterations in function and structures involved in a wide range of neural regions and pathways, particularly those involved in sensory integration and self-perception. Regarding the treatment of the disorder, we analyze the mode of action of several therapeutic approaches that have proven to be effective in the context of PTSD symptoms, among which are trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, but and the importance of the pharmacological approach, these two curative modalities having complementary beneficial effects, depending on the specifics of each case. We discuss information from the specialized literature, indicating that the analysis and in-depth understanding of this topic represents a real benefit both in terms of collective awareness of the effects of PTSD, and for improving prevention and intervention protocols in particular cases that meet the described symptoms.