When a person suffers a tragedy such as the death of a loved one under strange circumstances, a rape, a terrorist attack or a war, it is understood that an episode of that magnitude can have devastating consequences for their mental health in the form of trauma, a wound capable of of emotionally destroying those who suffer from it. However, we do not always have to experience an extreme situation to unleash damage in our brain similar to that caused by a high-voltage situation like the ones we just mentioned.
«When we talk about traumatic events we usually refer mainly to natural catastrophes, attacks, abuses, wars… because it is the simplest way to visualize and understand a trauma at street level. However, now we know that apparently minor events repeated over time can be equally devastating for the emotional well-being of some people,” clarifies psychiatrist Rosa Molina in her book ‘Los microtraumas. How to identify your emotional wounds so that your past does not condition your future’ (Ed. Planeta).
The expert refers to everyday situations such as a breakup or even receiving criticism at work. “These types of events are considered stressful for any individual, but would generally only destabilize them for a limited time. However, they can become a traumatic event for other people, who would need help or psychological treatment to overcome it. This reaction may be caused by a previous state of vulnerability on the part of the subject, but also by the cumulative effect of different similar events and their tendency to repeat themselves over time,” says the psychiatrist at Hospital Universitario Clínico San Carlos (Madrid). . In other words, our brain can handle everything, but not everything at once.
Subtle damage
Mental health specialists have long distinguished between traumas, which appear as a result of a single event of maximum intensity (you turn on a tap of water and the glass overflows), and microtraumas, “which are triggered by an accumulation of of less intense situations, but which end up having a negative impact on the individual” (a hundred teaspoons of water can also overflow the glass).
«These small traumas, which can be experienced both in childhood and as an adult, are produced through microscopic, subtle and often repetitive emotional damage. The problem is that they are often difficult to identify and can be invisible: they are usually so integrated into our functioning that we do not even consider them dysfunctional,” explains Dr. Molina. And she gives an example. “It’s not unusual to hear someone say things like ‘well, when I was little, my parents constantly threatened to send me to boarding school and I turned out great.’ And then discover that that same person generates unhealthy bonds of dependency with their partners. The reality is that we are not aware of how certain events from the past condition us, how they affect our behavior or how we somatize them.
So, why, if the intensity of microtrauma is minimal, is it so harmful? «The accumulation and repetition of adverse situations can trigger a chronic stress response in the body and nervous system. The impact also depends on individual sensitivity, lack of support and resources and, of course, the context. For example, a negative comment in a moment of intimacy is more harmful in adolescence because we are not mature enough to process certain situations,” argues Molina.
These are the most common symptoms of microtrauma
Humor changes Common: irritability and tendency to become easily overwhelmed.
Problems of concentration and inability to focus on daily tasks.
Problems of dream.
Hyper alert: Constant tension, as if you were waiting for the next problem or danger.
tendency to isolation: avoidance of certain social situations.
Episodes of depersonalization or derealization: feeling observed from the outside or not recognizing where you are.
physical pain unexplained symptoms, such as gastric discomfort or headaches with no apparent medical cause.
Difficulty in relationships: excessive distrust, constant fear of being hurt, need to please, relationships of dependency or the opposite, excessive independence.
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