Is This Trauma? A Simple Self-Assessment for Understanding Your Experience | Glasgow Trauma Therapy

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When anxiety feels bigger than the situation calls for, trauma might be the missing piece of the puzzle.

Hey there! I'm Rebecca, and if you've found your way to this page, you might be wondering whether some of your ongoing struggles could be connected to past experiences. Maybe your anxiety feels more intense than it "should," or perhaps you've noticed patterns in how you react to certain situations that don't quite make sense.

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As a trauma therapist in Glasgow, I've worked with countless clients who initially came seeking help for anxiety, panic attacks, or social fears, only to discover that unprocessed trauma was actually driving many of their symptoms. Whether you're looking for trauma therapy in Glasgow or simply trying to understand your experiences better, this assessment can provide valuable insight.

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Understanding Trauma Beyond the Obvious

When most people think of trauma, they picture major life-threatening events. While these certainly qualify, trauma actually encompasses any experience that overwhelmed your ability to cope at the time it happened. This might include:

• Emotional neglect or inconsistent caregiving in childhood

• Bullying or social rejection during formative years

• Medical procedures or hospitalisations, especially as a child

• Witnessing domestic violence or family conflict

• Experiencing discrimination or prejudice

• Being in emotionally abusive relationships

• Sudden losses or unexpected life changes

• Accidents or injuries that left you feeling helpless

The common thread isn't the severity of the event itself, but rather how it affected your nervous system and sense of safety in the world.

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Your Quick Self-Assessment: Is This Trauma?

Take a moment to honestly consider these statements. There's no judgment here – this is simply information to help you understand your own experience better.

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Check any that regularly apply to you:

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Section 1 

☐ My body reacts intensely before my mind catches up – I might suddenly feel panicked, frozen, or have my heart racing in situations that don't seem to warrant such strong physical responses.

☐ I avoid certain places, people, or situations – There are things I stay away from not because they're actually dangerous, but because they bring up uncomfortable feelings or memories.

☐ Sleep is often disrupted – I struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, or I have vivid dreams or nightmares that leave me feeling unsettled.

☐ I feel constantly alert or on edge – Even during safe moments, part of me feels like I'm scanning for potential threats or problems.

☐ Unexpected sounds, touches, or movements startle me more than others – I jump easily or have strong reactions to things that don't seem to bother other people.

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Section 2 

☐ I have trouble staying present in my body – Sometimes I feel disconnected from myself, like I'm watching my life from the outside or floating above situations.

☐ Certain triggers bring up intense emotions – Specific sounds, smells, situations, or even types of people can suddenly flood me with feelings that seem disproportionate to what's actually happening.

☐ I struggle to trust my own perceptions – I often second-guess myself or feel confused about whether my reactions are "normal" or "appropriate."

☐ Relationships feel like an impossible puzzle – I desperately want close connections but simultaneously fear them, often alternating between clinging to people and pushing them away without understanding why.

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Section 3

☐ My relationships follow confusing patterns – I might seek out partners who are emotionally unavailable, unpredictable, or who recreate familiar dynamics from my past, even when these relationships cause pain.

☐ I struggle with emotional boundaries – I either have no boundaries (absorbing others' emotions as my own) or walls so high that genuine intimacy feels impossible.

☐ I experience unexplained physical symptoms – Chronic headaches, digestive issues, muscle tension, or other bodily complaints that don't have clear medical causes but seem connected to stress or emotional states.

☐ I have difficulty regulating my emotions – My feelings can shift quickly and intensely, and I sometimes feel like I'm at the mercy of my emotional responses.

☐ Memory gaps or fuzzy recollections of certain periods – There are chunks of time, particularly from childhood or during stressful periods, that feel unclear or difficult to remember.

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Section 4 

☐ I feel emotionally "younger" in certain situations – When triggered or overwhelmed, I might feel or react like a much younger version of myself, losing access to my adult coping skills.

☐ I have an internal sense of emptiness or numbness – Sometimes I feel hollow inside, as if I'm going through the motions of life without truly feeling present or alive.

☐ I'm hypervigilant about others' emotions and reactions – I constantly scan people's faces, tone of voice, and body language for signs of anger, disappointment, or rejection, often feeling responsible for managing their emotional states.

☐ I feel fundamentally different from other people – There's a persistent sense that I don't fit in or that I'm somehow broken or flawed in ways others aren't.

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Understanding Your Results

0-5 Checked: Lower Trauma Indicators

Your responses suggest that while you may experience some anxiety or stress, it's less likely to be rooted in unprocessed complex trauma. However, if any of the statements you did check feel particularly significant or disruptive to your life, it's still worth exploring with a professional. Sometimes trauma can be very specific to certain triggers or situations, and even "lower" indicators can signal important patterns worth understanding.

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Consider: General anxiety counselling or stress management techniques might be most helpful for you. If your anxiety is affecting your daily life, quality relationships, or work performance, counselling can provide valuable coping strategies and insights.

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6-11 Checked: Moderate Complex Trauma Indicators

Your responses suggest you may be experiencing some complex trauma-related symptoms that could significantly benefit from professional support. These patterns might be affecting your daily life and relationships in ways you hadn't fully connected to past experiences. Many people are surprised to learn that symptoms they've attributed to anxiety, sensitivity, or personality traits are actually their nervous system's way of protecting them based on previous relational experiences.

Complex trauma often involves disrupted attachment patterns, meaning the very relationships that should have provided safety and emotional regulation may have been sources of confusion, inconsistency, or harm. This can create what researchers call "disorganised attachment" - a pattern where you simultaneously crave and fear close relationships.

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Consider: Working with a trauma therapist who specialises in complex trauma and attachment issues. Approaches like EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), or attachment-focused therapy can be particularly effective for processing these layered experiences and helping your nervous system learn new patterns of connection.

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12+ Checked: Higher Complex Trauma Indicators

Your responses suggest you may be experiencing significant complex trauma-related symptoms that are likely impacting multiple areas of your life. Please know that these responses aren't signs of weakness or dysfunction – they're evidence of your nervous system working overtime to keep you safe based on past relational experiences, particularly during your formative years.

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Complex trauma often stems from chronic interpersonal experiences rather than single incidents. Research shows that when attachment figures (usually caregivers) are sources of both comfort and fear, it creates what's called "disorganised attachment" - a pattern where relationships feel simultaneously essential and terrifying. This can lead to alternating between emotional extremes of desperately seeking connection and then pushing others away when they get too close. Many of the patterns you've identified likely make perfect sense when viewed through the lens of a nervous system that learned early on that relationships could be unpredictable or unsafe. Complex trauma affects not just your emotional regulation, but also your ability to maintain stable relationships and your sense of self.

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Consider: We strongly recommend connecting with a qualified trauma therapist who has specific training in complex trauma and attachment issues as soon as possible. Look for practitioners trained in approaches like EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, or attachment-focused therapy. Your symptoms are likely affecting multiple areas of your life, and you deserve support in processing these experiences and learning that relationships can be safe and nourishing.

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When Trauma Doesn't Look Traumatic​

Complex trauma often doesn't fit our typical understanding of what trauma "looks like." Rather than dramatic single events, it usually develops from chronic experiences within primary relationships during childhood when our nervous systems are still forming. This might include emotional inconsistency (caregivers who are loving one moment, frightening the next), emotional neglect (physical needs met while emotional needs are ignored), parentification (managing a parent's emotions as a child), witnessing chronic conflict, medical trauma without emotional support, or living with caregivers struggling with mental health issues.

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Research shows this creates "disorganised attachment" - where the people who should provide safety become sources of confusion or fear. Children need attachment to survive, but their attachment figures are also sources of distress - an impossible situation that shapes how relationships feel in adulthood.

 

How Complex Trauma Affects Adult Relationships

Complex trauma creates a challenging dynamic where you simultaneously crave intimate relationships while being intensely afraid of them. This isn't simply "fear of commitment" - it's a nervous system response based on early learning that close relationships can be dangerous.

Common patterns include:

• Starting relationships with intense connection, then withdrawing when things feel "too good"

• Feeling suffocated by love while simultaneously fearing abandonment

• Testing relationships through conflict to see if the person will stay

• Feeling most attracted to emotionally unavailable people who recreate familiar patterns

• Intense emotional reactions that feel disproportionate to the situation

• Difficulty trusting that someone could love you without wanting to change you

• Hypervigilance about others' emotions and potential rejection

• Confusion about what healthy boundaries look like

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The Role of EMDR in Complex Trauma Recovery

As a trauma therapist trained in EMDR, I've witnessed how this evidence-based approach can transform lives. EMDR helps your brain process traumatic memories in a way that reduces their emotional charge and physical impact. For complex trauma, EMDR can address not just specific memories but also the underlying attachment patterns that create relationship difficulties.

Many clients find that after EMDR therapy, situations that once triggered intense responses become manageable. The memories don't disappear, but they lose their power to hijack your nervous system and daily life.

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Finding Trauma Therapy in Glasgow

If these indicators resonate with you, you don't have to navigate this journey alone. When looking for trauma therapy in Glasgow, it's important to find someone who understands complex trauma and attachment issues. Effective therapy requires specific expertise in approaches like EMDR, Internal Family Systems, or attachment-focused therapy.

At Brain Botanics, I specialise in trauma therapy for adults who are ready to understand and heal from past experiences that continue to affect their relationships and daily life. My approach combines EMDR with other trauma-informed therapies, always moving at a pace that feels safe for you.

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Your Next Steps

Understanding whether trauma might be affecting your life is an important first step. Here's what you can do now:

Immediate Steps:

• Practice self-compassion – your responses make perfect sense given your experiences

• Begin noticing your triggers without trying to change them yet

• Consider reaching out to a trauma-informed counsellor

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Professional Support: If you're ready to explore how trauma therapy might help you reclaim your sense of safety and wellbeing, I offer free initial consultations where we can discuss your specific experiences and how approaches like EMDR might support your healing.

Remember: seeking help for trauma isn't a sign of weakness – it's an act of courage. You deserve to live a life where past experiences inform your wisdom rather than limit your possibilities.

 

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If this assessment has helped you recognise patterns you'd like to change, you don't have to figure this out on your own. Professional trauma therapy can provide the support and tools needed to process these experiences safely and reclaim your sense of empowerment.

As a Glasgow-based trauma therapist with extensive training in EMDR and other evidence-based approaches, I understand how isolating and confusing these experiences can feel. My practice is specifically designed to help adults process trauma in a way that honours both your strength and your need for healing.

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Book a free consultation call to discuss how trauma therapy might support your journey toward greater peace and authenticity. Together, we can explore whether approaches like EMDR might help you move from surviving to truly thriving.

Rebecca is a Glasgow-based trauma therapist specialising in EMDR and trauma-informed care for adults. With 12 years of experience providing trauma counselling in Glasgow, she helps clients process difficult experiences while building resilience and reclaiming their sense of safety in the world.