Medical Trauma And Chronic Illness
When asking why medical trauma is seen so often in our community, it is important for us to first consider what causes trauma.
Significant losses, pain, and frightening/stressful events can contribute towards trauma, though the degree to which they impact us individually will vary.
Given the incidence of medical gaslighting alongside the loss, grief, painful symptoms, surgeries, medical appointments, medical procedures, emergency department visits, and potential hospitalizations, medical trauma is often experienced within our community of chronic illness warriors.
It is important to note that what our community goes through and navigates on a daily basis, would potentially be traumatic for an individual even when experienced over the course of a few hours or a few weeks; therefore, what we navigate daily is quite significant.
There is no room for shame, blame, or stigmatizing trauma and/or medical trauma.
We must take time to understand, listen, and provide compassion.
Individuals in our community are some of the fiercest humans we know, but as beautiful as that resilience is, it has stemmed from and blossomed from significant pain, and sometimes suffering.
Sudden or even gradual changes to our health can be traumatic, and sometimes individuals in our community are reminded of their trauma in painful ways (also known as being triggered), daily. Please be mindful of this, and if you are reading this and believe you may have experienced medical trauma, please know you are not alone.
Because many on our team here at A4P also have experienced medical trauma, it is something we understand, can relate to, and want to shed light on.