The Overlooked Cause of Anxiety and Depression: Why Trauma May Be at the Root of Your Symptoms

If you’ve been struggling with symptoms of anxiety or depression (or both), you’re not alone–these are two of the most common reasons people seek therapy. Anxiety and depression can greatly diminish our quality of life, making it feel overwhelming just to get through the day; however, sometimes these symptoms are manifestations of a deeper issue and not the issue itself. Individuals who have endured trauma have a greater likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression, often without realizing the deep connection between their current symptoms and past experiences.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is our response to a distressing event that overwhelms our ability to cope, causing us to feel unsafe, helpless, and fearful. During the traumatic experience, our stress response–fight, flight, fawn, or freeze–is turned on. For some people who’ve experienced trauma and have consequently had their stress response repeatedly activated, that stress response switch can stay on. They may become consistently on high alert, feeling especially sensitive to their environment and potential threats at all times. As a result, their stress response can be triggered by seemingly benign situations. Although it may appear like the person is overreacting, given their trauma history, their response makes perfect sense; they are trying to survive in a world they have learned to perceive, consciously or not, as unsafe.

The Connection Between Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression

Having a nervous system that is highly sensitive and overwhelmed can lead to two common trauma responses: hyperarousal and hypoarousal. Hyperarousal, also known as the fight-flight response, is characterized by feelings of anxiety and/or panic. A person in a hyperarousal state has a nervous system that becomes highly sensitive to triggers, and as a result, they may feel extremely alert, agitated, restless, and have a persistent sense of impending danger. These individuals exhibit symptoms of anxiety and panic disorders. Hypoarousal, on the other hand, is consistent with the freeze response. A person in a hypoarousal state “shuts down,” and may feel emotionally numb, empty, and become self-isolating and avoidant, which are symptoms consistent with depression. In both cases, the individual is experiencing anxiety and/or depression in response to their trauma.

Because anxiety and depression may show up years after the individual has experienced trauma, their symptoms can seem unrelated to the traumatic event. For these individuals, making the connection between their life experiences and present symptoms can be a critical turning point. When we unearth the roots of our anxiety and depression, we can begin to address the underlying issue, process our emotions, and embark on our healing journeys.

Healing From Trauma

It’s important to note that this unearthing process is a delicate one, which is why a trauma-informed approach is essential. At Repose, we offer several trauma therapies that honor the mind-body connection and the ways in which trauma can affect various facets of our lives. Because healing from trauma should be a highly individualized process, we offer a wide variety of therapies clients can choose from, including Somatic Experiencing, Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Expressive Arts & Dance Movement therapies, and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic psychotherapy.

If you’d like to learn more about therapy at Repose, REACH OUT TO US to learn more about anxiety therapy.

- Sarah Panzer, LMSW