How Trauma Affects Our Sense Of Time

Traumatic events and experiences overwhelm our ability to cope and integrate our experience. Complex trauma is a specific type of trauma that involves multiple or repeated traumatic experiences, often in the context of interpersonal relationships. Complex trauma can include experiences such as childhood abuse, neglect, or exposure to domestic violence.

Traumatic experiences in childhood can lead to the formation of deep-seated emotional wounds that can persist into adulthood. They can disrupt our sense of coherence and continuity, creating a psychological “split” between our self and the world. This split can manifest in a variety of ways, including an altered perception of time, and a distorted sense of past, present, and future.

The past is not in the past

One of the ways that complex trauma can alter a person's sense of time is by creating a warped sense of timelessness. When we experience complex trauma, our brain may perceive time differently, slowing it down or speeding it up. Later on, this warped sense of temporality might come back when we find ourselves in a situation that resembles, consciously or not, one from our past.

In this way, complex trauma can alter our sense of time by creating a sense that the same events or experiences are occurring again. This repetition can represent attempts to right old wrongs, change the end of the story, or find familiar ways of being or relating to others. This can occur because complex trauma can create repetitive patterns of behaviors and in the way we interpret and make sense of our experience.

Sometimes, this sense of repetition come with experiences of heightened emotion, as if we are reliving the past. This collapse of past and present is a central way in which complex trauma stays with us. We might feel as if we are back in an old situation, part of our history that feels alive. We might feel haunted by it even if we are not consciously aware of what is being repeated. In a way, the repetition itself is a form of remembering.

Disruption in continuity

Complex trauma can also alter our sense of time by making us feel that past, present, and future are disconnected from one another. Traumatic experiences can be so overwhelming that they disrupt our ability to form coherent memories or to connect our experiences over time. Our mind may focus on individual details or fragments of the experience rather than forming a cohesive narrative.

This can lead to a feeling of disconnection between different moments in time and a sense that the traumatic experiences are dissociated from the rest of our life. Dissociation is a psychological defense mechanism in which we detach from our physical or emotional reality in order to cope with overwhelming feelings or sensations.

In this way, trauma can impact our sense of continuity, disrupting our sense of self. This can make it difficult for us to maintain a sense of cohesiveness in the experience of ourselves and in our life. For example, a child who has experienced multiple traumatic events may struggle to make sense of who they are, leading to a sense of fragmentation and disconnection from their past, present, and future. This can also impact their ability to form and maintain relationships.

How can complex trauma therapy help?

Trauma therapy can help you expand your awareness and understanding of the ways in which past experiences, including old feelings and emotions stored in our mind and body, are still present today. Through the work with an experienced trauma therapist, you can start developing a more coherent narrative of your life, one that includes difficult experiences that were dissociated.

The process of healing from complex trauma involves recovering a capacity for integration of a sense of temporality and of our sense of self. This will allow you to experience greater continuity and coherence in the relationships with yourself and with others. If you have a question or would like to schedule an appointment to address trauma and complex trauma with our Chicago therapists, please contact us today.

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Photo credit: Kenny Eliason