How to identify types of trauma and how to heal

9 September 2019 1:14 PM

The recent spike of gender-based violence and the sporadic xenophobic attacks in South Africa have left a lot of people reliving traumas they suffered.

Eusebius McKaiser chats to clinical psychologist Audrey Katsidzira, who gives more insight into the different types of traumas.

Katsidzira says a lot of people have experienced vicarious trauma which is trauma that comes after someone hears bad news.

When you are exposed to a lot of bad news and a lot of graphic images and harm that is brought to other people, there has to be an adverse effect on a person. Then people will then suffer a form of burnout or a traumatic reaction.
— Audrey Katsidzira, Clinical psychologist

She adds that there are symptoms of vicarious trauma that a person can suffer from and those include physiological, behavioural and physical.

It is a question of really seeing which aspect of you is communicating to you that you are not ok.
— Audrey Katsidzira, Clinical psychologist

Katsidzira can identify physical trauma with symptoms like exhaustion, headaches and be susceptible to illness.

When it comes to behaviour, you can find yourself irritable and avoiding people and a person with depression symptoms could have experienced vicarious trauma.
— Audrey Katsidzira, Clinical psychologist

She says in order to heal from trauma, people need to take time out and have compassion for their experiences.

Listen below to the full conversation:

Written by: Matshepo Sehloho