Emotional trauma is one of the most challenging mental health conditions a veteran or active-duty military member can face. Having an emotional reaction following a military-related traumatic event is common. These types of stress responses are normal and not a sign of weakness.
While most recover with time, some experience prolonged Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Understanding what happens in such events can help you cope with them better. Read on to learn about stress reactions and problems that occur after trauma.
Understanding Emotional Trauma
Emotional trauma is a natural reaction many people have to extremely stressful events such as a natural disaster, car accident, or military-related event, such as a bomb blast or death of a buddy in combat. In addition to many physical symptoms, it is felt as a range of emotions that include [1]:
- Startling easily.
- Feeling jumpy.
- Always being on guard and alert (hypervigilance).
- Having upsetting dreams and nightmares.
- Experiencing difficulties at work or school.
- Feeling detached from family, friends, or workmates.
- Having difficulty concentrating.
- Difficulty with making decisions.
- Avoiding people, places, and things related to the traumatic event.
- Losing hope for the future.
Where Does Emotional Trauma Stem From?
Emotional trauma in veterans stems from a combination of intense, life-altering experiences during military service, including:
- Combat exposure.
- Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
- Moral injury (loss of comrades).
- Ongoing stress and hypervigilance.
- Moral and ethical dilemmas.
- Difficulty reintegrating into civilian life.
- Estrangement from family due to emotional numbness or anger issues.
- Delayed or inadequate mental health care.
Experiencing Trauma as a Veteran
Trauma in veterans or active-duty military is complex. It often results from a mix of life-threatening experiences, moral injury, loss, and institutional challenges. Addressing it requires specialized psychological care, social support, and reduced stigma around mental health in military culture.
The Connection Between Trauma and PTSD
Trauma is the emotional response to a distressing event. PTSD is a chronic disorder where trauma symptoms (flashbacks, hypervigilance) persist for months/years, disrupting daily life. Not all trauma leads to PTSD—only when the brain’s stress response fails to recover.
Long-term effects of trauma include:
- PTSD (flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety).
- Depression and suicide risk (veterans have higher suicide rates than civilians).
- Substance abuse (self-medication with alcohol or drugs).
- Relationship breakdowns (divorce, isolation, aggression).
Symptoms of Emotional Trauma
Symptoms of emotional trauma generally are of four types [2]:
- Intrusion: Flashbacks, nightmares, and frightening thoughts that can also result in physical symptoms such as racing pulse, sweating, pain, feeling sick, and tremors.
- Avoidance: Intentionally avoiding thoughts, situations, people, places, activities, objects, or feelings that trigger recall of the traumatic event.
- Hypervigilance and reactivity: Feeling “on edge,” always “on alert,” tense, jittery, and anxious, resulting in irritability, trouble sleeping, being easily startled, angry outbursts, difficulty concentrating, self-medicating, or self-destructive behaviors.
- Negative thoughts or mood: Experiencing negative thoughts and feelings about oneself, the event, or others; loss of interest in hobbies; and frequent feelings of guilt, shame, or blame.
The Biological Impacts of Trauma
Trauma affects the brain and the body. Its impact on the brain is complex, with many regions involved. And its impact on the body is varied and disturbing.
Can Emotional Trauma Cause Brain Damage?
Due to extreme fear or distress, emotional trauma results in changes in brain structures, neural pathways, and stress responses. Chronic emotional trauma can physically alter brain structures and function. These changes resemble damage but are not typically permanent following appropriate therapy. [3]:
- Amygdala Hyperactivity: The amygdala is the brain’s fear center. It becomes overactive, triggering the fight/flight/freeze responses. This results in intense emotional and physical reactions.
- Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) Dysfunction: The PFC is the center of the brain’s rational decision-making activity. It weakens and with it a loss of control over emotions and fear responses. This may result in impulsiveness, emotional outbursts, and difficulty calming down.
- Hippocampus Shrinkage: The hippocampus is where new memories form. Chronic stress reduces the volume of the hippocampus. This weakens the consolidation and storage of memories, causing flashbacks or fragmented trauma memories (e.g., vivid nightmares).
- HPA Axis Dysregulation: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a stress hormone system, stays stuck in overdrive. Excess cortisol, known as the “stress hormone”, keeps the body in a heightened state of alert. This leads to exhaustion.
- Neurochemical Imbalances: The neurotransmitter norepinephrine surges, resulting in hypervigilance and insomnia. Disruptions in the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine can lead to depression, emotional numbness, and risk of addiction.
- Altered Brain Connectivity: Trauma disrupts communication between the amygdala, PFC, and insula (responsible for body awareness). This results in dissociation, emotional numbness, or exaggerated startle responses.
- Long-Term Effects: These structural changes reinforce trauma responses. This makes it harder to recover without therapy. Neuroplasticity allows healing through treatments such as therapy (EMDR, CBT, PE) and medications (SSRIs).
Effects of Trauma in the Body
You may also experience more physical reactions, such as [1]:
- Stomach upset and trouble eating.
- Trouble sleeping and feeling very tired.
- Pounding heart, rapid breathing, feeling shaky.
- Sweating.
- Severe headache if thinking of the event.
- Not keeping up with exercise, diet, practicing safe sex, or regular health care.
- Smoking more, using alcohol or drugs more, or eating too much.
- Having your ongoing medical problems get worse.
How To Recover from Emotional Trauma
It’s important to know that you can recover from PTSD. There are a number of approaches, including [2].
- Outpatient therapy: Weekly sessions with a licensed mental health provider.
- Residential programs: Intensive inpatient care.
- Alternative therapies: These include physical activity, mindfulness, journaling, art therapy, equine therapy, and more.
PTSD Coping Skills and Habits
Healing from trauma takes time. Small daily steps can lead to a gradual feeling of empowerment. Here are some ideas that have proven helpful for others [4] [5]:
- Eat healthy meals. A poor diet will increase your stress levels.
- Get regular aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling. Exercise is vital in effectively managing stress.
- Get enough rest, even if you can’t sleep. Rest will help to increase your reserves of strength and energy.
- Set small, realistic goals to help tackle obstacles.
- Redefine your priorities and work out what is, and is not achievable.
- To help stop the constant stream of worrying and anger-producing thoughts, set aside a specific time each day for thinking and reflection.
- Ask for support and help from your family, friends, church, or other community resources when you need it. This is not a sign of weakness.
- Join or develop support groups– sharing experiences with others who understand is often useful.
- Continue to educate yourself and your family about reactions to trauma.
- Look after your partner, if you have one.
Does PTSD Go Away?
PTSD can improve significantly or go into remission, but whether it fully “goes away” depends on:
Treatment and Support:
- With therapy (PE, CPT, EMDR) and/or medication, many people see major symptom reduction—some even no longer meet PTSD criteria.
- Without treatment, symptoms often persist or worsen over time.
Individual Factors:
- Early intervention leads to better outcomes.
- Severity and duration of trauma (e.g., prolonged combat vs. single incident).
- Co-occurring conditions (e.g., depression, substance use) can complicate recovery.
Long-Term Management:
- For some, PTSD becomes manageable with coping skills (e.g., grounding, therapy tune-ups).
- Others may have occasional flare-ups during stress, but regain stability faster with coping tools.
- PTSD isn’t always “cured,” but recovery is possible—many veterans regain control of their lives with the right support.
What is Trauma Informed Care?
SAMHSA defines trauma-informed care as “a trauma-informed approach incorporates three key elements: (1) realizing the prevalence of trauma; (2) recognizing how trauma affects all individuals involved with the program, organization, or system, including its own workforce; and (3) responding by putting this knowledge into practice” resulting in trauma-sensitive or trauma-responsive services [6].
Therapy Approaches for Trauma
There are a number of evidence-based psychotherapy treatments supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. DOD/VA recommends treating PTSD using individual trauma-focused psychotherapy (specifically PE, CPT, EMDR) over medications based on the current state of the PTSD treatment research.
PE, CPT, EMDR
These three psychotherapies are the first-line trauma-focused approaches for PTSD [7].
Prolonged Exposure (PE): A PTSD treatment where patients gradually confront trauma-related memories, situations, and emotions in a safe setting. By repeatedly facing feared triggers (in therapy and real life), the brain learns they’re not dangerous, reducing avoidance and fear over time.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): Helps patients challenge and reframe unhelpful beliefs about their trauma. Through structured exercises, they learn to replace thoughts like “It was my fault” with balanced perspectives, reducing guilt, shame, and distress.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR): Helps process traumatic memories by using bilateral stimulation (e.g., guided eye movements) while recalling the event. This reduces emotional intensity, allowing the brain to “re-file” the memory properly, easing PTSD symptoms like flashbacks.
Finding PTSD Support Groups for Veterans
Here are some support groups for veterans, including both in-person and online options:
1. National & Government Programs
- VA PTSD Programs: Free therapy groups at VA hospitals (in-person/online).
- Make the Connection: Veteran stories and local resources.
- Wounded Warrior Project (WWP): Peer support & trauma-focused workshops.
2. Peer-Led Veteran Groups
- Team Rubicon: Combines service work with veteran camaraderie.
- American Legion & VFW: Local posts often host PTSD discussion groups.
- Cohen Veterans Network: Free counseling for post-9/11 vets.
3. Online & Anonymous Options
- PTSD Foundation of America: Faith-based and secular Zoom groups.
- RallyPoint: Online veteran forums with PTSD sections.
- Reddit r/Veterans: Anonymous peer support.
4. Specialized Nonprofits
- Give an Hour: Connects vets to free mental health pros.
- Headstrong Project: Confidential, cost-free therapy.
Family-Inclusive Help
Family-inclusive help for veterans with PTSD involves therapy and support that engages loved ones in the healing process. The goal is to strengthen relationships while reducing isolation and conflict. Some options include
VA Family Counseling: Free couples/family therapy at VA clinics.
REACH Program: Teaches families PTSD education & communication skills.
Therapy Models:
- CBCT for PTSD (Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy): Addresses relationship impacts.
- MFG (Multi-Family Groups): Group sessions for veterans + relatives.
Nonprofits:
- Home Base (family workshops)
- NAMI Homefront (caregiver support).
Contact Miramar Health: Get the Help You Deserve
Miramar Health is a veteran-owned and operated recovery program exclusively serving veterans. Our mission is to free veterans from America’s mental health and addiction crisis and to empower them to create a better future for themselves and their families.
We understand the complex nature of trauma and offer individualized treatment options that are specific to veterans. Take the first step to your recovery. You’re not alone. Reach out to our Admissions team today.
Sources
[1] US Department of Veterans Affairs. Common Reactions After Trauma.
[2] Wounded Warrior Project. PTSD Awareness: How to Recognize and Treat Symptoms in Veterans.
[3] Bremner J. D. (2006). Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 8(4), 445–461.
[4] Government of Canada Veterans Affairs Department. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and war-related stress.
[5] US Department of Veterans Affairs. Coping with Traumatic Stress Reactions.
[6] Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2014. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 57.) Chapter 1, Trauma-Informed Care: A Sociocultural Perspective.
[7] US Department of Veterans Affairs. Overview of Psychotherapy for PTSD.