Do I Have Medical Trauma?
A Look at Why Going to a Hospital Creates Trauma and Stress
Back in 2006, it was here, at Banner Health Desert Medical Center, that I stayed at for a few days when I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a teenager. Whenever I drive past, on my way to the intersection of Southern Ave. and Dobson Rd., it always reminds me of that time. My diagnosis was so quick, that while I understood everything going on, it didn’t catch up with me until later that my life had completely changed.
Even though the hospital can be a place of miracles and getting better, it is also a place of pain, fear, and grief. We all often have these feelings when we visit, even if we aren’t the ones admitted. We’re usually tired, stressed, and unsure of what to expect. The physical pains and traumas are to be expected, but there are also many other difficult feelings that we experience.
For most of us, we don’t go to the hospital often, so when we get there, we might be confused about where to go. There can be a lot of movement and noise around in the waiting areas and hallways, which can put us on edge. Many staff members are tired and can get irritable too; even if they try to be kind and stuff down their feelings, we can often sense the tension, and it can make us feel more tense! Plus, when we talk with doctors, they might forget that not everyone knows the terms and protocols like they do, and so we can end up feeling dumb or like a nuisance when we ask for them to explain.
Medical staff are often dealing with their own trauma of seeing so many people that they feel responsible for, and not being able to help; to protect themselves, they unintentionally become less empathetic. This can result in people seeking help to feel like their problems aren’t being taken seriously by medical professionals. They end up feeling that their symptoms are minimized, and so they avoid going to seek medical help because they don’t want to feel ignored, gaslit, or made to feel like they should “just suck it up”.
Procedures and the medical care you receive can also leave you feeling violated, because you often have people touching you, moving you, and causing pain to your body even though it is to help you. I see this so often, especially when someone is giving birth. It can make you feel utterly powerless, and you aren’t sure why, because your mind knows that you were being helped.
In the hospital, you are also often given difficult news. Many life changing disabilities are initially treated or diagnosed in a hospital. One out of every three people will die in a hospital. We grieve for our loved ones when they pass away, we grieve for the life we once had, and we grieve for the life that we hoped we would have.
Hospitals bring up so many feelings, and the trauma that they can cause is something that happens far more than people talk about. Therapy can help with those feelings. You can use therapy to process through medical trauma, grief over losing a loved one, the change that chronic illness or disability brings, or even just helping you feel better after working in a medical setting.
