What Is This Haunting Fear? How Past Trauma Causes Anxiety

Anxiety may feel like a shadow following you wherever you go, causing you to be nervous and afraid without even knowing why. Trauma can be like a ghost of our past, attached to us and lingering in the subconscious. We may not realize the affect our past trauma has on our daily lives, creating vague to overwhelming feelings of fear and a sense of emending doom.

Anxious feelings often seem to come out of nowhere — a sudden sense of worry, tension, and dread. For many people, this kind of anxiety isn’t random at all. It’s the echo of past trauma — your mind and body still trying to protect you from something that’s in the past, but not forgotten. Even if we attempt to block out traumatic events, this only blocks the memories but does not heal the emotional scars. Left ignored, they remain, poisoning your sense of security like an unseen shadow that you can sense but never quite see.

The Scarred Subconcious Mind and Emotional Self

When we experience intense trauma — whether abuse, neglect, violence, loss, or ongoing fear — our subconscious mind and emotional self may learn to stay on high alert, this is what causes hypervigilance: a state of heightened alertness and awareness, characterized by an increased sensitivity to potential threats or dangers.

Due to the severe emotional damage and loss of security, the traumatized subconscious mind and emotional self may act as though the danger is omnipresent. Meaning, to your inner self the danger is never too far away. This can lead to:

-        excessive worry and rumination

-        feeling of expending doom

-        restlessness, tension and irritability

-        trouble focusing and making decisions

-        feeling on edge or easily startled

-        racing thoughts

-        feeling afraid without knowing why

-        sleep disturbances — night terrors, insomnia, waking in fear, fear of the dark

-        social anxiety: feeling uncomfortable or unsafe in public places or with people

-        feeling of fear and dread upon waking in the morning

-        negative self-talk and self-blame

-        low self-esteem and self-worth

-        feeling of worthlessness

-        difficulty controlling thoughts and emotions

 Severe Symptoms:

-        panic attacks

-        stress-induced paranoia

-        social withdrawal

-        feeling frozen and unable to function

Not everyone experiences all of these, but this list just shows how broad and reaching anxiety symptoms can be on a person’s well-being and mental health.

The traumatized part of you still feels that you are in danger, that the world is unsafe.  

The Body Reacts to the Mind

Trauma is stored in the unconscious mind and emotional self — yet it’s felt throughout the body. Tight muscles, racing loud heartbeat, shallow breathing, breaking out in a cold sweat, upset stomach, pressure in the chest, feeling like you can't breathe: these are all symptoms of your body’s reaction to a perceived danger in your mind. You might feel frozen, disconnected, or flooded with emotion for no clear reason.

A part of you has never calmed down after the trauma, it’s still there, lingering under the surface. Perhaps you blocked it out of your thoughts, but certainly not out of your subconscious mind and emotional memory. Emotional damage can cause scars which the mind cannot erase, so it reacts to protect you from perceived danger and your body follows suit.

The Mind Learns to Expect the Worst

Over time, trauma can also shape the way we see the world:

“I’m not safe.”“Something bad will happen.”“I can’t trust people.”

When those beliefs take root, anxiety can become a constant companion, like a shadow just behind you — a lingering phantom of a deep traumatic pain, fear, and loss of trust and security.

Calming Techniques

Calming techniques may help center and ground you in types of anxious distress. Some of these are:

-       Grounding yourself in the ‘here and now.’ Do this by focusing on your senses — what

you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch all around you. This grounds you in the

moment and draws your focus away from unconscious fears.

-        Slow intentional breathing — try box breathing: in: count of four, out: count of four;

repeat until feeling calmer; or grounding breaths: in: count of four, hold for one, out:

count of six, repeat for as long as you need).

-        Mindfully relax your muscles - lay flat and clear your mind. Consciously focus on

relaxing each muscle starting with your toes and moving up through your legs, body,

arms, shoulders, to the top of your head; focus on your body.

-        Meditation – guided or self-created by imagining being in a peaceful landscape:

walking through a beautiful place — what do you see, hear, smell, and feel; what does

the path look like; where is this journey taking you?

-        Positive self-talk: speak to yourself in a way you would comfort a friend; sooth your

mind by mentally focusing on positive thoughts, ideas, goals, surroundings and

memories.

-        Create a comfort ritual — sipping tea, lighting a candle, listening to calming music,

taking a bath, stepping outside for fresh air, taking a walk. Sometimes knowing the

ritual is there to rely on is a comfort in itself.

Connect with Support

If anxiety feels too heavy to manage alone, reaching out can help. Through therapy, you and your counselor collaborate to create a safe space in which you begin to heal and explore your inner self. Counseling provides the support you need to unveil your inner-trauma, navigate damage to your sense of security, create coping skills, identify negative thought and behavioral patterns, focus on positive self-talk and treating yourself kindly, mindfully incorporate self-care into your life, and make goals with the confidence to move forward. Through counseling, you receive the support and guidance you need to heal from the past, write your own story, and really begin to believe that you are safe and not alone in the world.