The Impact of Psychological Trauma on the Heart

The Impact of Psychological Trauma on the Heart

The heart is significantly affected by psychological trauma. Below are some points that explain the impact of psychological trauma on the heart:

• Increased Heart Rate

When a person experiences severe psychological trauma, it affects the heart, causing a significant increase in heart rate, which may lead to rapid heartbeat. The more the person dwells on the trauma, the more the body loses its ability to regulate the heart rate, which negatively affects all other organs of the body.

• Heart Attacks

The severity of psychological trauma can reach the point of causing serious and sudden heart attacks, which may sometimes lead to death, especially in young individuals, as the risk of death from heart attacks is higher in this age group.

• Artery Blockage

When a person feels extreme stress resulting from psychological trauma, the body increases secretion of adrenaline and cortisol hormones. These hormones affect the heart muscle’s function and may also lead to complete blockage of the heart’s arteries.

• Chest Pain

Psychological trauma is accompanied by many severe symptoms such as intense sadness and excessive tension. These negative feelings cause recurrent chest pains due to increased heart rate and high blood pressure.

• Broken Heart Syndrome

This disease is considered one of the most dangerous conditions that can affect a person due to psychological trauma. The body releases large amounts of adrenaline, which causes the left ventricle of the heart to enlarge. As a result, the person faces problems such as impaired blood circulation in the heart and breathing difficulties.

Symptoms of Psychological Trauma

Physical Symptoms

Here are the main physical symptoms of psychological trauma:

1. Persistent headaches caused by heart function disturbances and significantly high blood pressure.
2. Serious digestive system disorders leading to stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
3. Excessive sweating due to a greatly increased heart rate.
4. Continuous muscle spasms throughout the body.
5. Difficulty sleeping due to constant thoughts about the psychological trauma experienced.
6. General fatigue in the body and difficulty completing even simple tasks.
7. Loss of appetite causing significant weight loss; sometimes the opposite occurs, with the person resorting to overeating as a way to vent negative emotions, resulting in excessive obesity.

Psychological Symptoms

Here are the main psychological symptoms of trauma:

1. Quick anger over trivial matters.
2. Constant fear of everything around the person.
3. Severe sadness that may lead to advanced stages of depression.
4. Scattered thoughts and extreme difficulty concentrating.
5. Complete withdrawal from the external world and a desire to be alone most of the time.
6. Loss of passion for engaging in daily and essential activities.
7. Loss of self-confidence and trust in others.