The short answer: trauma and anxiety very often go together. In my practice, it’s rare for someone to come in with trauma and not have anxiety too, though how severe it is varies. Many people don’t realise the two are connected, and working that out together is often an important first step.
Why trauma and anxiety so often go together
Anxiety is the body’s alarm system. Its job is to keep you safe by preparing you to deal with danger. After trauma, that alarm system can stay switched on, even when the danger has passed. Your body and mind keep scanning for threat, reacting quickly, and bracing for the worst.
That can look like constant worry, a racing heart, trouble sleeping, feeling on edge, panic, or avoiding places and situations. Often, people describe it simply as “anxiety”, without connecting it to something that happened months or years earlier.
Anxiety without an obvious cause
One of the most common things I hear is “I don’t know why I’m anxious.” Sometimes the anxiety is linked to experiences people haven’t thought of as trauma, or to things that happened long ago. Recognising that link isn’t about blaming the past. It helps explain why strategies aimed only at managing anxious thoughts may not have been enough on their own.
How I tell whether anxiety is trauma-related
We usually work this out together, using a few different lenses: what’s happening in your body, what you’re experiencing day to day, and your history.
Somatic signs: what your body is telling us
One of the things I pay close attention to is how someone’s nervous system responds when we begin discussing difficult experiences. Trauma isn’t always expressed through thoughts or emotions. Sometimes the body communicates distress before a person can consciously recognise what they’re feeling.
Revving up (hyperarousal). For some people, the nervous system is effectively stuck in a heightened state of threat detection. I might notice shallow breathing, muscle tension, clenched jaws, restlessness, changes in speech, or difficulty sitting still. Clients often describe tightness in their chest, a knot in their stomach, or feeling constantly on edge.
Shutting down. Others present quite differently. Rather than becoming visibly anxious, they may shut down. Their speech might slow, their facial expressions become less animated, or they may describe feeling numb, disconnected, exhausted, or mentally absent. In some cases, this can reflect a dissociative or protective response to overwhelming distress. (Read more about the signs of dissociation.)
Changes in the moment. I also pay attention to changes during the session itself. Someone might be discussing a difficult childhood experience quite calmly, but suddenly stop making eye contact, hold their breath, or become noticeably tense.
These responses don’t automatically indicate trauma, but they can provide useful information about how someone is experiencing distress. An important part of my work is helping clients recognise these patterns without judging them. What we sometimes interpret as overreacting, avoidance, or emotional withdrawal may actually be protective responses that developed when the person didn’t have the resources or safety to respond differently.
Symptom assessment
We also look at what you’re experiencing day to day, such as worry, panic, hypervigilance, nightmares, avoidance or numbness.
History taking
And we explore the social and emotional side of your life, past and present, at a pace that feels comfortable. You don’t need to tell me everything at once, or have it all figured out before you come in.
Why “just manage the anxious thoughts” often isn’t enough
Because trauma-related anxiety isn’t always being driven by conscious thoughts.
When someone has experienced trauma, particularly repeated or developmental trauma, their nervous system may have learned to anticipate danger long before they’ve consciously identified a reason to feel anxious. Research demonstrates that prolonged trauma can affect brain systems involved in threat detection, memory, and emotional regulation (Teicher et al., 2016). This can contribute to heightened sensitivity to perceived threats, even in situations that are objectively safe.
For example, someone who grew up in an unpredictable or emotionally unsafe environment might experience intense anxiety when their partner changes their tone of voice. Consciously, they may understand that their partner isn’t threatening them, but their body can still respond with a racing heart, muscle tension, or an overwhelming urge to escape or withdraw.
Telling that person to simply challenge their thoughts may help them understand what’s happening, but it doesn’t necessarily change the learned emotional and physiological response. This is why I believe it’s important to work with both the conscious understanding of an experience and the underlying responses associated with it.
Understanding that you’re safe and actually feeling safe are not always the same thing. For many people experiencing trauma-related anxiety, therapy involves helping those two experiences become more closely aligned.
How I work with trauma-related anxiety
In my practice, I integrate approaches such as EMDR-informed techniques, clinical hypnotherapy, counselling, and ACT to help clients process traumatic experiences, address underlying beliefs, and develop different responses to situations that previously triggered anxiety.
Cognitive strategies can be extremely valuable, but when trauma is contributing to anxiety, we may also need to address the memories, emotional associations, and protective patterns that continue to activate the threat response. Learn more about trauma and PTSD counselling at Bloom.
One thing to try when anxiety spikes: orienting
One technique I often encourage between sessions is orienting to the present environment.
When anxiety spikes, particularly when it’s connected to trauma, the nervous system can respond as though a past threat is happening again, even when the person is currently safe. Rather than immediately trying to challenge the anxious thoughts, gently look around your environment and identify a few things you can see, hear, and physically feel.
- Notice the ground beneath your feet and the support of the chair.
- Name a few objects around you.
- Slowly turn your head and take in the room, rather than keeping your attention fixed on the anxious sensations.
The aim isn’t to force relaxation or convince yourself that everything is fine. It’s to help your attention reconnect with the present moment and recognise the difference between a remembered threat and what’s actually happening now.
For some people, particularly those with complex trauma, closing their eyes or focusing intensely on their breathing can actually increase distress. That’s why I prefer offering techniques that are flexible and allow the person to remain connected with their surroundings.
You’re not alone
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions in Australia. More than one in six Australians aged 16–85 had an anxiety disorder in the past 12 months (ABS, 2020–22).
If you’re in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24/7), or 000 if life is in danger.
Frequently asked questions
Can trauma cause anxiety?
Yes. After trauma, the body’s alarm system can stay switched on, leading to worry, panic, feeling on edge, trouble sleeping and avoidance, even when the danger has passed.
How do I know if my anxiety is from trauma?
It’s often worked out together in therapy, by looking at how anxiety shows up in your body, your symptoms, and your history. Many people don’t realise the two are linked until they explore it.
Does treating trauma help anxiety?
When anxiety is trauma-related, working with the underlying memories, beliefs and protective responses, as well as the symptoms, is often important.
What can I do when trauma-related anxiety spikes?
Try orienting: gently look around and notice a few things you can see, hear and feel, like your feet on the ground or the chair supporting you. It helps your attention reconnect with the present rather than the remembered threat.
Can I get help online for anxiety and trauma?
Yes. Sessions are available online anywhere in Australia, as well as in person in Yarrabilba.
Getting started
Sessions are available in person in Yarrabilba, near Logan, Jimboomba and Beenleigh, or online anywhere in Australia. No referral is needed. Book a session or call 0451 119 353.
