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Workplace Behaviors That Stem from Unhealed Trauma
And how to recognize them in yourself and others
As a trained mental health clinician with a master’s degree in Counseling, I don’t typically sit in non-clinical spaces and diagnose everyone — contrary to popular belief. That doesn’t mean I don’t see the issues when they present themselves. I just know that the scope of my role outside of counseling is observation, not intervention.
Still, after I experienced trauma therapy as a client, it opened my eyes to a lot of my past behaviors and why I behaved that way. Suddenly, everything about my history made sense. When we have unhealed trauma, we can’t sit how our behaviors are unhealthy. We often strongly believe in our righteous indignation. We can’t see that it’s a symptom of a larger problem.
When Trauma Comes to Work
Approximately 70% of adults have some form of past trauma. When that trauma is unhealed, we often have disproportionate reactions in the workplace to triggered emotions. We might also show a lack of trust in ourselves and others. There are other ways that trauma might show up at work.
Micromanaging
Micromanaging other people is often a response to unhealed trauma. In an article by Harvard Business Review, they…
