Date published: 13 July 2026
They say when you know, you know – or do you?
Traumatic events can take their toll without us realising. We talk to a woman who has found solace in choppy waters and an expert tells how to spot the signs.
Karen Ennis swims channels for charity. A determination to battle through adversity is a trademark of the 53 year old IT manager.
Faced with the loss of two babies at 39 and the tragic death of her husband a few years later, Karen’s will to stay strong masked the devastation of trauma on her mind and body.
She and partner Gary met young, married and planned for a family. After years of trying, they’d accepted it wasn’t to be, so when Karen fell pregnant at 39 the couple were overjoyed. That joy turned to sadness when their baby son was stillborn.
They endured miscarriages during IVF and were thrilled when Karen became pregnant naturally. But sadly their little girl was also stillborn.
Karen’s instinct was to stay strong. She went back to work and the couple threw themselves into fundraising to support other families and children.
“Even in the most horrendous circumstances I thought ‘I’ve got to crack on” she recalls. “I was struggling to cope with even the smallest of things like reading a menu. I wouldn’t sleep for fear of nightmares that made me relive what had happened. It was pure terror.”
Karen finally sought help. She was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and underwent Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. “I know now I was stuck in a loop, unable to process what had happened but at the time I couldn’t see it.”
A friend advised Karen to do something she’d previously enjoyed. “I always loved swimming but I struggled with people and being out. The journey to the pool was the hardest I’d ever made”.
There she met and began to swim with an old friend, slowly regained confidence and signed up for the Great North Swim, a mile long open water swim charity. “Someone jokingly said ‘you’ll be swimming the channel next’ so I started training!”
Meanwhile Gary was preparing for an Iron Man triathlon. But more tragedy was to follow. He was out cycle training when Karen took a call – her ‘strong, fit, healthy’ husband had crashed and suffered a severe brain injury. Karen was with Gary as his life support was turned off.
“It was catastrophic, but I did my usual and went back to work. I didn’t realise I needed help, but they did.
Karen underwent Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, a therapy that helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories.
“It was difficult, you have to relive horrible memories, but it worked. I’m able to process things better. In the past even a small problem would send me downhill quickly. Now I don’t immediately go into a cycle of crisis. I can think ‘it’s happened, I’m dealing with it’.
Karen also uses swimming as therapy. She’s swum six of the world’s oceans with a seventh planned, raising more than £70,000 for charities.
“I always need a next challenge for routine and focus. There’s something about swimming in cold water that relaxes me.
I know now getting help doesn’t make you weak if anything it’s a strength. I’d say to someone learn to understand what you need, don’t be too critical of yourself or do too much - just do what works best for you”.
Trauma is when we experience very stressful, frightening or distressing events that are difficult to cope with or out of our control. It could be one incident, or an ongoing event that happens over a long period of time.
If you think you have experienced trauma, discuss it with your GP.
Signs of trauma
- Flashbacks – reliving aspects of a traumatic event or feeling as if it's happening now. It could involve seeing images of what happened, or experiencing it through other senses like taste, sound, or physical sensations in your body.
- Panic attacks
- Dissociation – you might feel numb, spaced out, detached from your body or as though the world around you is unreal
- Sleep problems – finding it hard to fall or stay asleep, feeling unsafe at night, or having nightmares.
- Self-neglect – this is when you're not able to look after yourself and meet basic needs like eating, keeping clean or keeping your home safe.
- Self-harm – hurting yourself as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences
- Suicidal thoughts
- Alcohol and substance misuse.
For guidance on types of trauma and its effects, read more on Mind's webslte.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of talking therapy where a therapist helps you to change how you think and act. It can treat many different mental health problems.
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) involves recalling a traumatic incident in detail while making eye movements, usually by following the movement of your therapist's finger, a light bar or tapping. Patients are given grounding techniques like mindfulness to help through the sessions.
Weight off the mind
Karen’s response was typical of someone who has experienced trauma, says Mersey Care CBT and EMDR therapist Judith Baker.
“Our brains are wired to move us into fight, flight or freeze mode very quickly to help us survive. People distract themselves from what’s happened and even though they might have flashbacks or nightmares, they may not accept they need help.”
Sleeping problems, night terrors, recurrent dreams, headaches, tension and fatigue are just some of the physical signs of trauma, which often begins in childhood.
Judith says, “The emotional impact of trauma can make people feel guilty. If there is no one to support them or they come from a background where trauma is brushed under the carpet, it can make them feel shame or even a sense of worthlessness.”
Recognising the signs of trauma is the first step in the healing process and Judith encourages grounding exercises like mindfulness and breathing before any treatment.
“I get people to remember a time when they were able to cope and focus on physical activities to reconnect with their bodies.”
Other priorities include making sure a person is safe and securing a support system in place to help build hope for the future.
As in Karen’s case, EMDR is a successful treatment for people experiencing the effects of trauma.
Judith says, “One woman described feeling after her final EMDR session that she had ‘lost 10 stone’.”
Which gives a whole new meaning to taking a weight off your mind.