‘Trauma - Is that what this is?’
According to the American Psychology Association (2021), “Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event.” The key here is that trauma is subjective. People experience the world differently. One person might view an event as traumatic, and another person experiencing the same or similar event might not.
Take, for example, a car crash. One person might experience and recall the event as traumatic, while another person might not. It is important to understand that everyone experiences things differently, and it’s not our job to judge for others what is traumatic and what isn’t. By the same token, it’s not anyone else’s job to tell you if what you experienced was traumatic or not. You get to decide that for yourself.
There are four main types of trauma: Life-threatening, non-life threatening, complex trauma, and vicarious trauma.
Examples of life-threatening trauma are sexual assault, war, physical abuse, a natural disaster, or a serious accident.
Examples of non-life threatening traumas include a traumatic medical procedure, childhood neglect, grief and loss, home displacement, religious trauma, bullying, racial trauma, generational trauma, and being excluded from your society based on identity.
Vicarious trauma can result from watching someone else go through a traumatic event.
Complex trauma is a term used to indicate when a person has had multiple developmental experiences of trauma, or traumatic events that happened throughout childhood.
Common symptoms following trauma:
During or directly following the event(s): Fight, flight, or freeze may have kicked in automatically. Shock, dissociation, denial, shame, delusions, extreme fear, and helplessness are very common during a traumatic event.
Long term symptoms: Intense emotional reactions and outbursts, flashbacks, nightmares, dissociation, relationship challenges, depression, anxiety, and ongoing physical pain. People often experience the urge to fight, flight, or freeze upon simple reminders of the event (often called activators or triggers.) Something reminds a person of the trauma, and our bodies kick in immediately to help protect us - even if the danger is long gone.
If you’d like to learn more about reactions to trauma, visit my blog, “Trauma - Why am I reacting like this?”
What is the difference between trauma and PTSD?
Trauma is a general term to discuss a subjective emotional response to a traumatic event, while PTSD is a mental health condition that only a medical professional can diagnose. A professional diagnosis can help you understand what it is you are experiencing, and how to seek treatment for it.
Okay - I think I do have trauma, what now?
If you think you have trauma and/or PTSD, the best thing you can do is to be gentle with yourself and understand that your body is doing all it can to stay safe. Next, it’s important to take note of whether your trauma responses are getting in the way of you living your best life. If they are, consider that the next steps may be to seek help, whether that’s reading some of the many helpful books on trauma, or seeking a professional mental health therapist.
Some authors I’ve found personally helpful in navigating my own journey include Bessel Van Der Kolk and Peter Levine. There is a LOT of help out there, whether in social media, support groups, mental health therapy, blogging, meditation, physical activity, or heading to your library to seek literary support. Do what feels comfortable to you, while pushing yourself to move forward.
Remember, 1 in 11 people in the US have had a traumatic event, and there are a LOT of resources out there to help (American Psychiatric Association, 2020). Find a resource you align with and start your healing journey! You owe it to yourself. You deserve to live the life you want.