What is trauma?
Hi!
Trauma is a word that is used a lot in our society, and has really increased in it’s use from even twenty years ago. The increase in use of the word can result in a watering down of its meaning so hopefully this blog provides some clarification.
So, what is trauma?
Often the word trauma is used to describe the event that occurred. But what we know is that trauma is not the event that occurred, it is the impacts of the event or events. It is how the body, nervous system our thoughts and feelings respond to the event. Trauma is not what happened (the event) but how we reacted or responded to it.
Trauma is a state of high arousal within your nervous system, body, thoughts and feelings.
It is an event or events in which a person is threatened or feels threatened.
The experience of trauma overwhelms the person’s capacity to cope.
Our ability to respond to a perceived threat becomes overwhelmed in some way. The ways that we can be impacted can be overt or quite subtle. The impacts can be immediate or can be dormant for some time before showing up years later.
Peter Levine discusses trauma as being a loss of connection to ourselves, our bodies, our families and the world around us. Further this disconnection might be hard to recognise as it can happen slowly, over time. We also get really good at adapting to these changes making it even harder to notice. For example, we might stop going to a place that reminds us of a traumatic event, or triggers a trauma response. By eliminating this situation/trigger, it becomes harder to recognise it’s presence.
What situations cause trauma?
Trauma is very common. People can experience trauma in lots of different situations. These include natural disasters such as floods or fires or droughts. Other traumas include witnessing or being involved in an accident, war, abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), neglect, betrayal, abandonment, bulling, rape, being a witness or experiencing violence, exploitation and assault. Trauma which occurs over and over between people (complex trauma) is especially common.
There are other events that can be less obvious causes of trauma such as minor accidents, invasive medical or dental procedures (particularly when restraints or anaesthetic is used or the person is a child), falls, minor injuries, illness (high fever or poisoning), children or babies being left alone, prolonged immobilisation, extreme temperatures for children/babies and birth stress.
The idea of trauma being a catastrophic event such as a natural disaster or war can be somewhat misleading and it invokes ideas that trauma is unusual, and that is just not the case.
It is also important to note people can become traumatised by their own perception of an event. So, if a person perceives a threat or that something is life-threatening, they can be traumatised. Perception is based on various contextual factors such as age, gender, life experiences, temperament and their own context.
What are the two types of traumas?
You may have heard about big T and little t trauma. This is a way of distinguishing between trauma. A big T trauma includes things such as a natural disaster or an accident. A little t trauma involves things that impact our coping and emotions but may not be considered life threatening. Little t trauma tends to be overlooked not only by the person who has experienced the trauma but by the community and society. There can sometimes be a compounding effect with little t traumas.
An example of a little t trauma could be divorce or interpersonal issues, whereas a big T trauma could be a sexual assault or a car accident.
What is important it that if someone has a perceived experience of trauma, it is trauma, and what is less important is how it was caused or what type of trauma it is.
How do people experience trauma?
Different people experience different traumas differently. Certain experiences are traumatic for some people and not for others. The impacts of trauma depend on your age/s, your previous experience/s of trauma, how long the trauma lasts, how often it happens and how extreme it is. They also depend on your culture, background and the social context of your life.
What are some symptoms of trauma?
If we think about trauma as the impact on the nervous system, rather than an event, there are some things a person might notice if they are experiencing a response to a perceived trauma.
The presence of these symptoms does not necessarily mean they were caused by trauma. Not everyone who exhibits one or more of the symptoms has experienced trauma.
Hyperarousal
Hypervigilance
Hyperactivity
Intrusive images or flashbacks
Extreme sensitivity to sensory input
Constriction
Exaggerated emotions or abrupt mood swings
Exaggerated startle response
Nightmares/night terrors
Shame
Lack of self-worth, low self-esteem
Difficulty sleeping
Reduced ability to deal with stress
Dissociation
Denial
Helplessness
Immobility
Panic attacks/phobias
Avoidance behaviours
Risk taking behaviours
Addictive behaviours
Memory issues
Changes to sex drive
Loss of connection or ability to form relationships with others
Self-mutilation
Changes to spiritual beliefs
How to resolve trauma symptoms?
It can be hard to understand the different terms used to describe trauma and abuse. If you have experiences of trauma understanding more can help because it can help you understand yourself better. It can also give you tools to support your recovery. Understanding more can also help the people around you, and who are supporting you, to better understand how to help you.
There is no one way to resolve the symptoms associated with trauma and often depending on what the symptom is, the treatment you may use will differ. There is no quick fix and there are no “cures” for trauma. Some individuals are successful in eradicating the impact of the traumatic memory on their lives, while others report significant improvement in their quality of life. Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to the resolution of trauma, but it is not the only method. Please reach out to schedule an appointment if you think this would be useful for you.