What is Trauma?

When you hear "trauma," what comes to mind? Do you think of a car accident, a major surgery, or when you were creeping on someone on Facebook and accidentally liked their picture from two years ago?

Many people think of a major distressing event like an assault or war while others connect it back to a specific personal experience. American Psychological Association defines trauma as "an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster."

While a standard definition can be helpful, it can be limiting when applied to actual therapeutic practice.

In practice, it's better to view trauma as something that can look different from one person to the next. For example, it's important to acknowledge predisposing factors such as someone's beliefs, past experiences, levels of distress tolerance, values, and morals.

Most Common Examples of Traumatic Events:

1. Death

2. Divorce

3. Assault

4. Emotional Abuse

5. Car Accident

6. War

7. Moving

8. Abandonment

9. Termination

10. Infidelity

Trauma can cause immediate physical and emotional harm and have long-lasting effects. Some people aren't significantly affected by events many would find traumatic depending on factors like their support system, resilience, and coping mechanisms.

Signs of Trauma

There are many signs of trauma that are unique to the individual including, but not limited to, the following:

Cognitive: How trauma affects your mind

• Painful memories or intrusive thoughts resurface

• Nightmares

• Loss of memory or concentration

• Confusion

• Disorientation

• Mood Swings

Behavioral: How trauma affects your behavior

• Avoidance of anything that might trigger the memory

• Social withdrawal and isolation

• Lack of interest in previously-enjoyable activities

Physical: How trauma affects you physically

• Fatigue and exhaustion

• Changes in eating and sleeping patterns

• Tachycardia, or a heart rate over 100 bpm

• Edginess - easily startled

• Sexual dysfunction

• Chronic muscle patterns

• Insomnia

Psychological: How trauma affects your thinking

• Overwhelming fear

• Obsessive and compulsive behaviors

• Emotional numbing

• Depression

• Guilt and Shame

• Emotional shock

• Disbelief

• Anxiety

• Panic attacks

• Detachment from other people and emotions

Rather than categorizing trauma as external or internal, I like to ask each patient how much an event affects them on a scale of 1-10 and where in their body they feel the trauma when they think about the event. This helps identify how traumatic an event was based on the person's response. Furthermore, it helps the client recognize when they're feeling triggered by the event when they feel it in their body. If you feel like your responses are interfering with your life or routine and you can't get unstuck, it may be time to seek a therapist.