What is Trauma? And What Counts as Trauma?

It’s broader than people think.

When people hear the word trauma, they often think of something dramatic: a car accident, violence, crime, war, or a major disaster. And while those experiences can absolutely be traumatic, trauma is often much broader.

Common experiences that can be traumatic

Some forms of trauma are easier to recognise:

• Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Violence or assault
• Serious accidents or medical emergencies
• Sudden loss or bereavement
• Witnessing harm or danger
• Living through war or disaster

But trauma isn’t defined only by what happened.
It’s also shaped by how you experienced it and the effect it has on you. In other words, trauma is a subjective experience. Two people can experience the exact same event- but each individual may experience the impact differently. For example, one individual losing a friend may be traumatic; while for another may not be experienced in that way.

Trauma requires an event that was experienced as such, and impacts the individual negatively. This event often involves harm, can be a threat to one’s life, and/or overwhelms one’s ability to cope. These are often referred to as “Big T” trauma.

“Little t” trauma refers to experiences that may not seem catastrophic from the outside, but still leave lasting emotional wounds.

Examples of “Little t” trauma might include:

• Repeated emotional neglect
• Feeling invisible in your family
• Being constantly compared to siblings
• Growing up walking on eggshells
• Never feeling truly accepted or understood

Trauma can be a single event or occur over a period of time. What is traumatic for one individual may be different for another. It sometimes comes from what didn’t happen—comfort, safety, protection, emotional support.

Trauma is not just the event- it’s the impact

Psychologically, trauma can be understood as an experience that overwhelms your ability to cope or leaves you and your nervous system feeling unsafe, long after the event has passed.

What Makes People Experience Trauma Differently?

Many things such as your past experiences, support systems, age, temperament, personality traits, and sense of safety all shape how an event affects you.

Trauma Myths We Should Move on From:

“It wasn’t that bad.”
“Other people have been through worse.”
“I should be over it by now.”

These minimise the vast impact trauma can have on people and negate the struggles some individuals experience.

Treating Trauma

There are a number of psychotherapies for trauma such as CBT and EMDR.

This was only a brief discussion on trauma and not healthcare advice, should you wish to discuss this more, I am available at Thrive.

• Steven