Exploring Trauma

By Anna Ram~ Psychologist and Pastoral Counseling

This psychoeducational on Trauma intends to offer a brief exploration into the complexities of experiences that shape individuals and families. Together, we can foster understanding, support, and hope for those navigating the challenges of trauma as they embark in the journey to build resilience, which is the process of positive adaptation in the face of adversity or significant stress.

What is Trauma?

The word “trauma” derives from the Greek word (τραύμα), which means “wound”or “injury.” This term is related to the verb “trauein” (τραύειν), which means “to pierce” or “to wound.”

Trauma is different from stress. Understanding trauma involves recognizing its various forms and how they can affect individuals differently. Trauma has these two components:

• Individuals experiencing trauma, feel like their lives are threatened, or that their significant others’ lives are threatened.
• Their well-being and ability to function is impaired. They have a deep wound in their soul, minds, spirit, and some in their bodies, too.

Types of Trauma

• Acute Trauma: This results from a single, overwhelming event, such as an accident, natural disaster, or violent attack.
• Chronic Trauma: This occurs from repeated and prolonged exposure to distressing events, such as ongoing abuse or neglect.
• Complex Trauma: This involves exposure to multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature, typically occurring in childhood.

Recognizing these distinctions can help in understanding the complexities of trauma and tailoring appropriate interventions and support for those affected.

Three Key Factors Influencing the Trauma Experience

• Personal Resilience: Individual resilience, healthy coping mechanisms, and support systems play a significant role in how one processes and responds to distressing experiences.
• Context and Environment: Cultural, social, and familial contexts can influence how trauma is perceived and dealt with. Some individuals may have more resources or support to navigate traumatic experiences than others.
• Nature of the Event: Research in public health identifies the following events or circumstances as having the potential to cause trauma. They include:
• Physical abuse and threats of physical abuse,
• Sexual abuse, assault, victimization, or harassment,
• Witnessing or experiencing intimate partner violence,
• Parental physical abuse, neglect, or abandonment,
• Separation from a parent by his/her incarceration or divorce,
• Living with a parent who abuses substances or experiences mental illness,
• Bullying,
• Experiencing chronic racism, homophobia, and bias,
• Being a victim of, or witnessing a violent crime, such as a shooting,
• Immigration violence,
• Experiencing a natural or man-made disaster,
• Experiencing a motor vehicle accident or other sudden disaster. (American Psychological Association [APA], 2019)

Because individuals have a range of reactions,  is important to also consider their risk factors and their protective factors that help add context to why some people are more resilient than others.

Resilience: Some individuals may exhibit resilience and recover from trauma more effectively, while others may struggle significantly.

Vulnerability: Factors such as pre-existing mental health conditions, support systems, and coping mechanisms can influence how trauma affects a person.

Individual Responses

Trauma vary widely in nature and intensity, and not every individual experience them in the same way . Some people who have experienced significant negative events or situations do not suffer long term negative consequences. Reactions such as shock and denial are typical.

Others suffer from the adverse impact of trauma throughout their lives that may lead to traumatic responses. Longer term reactions that fall into the categories of emotional, physical, mental, and behavioral reactions, shown below.

What is a Trigger?

A trigger is a stimulus or a compilation of stimuli that the mind correlates with a traumatic past event, causing memories of negative events (SAMHSA, 2014). Survivors of abuse can be triggered by a multitude of different things: words, images, symbols, sounds, etc. Triggers affect everyone differently.

Reactions to Triggers can also double as coping mechanisms for victims. In order to deal with the negative stimulation of the trigger, they may act in a certain way (angry, sad, upset, numb) in an attempt to regain control. Reactions to a trigger can be over as quickly as they appear — or they can take days, weeks, or even months to disappear.

Polyvictimization: Many more victimization experiences

Research indicates that when trauma is experienced in childhood or adolescence, it is particularly harmful in a myriad of ways. Studies have indicated that trauma in children disrupts multiple aspects of their development, increases their risk for adverse behavioral, social, mental health, and educational outcomes, and creates a greater risk for revictimization.

Complex Trauma in Children

Complex Trauma is a term used for multiple ongoing and overlapping negative experiences that create negative emotional impacts. It is common for all individuals to experience difficult moments in life. However, it is not as common for people, especially children, to experience multiple and ongoing difficult situations. When children experience adversity on a chronic basis, it can create long-lasting emotional effects that can impact them into adulthood.

Complex trauma often negatively affects the way children interact with the world around them.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition stemming from experiencing a severe traumatic event. It can affect people who have experienced or witnessed a violent physical assault, being threatened with a weapon, rape, a devastating accident, natural disaster, combat in war, or violent crime.

Additionally, just because a person has not experienced a traumatic event, does not mean they will not suffer from trauma. People who learn that others close to them have experienced severe trauma can also suffer from PTSD. Professionals who experience these events through their occupations (police, firefighters, etc.) can also suffer from PTSD as a result.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5, published by The American Psychiatric Association (APA), provides the clinical diagnostic criteria for the disorder. Among other criteria, the DSM-5 states that symptoms must be present for more than one month and…must cause significant distress for a clinical diagnosis of PTSD.

PTSD is characterized by significant distress or impairment including a four-symptom cluster consisting of:

• Re-experiencing the trauma,
• Negative alterations in mood and cognition
• Arousal and reactivity symptoms, and
• Avoidance symptoms.

These symptoms can interfere with normal functioning by causing:

• Lack of interest in activities that once brought joy,
• Detachment from family members and friends, resulting in damaged relationships,
• Trouble concentrating, sleep disruption, inability to hold a job,
• Disruptions caused by being easily alarmed or startled,
• Maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as alcohol or substance abuse,
• Self-destructive actions, including risky behaviors,
• Strong feelings of guilt or shame,
• Trying to forget about the trauma by avoiding things, people, and places that evoke memories of it, and
• Suicidal thoughts or ideation.

(SAMHSA, 2014)

Other aspects for consideration:

Other aspects for consideration:

Individual’s Personality: Trauma pierces an individual’s personality, creating a struggle with their identity which can lead to internal conflicts that exacerbate feelings of trauma. This is another topic.

Personal Boundaries: Specific traumas can injure boundary development in a child lasting into adulthood because it shakes two foundations to their healthy growth:

• that the world is  reasonably safe and
• that they have control over their lives.

For instance, parents with alcoholism or drugs use cause massive boundary confusion in children as children never feel safe in the relationship. Their children are always waiting for the other person to let them down or attack them unexpectedly. They keep their guard up constantly. These children develop a deep-seated fear of abandonment by an unreliable and exploitative parenting while feeling taken advantage of, undervalued, exploited, or controlled, and their needs are overlooked  or neglected.

Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend (2017), say that “ a good way to look at the difference between character-relating patterns such as withdrawal and hostility in a person, and trauma , is to look about how a tree in a forest can be hurt. It can be fed inappropriately with bad ingredients in the soil, or it can be given too much or too little sun or water. But trauma is like lightning hitting the tree. (Boundaries, 2017).

Victimization

Victimization refers to the experience of being harmed, mistreated, or subjected to violence or abuse. It can occur in various forms, such as:

• Physical victimization (e.g., assault)
• Emotional victimization (e.g., manipulation, bullying)
• Systemic victimization (e.g., discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation)

Victimization can lead to trauma, but not everyone who experiences trauma identifies as a victim. The term  “victimization” emphasizes the act of being harmed rather than the psychological response to that harm.

Internalization

Internalization is a psychological process where individuals absorb and integrate external messages, beliefs, or experiences into their own self-concept. This often occurs in the context of trauma or negative experiences. For example:

• A child who experiences bullying may internalize the belief that they are unworthy or unlovable.
• Internalization can lead to self-blame, low self-esteem, and mental health issues.

This process can be harmful, as it may cause individuals to adopt negative views about themselves based on their experiences. It is incredibly important how we respond to our psychological processes of integrating those external messages we receive into our self-concept.

How Does Therapy Address Trauma?

~Therapy is vital~

Spirituality is a profound component to human health and well-being and when integrated to interventions, adds purposeful meaning, and a healing process to the individual.

Different therapy modalities take different approaches to treating individuals with trauma and many are used in combination to best meet the client’s needs. Many people suffering from trauma may find help with different types of therapy, psychoeducation (like this one), and prescription medications administered under the care of a medical professional. In addition to medical and pharmaceutical interventions, there are lifestyle choices — including exercise, healthy relationships, and nutrition — that can benefit the brain. Spirituality is a profound component to human health and well-being and when integrated to interventions, adds meaning, purpose, and healing to the individual.

Recommended Books:

1. “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
2. “Trauma and Recovery” by Judith Herman
3. “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” by Peter A. Levine
4. “Boundaries” by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Sources:

https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma

https://cpeip.fsu.edu/fltrauma

https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma14-4884.pdf