Trauma can be any event that causes psychological, emotional or physical harm. Trauma can be in the form of adverse childhood experiences, distressing adult experiences or single events such as a car accident or physical assault. While some people are able to describe an event or long-standing experiences as being traumatic for them, not everyone will consider themselves to have been through something ‘traumatic’. For those people, they will be aware that what they have been through has had a significant impact on their lives, although often adults can notice this impact following a more recent distressing event.
Humans are very good at dealing with trauma in many different ways: we can cut ourselves off from it (using many different forms), ignore it and get on with other things or simply learn to cope with its impact.
Most of the people I see tell me that it was only when ‘something’ happened in their life as an adult that they really began to feel the negative effects of the past traumatic event.
The most common diagnoses of those who have experienced traumatic events are: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) and Dissociative Disorders (see descriptions below for more information about these). However, the impact of living through something traumatic or distressing affects everyone differently and can therefore manifest itself in many ways e.g. anger, low mood, anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties.
Therefore, when I meet someone for the first time in therapy, I try to help them explore and understand the background to their current difficulties, whether or not they stem from traumatic experiences. Remember that everyone responds to trauma differently and seeking assistance is a sign of strength. If you’ve been affected by trauma, know that you’re not alone, and there are resources available to support you.
