What Is Trauma?
An emotional or psychological trauma is an experience that makes you feel unsafe or helpless. Some trauma may be physical, such as a car accident or assault, but you do not have to sustain a physical injury to experience emotional trauma. The mental impact of trauma can be just as harmful as — and sometimes harder to recover from than — physical injuries because it can change the way your brain functions, especially when you’ve been hurt repeatedly or at a very young age.
When you’ve been through emotional trauma, your brain does its best to protect you by constantly scanning for danger everywhere. Treatment for trauma focuses on reteaching your brain that you can support yourself despite the harm you’ve experienced.
Types of Trauma
Many events and experiences can be considered traumatic.
Acute Trauma
Acute traumas are distressing events that happen once and are time-limited.
Some examples of acute trauma include:
- Sexual violence, such as rape
- Physical assault
- The sudden loss of a loved one
- Car accident
- Natural disasters and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires
- Mass shootings
- Terrorist attacks
- Sudden major medical issue, such as a serious injury or a traumatic birthing experience
Complex Trauma
Complex trauma refers to continuous or repeated traumatic experiences.
Examples of complex trauma include:
- Intimate partner violence, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from your partner
- Child sexual abuse and sex trafficking
- Being kidnapped or imprisoned
- Living in a natural disaster zone
- Living in a neighborhood with increased levels of poverty and violence
- Being bullied
- Facing racism, racial discrimination, and racist violence
- Chronic illness
Secondary Trauma
Witnessing or hearing about a traumatic event can also have ongoing effects on your health.
Examples of secondary trauma include:
- Witnessing a parent, sibling, or loved one being abused
- Watching videos and reading news about hate crimes or police violence
- Working with people who have been through trauma, such as as a first responder or health care provider
Sometimes secondary trauma is not taken as seriously as primary trauma, but the pain can be very real and you deserve support for it.
Diagnosing Trauma Related Disorders
