Trauma Defined
What is trauma?
What can traumatize people?
I feel traumatized by … but I don’t know if it is trauma.
In this blog, I talk about the definition of trauma, incidents that can cause trauma, and how people react after trauma. I also share about “Big T traumas” and “Small t traumas” according to the AIP model from EMDR.
What is trauma?
Trauma is an emotional reaction to an incident that overwhelms your ability to cope and threatens your sense of safety. Any incidents where you feel powerless, out of control, and threatened can cause trauma.
What causes trauma?
The DSM-5, which is THE manual for mental health disorders, is specific about which traumatic incidents “qualify” for a PTSD diagnosis. In this blog, I define trauma in general and do no discuss the criteria for PTSD.
The incidents that can cause trauma, are casually defined as “Big T traumas’' and “Small t traumas” according to the AIP model from EMDR. Big T traumas are major events commonly known as traumatic such as physical or sexual assault. Small t traumas are events that are subtle and not always perceived as traumatic such as job loss and moving multiple times. Both big and small t traumas are distressingcan cause long-lasting trauma symptoms.
Big T traumas
If you experienced, witnessed, or learned about a loved one who experienced these incidents below, it can cause trauma.
Car accident, plane crash, motorcycle accident
Physical or sexual assault
Terrorist's attacks
School shootings
Rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, forced sexual penetration
Physical assault
Domestic Violence
War
Small t traumas
Experiencing any of these events can cause trauma too.
Bullying
Moving multiple times during childhood
Unhealthy work environments
Job loss
Divorce
Public shaming
Ongoing court cases
Trauma symptoms
People who experienced big or small traumas can struggle with:
Irritability
Guilt and shame
Feeling unsafe
Numbness and empty
Connecting with others
Drugs and alcohol use
Sleeping difficulties
Nightmares, which may or may not be related to the traumatic incident.
Reliving the traumatic incident, called Flashbacks.
Trauma is a stress response, and like any other stress response, it can cause flare-ups of autoimmune diseases or relapses in mental health disorders that were in remission. It can also cause headaches, lethargy, relationship issues, feelings of hopelessness, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, eating disorders, and self-destructive behaviors such as unsafe sex and speeding.
You deserve professional care.
Whether the trauma is big or small, you deserve a safe space to heal. People often don’t seek treatment because they think the trauma is pity and small. Others feel guilty for taking a slot, arguing someone else with a bigger trauma needs to see the therapist. No matter what you experienced, a professional counselor will provide a non-judgmental and safe space to talk about these distressing events.
This blog discussed incidents that cause trauma and how traumas are often casually defined into big and small t traumas. The effects of these traumas are discussed, and the importance of professional care to treat big and small t traumas is highlighted. You can contact Azeldri to schedule a counseling appointment for big or small t traumas.
Information on this website is provided for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by a mental health therapist or other healthcare professional. No information offered here should be interpreted as a diagnosis of any disorder, nor an attempt to treat or prevent or cure any disease or condition. Names, characters, places, and incidents on this website are for illustrative purposes only. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
