What Is Trauma? Understanding How It Shapes Your Life
Trauma is often defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. One of the most common misconceptions about trauma is that it only arises from a single, catastrophic event. In reality, trauma can stem from a variety of experiences, including childhood neglect, systemic oppression, or chronic stress. Another widespread myth is that trauma must involve life-threatening situations. While such events increase the likelihood of trauma symptoms, emotional wounds from experiences like divorce or prolonged emotional abuse can be just as harmful, if not more so. Understanding trauma is essential for healing, as it allows individuals to recognize its effects and take steps toward recovery.
Types of Trauma
How Trauma Affects the Brain & Body
To understand trauma, it’s helpful to start with the fight-or-flight response. When the brain perceives danger, the amygdala—one of the oldest parts of the brain—activates, triggering a cascade of physiological changes. Stress hormones flood the body, increasing blood flow to the core, slowing digestion, tensing muscles, and causing short, shallow breathing. These responses prepare the body for survival, whether through fighting, fleeing, freezing, or fawning.
Acute Trauma: A single distressing event, such as an accident, assault, or combat experience. This type is most commonly associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Chronic Trauma: Repeated exposure to distressing experiences, such as ongoing abuse or neglect.
Vicarious Trauma: Indirect exposure to trauma, often affecting caregivers, first responders, or those who frequently hear about others' traumatic experiences.
Complex Trauma: Deeply rooted, relational trauma that typically occurs in victims of prolonged child abuse or neglect. This form of trauma often includes attachment wounds and is the most challenging to treat, yet it causes some of the most significant disruptions in life.
To maximize survival, the brain prioritizes blood and oxygen flow, redirecting resources away from areas involved in memory formation (hippocampus) and rational decision-making (prefrontal cortex). This means trauma survivors may struggle with memory recall, emotional regulation, and decision-making.
Trauma Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn
Fight: A defensive response aimed at pushing away or eliminating the threat, either physically or verbally.
Flight: An attempt to escape danger, either by physically running away or mentally disengaging.
Freeze: A response in which the body or mind shuts down, hoping to avoid detection. This can manifest as physical stillness or mental dissociation, sometimes referred to as the brain’s "blue screen of death."
Fawn: The most common response in individuals with complex trauma. This involves trying to appease or please the perceived threat in order to stay safe.
Under normal circumstances, the body moves into a rest-and-repair state after a stress response. However, when a person is stuck in a heightened state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, trauma symptoms emerge. This can lead to chronic pain from muscle tension, digestive issues due to reduced blood flow, and extreme fatigue caused by prolonged stress activation.
Emotional and Psychological Effects of Trauma
Trauma’s emotional effects are often the most visible and are what lead many individuals to seek professional help. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, and personality disorders can all be linked to unresolved trauma. Even in the absence of a formal diagnosis, symptoms like mood swings, numbness, hypervigilance, and difficulty setting boundaries may indicate trauma’s impact. Trauma also shapes self-worth and relationships, often leading individuals to believe they are undeserving of love, safety, or positive connections.
Long-Term Impact of Unresolved Trauma
Unresolved trauma can have far-reaching consequences. It influences relationship patterns, often causing individuals to unconsciously recreate painful dynamics from their past. This can perpetuate generational trauma, affecting not only the individual but also their children and future relationships. Additionally, trauma is linked to self-destructive behaviors, including substance abuse, eating disorders, and self-sabotage, further reinforcing its hold over a person’s life.
Can Trauma Be Healed?
The good news is that trauma can be healed. Trauma-informed therapy is essential in addressing these deep wounds. Effective therapeutic approaches include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Brainspotting. These therapies work at the amygdala level, helping the brain and body process trauma in a way that fosters true healing.
Additionally, self-compassion, mindfulness, and self-awareness play critical roles in the healing journey. While trauma can shape a person’s life, it does not have to define them.
Take the First Step Toward Healing
If you are struggling with the effects of trauma, I am here to help. With my specialized training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Brainspotting, I can guide you through the healing process and help you regain control of your life. My approach is tailored to your unique experiences, allowing for deep healing at the brain-body level.
You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Take the first step toward healing today. Contact me to start your personalized trauma recovery journey and reclaim the peace and strength you deserve.
