WHEN WE THINK OF TRAUMA…
…we often think of those massive, immediate, horrific events that happen rarely to ourselves, and more often to others. Events such as injury in a car accident. Or an improvised explosive device detonating in a theatre of war half a world away. Or an assault, whether that is sexual, physical, or verbal. But trauma is a much more varied experience, and this experience can even include events we don’t necessarily think of as traumatic.
This extract from a Psychology Today piece provides some understanding as to what actually does constitute trauma, or a traumatic event, and it should give us pause for thought regarding our won experiences, what we have truly been through…
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“Chronic trauma can arise from harmful events that are repeated or prolonged. It can develop in response to persistent bullying, neglect, abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), and domestic violence.
Complex trauma can arise from experiencing repeated or multiple traumatic events from which there is no possibility of escape. The sense of being trapped is a feature of the experience. Like other types of trauma, it can undermine a sense of safety in the world and beget hypervigilance, constant (and exhausting!) monitoring of the environment for the possibility of threat.
Secondary or vicarious trauma arises from exposure to other people’s suffering and can strike those in professions that are called on to respond to injury and mayhem, notably physicians, first responders, and law enforcement. Over time, such individuals are at risk for compassion fatigue, whereby they avoid investing emotionally in other people in an attempt to protect themselves from experiencing distress.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) cover a wide range of difficult situations that children either directly face or witness while growing up, before they have developed effective coping skills. ACEs can disrupt the normal course of development and the emotional injury can last long into adulthood. The loss of a parent; neglect; emotional, physical, or sexual abuse; and divorce are among the most common types of Adverse Childhood Experiences.” — Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/trauma
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I will add to this list the experience of being in a relationship in which one partner has a personality disorder, such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or Antisocial Personality Disorder. These relationships - which can be abusive even without being overtly so - can result in the same trauma diagnoses as those types of trauma listed above, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Trauma is a very personal and multi-dimensional experience, and one person’s harmful traumatic event may be an experience someone else will overcome easily. It is important to work with a therapist who is trauma-informed, and preferably a provider with a trauma specialism, including the Certified Clinical Trauma Professional certification.