What is trauma?
According to Psychology Today, trauma is "a deeply disturbing event that affects a person's sense of control and limits their ability to integrate the situation or circumstances into their current reality". Trauma can result from overtly stressful events such as war or combat, natural disasters, physical or sexual abuse, or catastrophic events, as well as less obvious events.
Small
"t"-TRAUMA
Small "t" trauma
The accumulation of smaller everyday or less pronounced events can also cause trauma. Small "t" trauma, according to Psychology Today, "are events that exceed our ability to cope with and cause disruption in emotional functioning." Such events are not life threatening per se, but rather an ego threat as they make one feel helpless in one's situation.
Examples of small "T" trauma include:
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Conflicts with family members
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infidelity or divorce
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Conflict with a boss or colleague
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A sudden or prolonged move or relocation
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Planning a wedding or starting a new job
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birth or adoption of a child
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Financial or legal concerns
Trauma
& Symptoms
Trauma and symptoms
Trauma impacts everyone differently, and its effects are largely dependent on predisposing factors. These include past experiences, beliefs, perceptions, expectations, levels of distress tolerance, values and morals and the ability to process the experience without avoidance.
Trauma can take many forms and affect people in different ways. Knowing what to look for and how to manage trauma symptoms can help you and your loved ones cope with the effects of traumatic experiences.
Often these traumas are overlooked or minimized by the person experiencing them, who may rationalize the experience as common and therefore think they are just overreacting. Unfortunately, this is a form of avoidance, which is an unhealthy way to cope. Some people may not even recognize how disturbed they are by the event or situation, causing them to overlook symptoms of trauma that might be connected to it. While one small “t” trauma is unlikely to cause significant trauma symptoms, the accumulation of such traumas over time can compound and cause great distress.
Examples
for
Symptoms
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Re-experiencing the trauma. This can include replays of traumatic memories in the mind, nightmares, and flashbacks, which can make you feel as if the trauma is happening all over again.
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Emotional reactions. Fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, guilt, and numbness are all common trauma symptoms.
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Avoiding thinking about the event or avoiding anything related to the event is a common but often unhealthy way of coping with trauma.
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Changes in how you view the world and yourself. Such changes may include difficulty trusting people, blaming yourself or others for the trauma or how it was handled, seeing yourself as weak or inadequate and criticizing yourself for your reactions to the trauma.
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Hyperactive nervous system. You might feel constantly on guard or see danger everywhere, be easily startled and have trouble sleeping and even lose interest in sex.