What is trauma?
Trauma is a word that gets used often, but most people don’t have a clear understanding of what it is. So here’s some clarification.
My favorite definition of trauma involves the three E’s…
Trauma results from an event, that is experienced as harmful or life threatening, and has lasting adverse effects.
In my opinion, this is the easiest definition for people to grasp because it’s simple and inclusive. Generally speaking, people frequently think the label of trauma is reserved only for combat experiences but don’t acknowledge the numerous other experiences that can be traumatizing.
There are three types of trauma:
Acute- Event has a defined start and stop.
Examples include a car accident, natural disasters, physical attack, etc.
Chronic- Event is ongoing or doesn’t have clear start/stop.
Examples include combat, infertility, abusive relationships, etc.
Complex- Event occurs in the home, where one is supposed to be safest, and/or the perpetrator is a primary caregiver who is supposed to protect a child.
Examples include childhood abuse (physical, emotional, sexual), neglect, etc.
Another way of thinking about trauma is seeing it as a loss. When we experience trauma, we lose something…let me share some examples of possible losses after trauma.
A car accident = a loss of safety
Infertility = a loss of hope
Homelessness = a loss of security/stability
House fire = a loss of possessions
Childhood sexual abuse = a loss of innocence
The final way in which I describe trauma, especially for the purpose of engaging in EMDR, is any past event that brings up a current emotional and/or physical response when you think about it.
Perhaps you’re wondering how common trauma is- well I got you, here’s your answer (and the research to back it up)…
aces study
In the 1980’s the CDC and an epidemiologist started a weight loss study and found that some of the participants who had lost weight, quickly regained it. Upon interviewing these participants, they found ten mutual negative experiences in their childhoods. This study, and these shared life events, became known as ACEs, which stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. These ten traumatic events, if experienced before the age of 18, can have a negative impact later in life:
-Emotional Abuse -Physical Abuse -Sexual Abuse -Emotional Neglect -Physical Neglect
-Parental Separation/Divorce -Domestic Violence -Substance Abuse in Family
-Family Member with Mental Illness -Incarcerated Family Member
This study showed that 61% of people have experienced at least one of these adverse events, which means a majority of people have experienced trauma.
For more information on the ACEs study: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html